Net Nanny

by Bio Net

Product Features

• Latest Version Launched Nov 2008
• PC Magazine Editors Choice for Parental Filters
• Top Ten Reviews Gold Award Winner
• Email Notifications
• Time Controls

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005BC23
• Item model number: 1896680089
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 12, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,226 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #61 in Software > Networking > Security
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

We all know the Internet is coated with so much smut that it makes Larry Flynt look almost virginal. In reality, the majority of the nastiness online is buried deeper than it used to be. But if you have kids and they have access to the Net, it's still a good idea to take some precautionary steps, and one of the most important is using blocking software such as Net Nanny. Version 4.0 of this program offers an easier interface than previous versions, and, as with previous iterations, it lets users view and edit its questionable sites list.

This affordable program keeps tabs on what comes into your system from the at-large Web, filtering out pornographic sites and images as well as questionable words in chatrooms and newsgroups, hate literature, and even bomb recipes. It's not a catchall solution--even with the most stringent of settings, some PG-13 and above material trickled through. And it doesn't take the place of parental guidance and education. But it's a well-designed program that makes it easy for parents to keep tabs on the online activities of their children, in addition to protecting personal information and limiting users' online time. Its thick manual walks parents through the steps for configuring the software and also offers a Safe Family Contract, encouraging parents to talk to their kids about why they're using Net Nanny.

Net Nanny 4.0 installs easily and begins running automatically after a system reboot. The administrator sets up accounts (up to 12) for each family member with a specific login name and password, and can easily choose the filtering settings for each user, as well as scheduling the days and times that each user is allowed online. Sites can be blocked for individual users, or alternatively the administrator can create a list of only the sites he or she wants individual users to visit.

Net Nanny can be set to automatically update its database of filtered Web sites (the list of blocked sites and phrases also makes nice shock-value reading), so as new sites are added to the list, the software is kept up to date. The administrator can also check out the log file, which tracks the sites, newsgroups, and chatrooms that users visit, and logs information sent and received. The admin password is required to deactivate Net Nanny, view the log file, affect any changes to other users' settings, and even to uninstall the software.

While no filtering software is perfect--like other filtering software, Net Nanny sometimes blocks out the good with the bad, such as artistic sites--it's a flexible program that lets an administrator create unique sets of online user rules with an easy-to-use interface. --J. Curtis

Product Description

Net Nanny 6 is the PC Magazine Editor's Choice for Parental Control Filters. It consistently outperforms its competitors with a web-filtering program which combines cutting-edge technology with non-technical settings and reports, perfect for informed proactive parents who may not be computer or Internet savvy. For those of you who would prefer to personalise the settings more, there are plenty of options for customisation. The Walt Disney company chose Net Nanny as the Internet Filter to be used on the new Disney Dream Desk PC. Net Nanny 6 incorporates a unique Message Monitor feature which examines the content of instant messages (IM) and alerts parents via e-mail to potential online predatory behaviour, cyberbullying and other inappropriate contacts and comments made through popular Instant Messaging programs. Net Nanny reports provide details about social networking profiles including friends' lists, pictures, personal descriptions and more. Net Nanny 6 will help you to keep your children safe online. Working directly with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Net Nanny 6 is the first parental control software solution to set age-based gaming restrictions using the ESRB rating system and the first to block desktop PC games based on categories, including violence, sex, alcohol, drugs and more. Net Nanny 6 allows you to set the times when your children can be online. If you wish to limit their Internet access you simply set the grid to "red" for the times when you do not want them to access the Internet. Additional Features - Email Notifications - The ability to provide an override password - Secure Site Filtering - Instant Messaging Logging - Setup multiple profiles for different family age ranges - Remote Management - Automatic Updates for the duration of your licence - FREE Support

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Net Nanny 4.0, July 25, 2002

By 

R. Reynolds (Palmdale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I purchased Net Nanny from my local Staples Store; I installed it and discovered that it is totally useless. I t would immediately block out any page that I had set as my home page.

The problems continued when I set the user settings. Being a parent of a pre-teen I wanted to control what my child was accessing but as an adult I didn't need to be protected from myself. The program would block me from accessing sites, even though my user profile was set to not block anything.

Signing in under my child's name I was able to see nude pictures within seconds. But then it started shutting down my browser for violations, even on sites like Yahoo.com, despite the fact that I had the program set not to shut down the browser upon a violation, just to block and warn.

The last straw came when the program started calling up my dial-up networking connection when I was working on non-net related programs, such as MS Word. Over and over the connect box would come up. I tried contacting customer support; their suggestions were juvenile and did not solve any, or even address several of the problems.

The box clearly states "Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed", I have not found this to be true. Staples return policy would not allow them to return my money, just replace with the same item, which I did and tried with the same results.

Net Nanny has ignored my repeated request for a refund by not replying to any of my e-mail requests sent to any of the address on their web site.

I'm now using CyberPatrol, which seems to work as promised, as for Net Nanny, my advice is to steer clear and try Cyber Sitter or CyberPatrol.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this!, July 29, 2002

By A Customer

Be warned: this product does not work with current versions of Netscape; the Company claims to have a fix, but aren't advertising it and won't send the patch out unless you go through a 20 or so step set of instructions involving your "FTP client" in the DOS function of your computer to get a download. Not what I was hoping to do. In any case, on principle I wouldn't buy from this type of company.

Although my software promised 30 days of free telephone technical support, they discontinued that without telling anyone in May.

On IE, the software works ok, although it's clunky. I haven't decided whether even to continue to use it if I could get them to send me the patch. But again, there's got to be a better company and a better way.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not compatible with all ISP's, February 9, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Net Nanny (CD-ROM)

I can't really comment on the product, because I never got to use it. Net Nanny 4.0 is not compatible with several popular ISP's (AOL, CompuServe and Road Runner). You would think that this information would be mentioned in obvious places, but it's not.