New Parental Control Gateway from ZyXEL Provides Easy Solution for Safe Home Internet Surfing.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- HomeSafe Gateway Enables Parents to Customize Internet Access See how to access the Internet. , Block Objectionable Material and Manage Access to Internet Applications ZyXEL Communications Inc., a leading provider of broadband access See broadband and wireless broadband. solutions, has announced wired and wireless models of its HomeSafe Parental Control Gateway (HS-100 & HS-100W), first-of-their-kind home networking solutions that combine Internet sharing Internet sharing refers to accessing on unlimited dial up services on different telephone lines at different locations at the same time using the same account .The ISP usually sets a limit amount to reduce unauthorized use. It is not possible on broadband because it is only specific to that line. , firewall protection, optional wireless connectivity, and the most advanced parental control capabilities available today. Unlike parental control services that are configured through complicated independent software applications, HomeSafe's advanced parental control features are easily managed and enforced at the gateway. ZyXEL's HomeSafe gateways provide households with secure broadband Internet access Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is high speed Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access over modem. Dial-up modems are generally only capable of a maximum bitrate of 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second) and require the full use of a , traffic management, and parental control functionality through a single, cost-effective point of control for all PCs on the network. Access to websites and other online content such as Internet-based games, music file-sharing, images, video, and email are controlled through the gateway. HomeSafe's unprecedented feature set includes: --Subject-based content filtering See Web filtering and parental control software. to block objectionable websites --Free content filtering trial subscription --Email notification of when a user attempts to access an inappropriate site --Configurable time/day limits on Internet access, chat, instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or , online gaming See gaming. and other activities --Unique user profiles for each family member --Intuitive and easy-to-use configuration wizards "We're thrilled to launch this comprehensive consumer solution that combines extended parental control features with ZyXEL's secure, reliable and proven wireless Internet sharing technology. The HomeSafe gateway has been designed especially for parents who are concerned with managing their children's Internet access privileges," said Munira Brooks, senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development, ZyXEL. The HomeSafe Parental Control Gateway enables parents to create customized profiles for each individual family member based on such innovative features as time management and time allowance. HomeSafe's time management feature allows parents to establish time-of-day parameters, during which the Internet may be accessed, while time allowance enables parents to set the total amount of Internet access time allowed within one day. Ideal for young and mature teen users, the time management and time allowance features enable parents to give their children age-appropriate freedom under a suitable usage budget. "We all realize the tremendous value of the Internet as a knowledge tool that furthers our children's learning interests, but many parents, including myself, have been torn about providing unlimited and unrestrained access because of all the potential dangers that exist on the Internet -- from questionable content Questionable Content (abbreviated QC or Q.C.) is a slice-of-life webcomic written and drawn by Jeph Jacques. The plot centers on Marten Reed, an indie rock aficionado, his anthropomorphic PC (AnthroPC) named Pintsize, and his somewhat troubled and mysterious roommate Faye. to predators. Now we can guide our children's Internet use through ZyXEL's HomeSafe Gateway," added Brooks. Integrated Content Filtering, Firewall, Routing and Networking Capabilities Enable Protection and Management of the Home Network HomeSafe's content filtering features are offered as a subscription service; all other parental control features are available without any recurring fees. A single easy-to-use Web-based management interface enables account management for all users, which parents can remotely access via the Internet. Unlike software-based solutions, HomeSafe is operating system-independent and delivers the same level of parental control to PCs and PDAs running any OS. Before a user is allowed Internet access through the family network, he or she is required to log onto the HomeSafe system by simply opening a web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. . HomeSafe then redirects the user's browser to the system's login screen where a valid username and password must be entered to begin the customized Internet access session. Once a user is logged in, he or she is subject to the access rules assigned to his or her login account rather than other standard PC access controls, providing an added level of security. HomeSafe operates separately from standard PCs, making it less likely to be hacked or circumvented. Access to the gateway is password protected and alerts are given to administrators/parents if attempts to bypass the system occur. Such attempts include unplugging the HomeSafe box or turning off the power. Both models of the ZyXEL HomeSafe Parental Control Gateway feature integrated 4-port 10/100Mbps switch, Internet-sharing NAT (Network Address Translation) An IETF standard that allows an organization to present itself to the Internet with far fewer IP addresses than there are nodes on its internal network. router, stateful packet inspection See stateful inspection. firewall and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). In addition, the HomeSafe 100W supports 802.11g and 802.11b wireless standards and incorporates an extensive range of wireless security features, such as WPA WPA: see Work Projects Administration. WPA in full Works Progress Administration later (1939–43) Work Projects Administration U.S. work program for the unemployed. , 802.1x user authentication See authentication. , and MAC address filtering to prevent data from being viewed by unauthorized users during wireless transmission. As an advantage, the HomeSafe firewall offers real-time alerts, reports and logs for secure and efficient network management. Pricing and Availability List price for the ZyXEL HS-100 and HS-100W HomeSafe Parental Control Gateways are $59.99 and $79.99 respectively and will be widely available through ZyXEL's national network of authorized resellers and select online retailers beginning August 1. About ZyXEL Communications ZyXEL Communications Inc., with U.S. headquarters in Anaheim, California “Anaheim” redirects here. For Annaheim, see Annaheim, Saskatchewan. Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California, located 28 miles southeast of Los Angeles. , is one of the world's foremost suppliers of broadband networking and Internet connectivity/routing products. ZyXEL is focused on developing xDSL, cable access, broadband-sharing, wireless and security solutions for a large target audience including telcos, cable operators, ISPs, small-to-medium sized businesses, SOHO Soho (sōhō`, sə–), district of Westminster, London, England, known for its continental restaurants. Once a fashionable quarter, it became popular among writers and artists in the 19th cent. and institutional MxU (multi-tenant unit/multi-dwelling unit) markets. Some of ZyXEL's largest customers include: Sprint, Time Warner, Charter, Earthlink, Chunghwa Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Telefonica Brazil, Telia, Verizon, and many others. For more information on ZyXEL Communications and its broadband solutions, visit the company's website at http://www.us.zyxel.com. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion