New Zealand ISP Bigpipe has released a trial version of a new parental control app which it says gives parents an even deeper level of control over their home Internet connection than has previously been possible.
Bigpipe says if parents want to make sure that their kids can’t use social media after bedtime, they can choose to restrict access with just one tap in the Bigpipe app. This will turn off access to sites and services like Facebook, but leave other services accessible.
“Think of it as a remote control for your broadband,” says Bigpipe product and marketing manager Sarvajith Ravishankar. “It’s really easy to just switch a mode on or off.”
The new app allows parents to turn off multiple modes at once, or choose to prioritise them so they’ll be optimised. For example, if parents want to watch Lightbox but disallow the children access to Facebook, they can turn off social media while prioritising streaming mode.
{loadposition peter}Ravishankar says the Bigpipe app can only be used by the Bigpipe account holder for any given connection, and that account holder can see what sort of traffic is on a connection, and can choose to restrict — or prioritise — any particular mode.
“All this capability runs on the Bigpipe network, so activation is near-instantaneous. Parental Control requires no additional software and no additional service sign-up – it just works, straight from the Bigpipe app,” Ravishankar says.
“It also means that parents can see what’s happening on their home Bigpipe connection and activate parental control features from anywhere – work, home or overseas.
“Parental Control doesn’t automatically block websites, so there’s no inconvenience for adults wanting to get around their own blocking software.
“Along with our other ground-breaking features like mode selector and line testing, Parental Control is built to offer parents real choice, and real control, over what’s done on their connections. It’s Internet the way it should be.”
Parental Control will come built into the next update to the Bigpipe app, but Bigpipe is offering the chance for parents to be the first to test the feature, with an open beta that anyone with a Bigpipe account can sign up for at the Bigpipe website.
“Bigpipe offers a no-contracts service, so anyone who’d like to try Bigpipe to get access to Parental Control can do so risk-free,” Ravishankar says.
Parents with Bigpipe connections can now sign up for the beta.