Sky Hub Security, Block Sites Feature

[Northernmum]

I used this feature for the first time this week.  I included three keywords to block websites during the day, one of which was youtube and set the schedule.  Worked great - websites blocked immediately.

BUT the schedule did nothing and sites were permanently blocked.

Turned off keyword blocking - all sites still blocked.

Deleted keyword from list - site still blocked.

Reset router - site still blocked.

My kids now hate me.

I was clearly naive expecting the software to work.  Any ideas on how to fix it in the short term and recommendations for routers where it does actually work?

Cheers

[TimmyBGood]

@Northernmum 

Keyword blocking is essentially obsolete, and will become even more so as encrypted DNS is rolled out: most routers don't offer it as a 'feature'.  The relevant product from Sky is Broadband Buddy, part of the Broadband Boost bundle.

[Northernmum]

Ha, thanks - pity Sky can't keep their users informed about which bits work and don't work!

[Northernmum]

Any ideas on how to fix this? Factory reset of router, and still the three websites are permanently blocked 🤦🏻

[Chrisee]

@Northernmum check your Sky Broadband Shield settings as I suspect that maybe what you used - although it can be done on the hub but it is complex to set up properly. See Sky Broadband Shield

If however you did use the hub you need to remember that when resetting the hub you have to hold in the reset pin in  until the power light flashes green. If you release before that the hub just reboots. It can take a good 20 seconds. 

Honestly trying to control site access for kids do use a proper parental control app like Sky's Broadband Buddy they are well worth the extra the free tools like hub filtering and even the Broadband Shield are poor alternatives.

[Northernmum · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Thanks for the comments - I've actually solved this myself.

I did definitely use the hub and *not* Broadband Shield (they are very different - it's not that hard to tell them apart).  I did also do a full factory reset using the hub so holding (or not holding) buttons on the router was not the issue.

However, as a factory reset still didn't work, it did get me thinking that the information must still be held somewhere outside of the router.  I logged into Sky Broadband Shield and it turns out that blocking websites via the hub also updates Broadband Shield - but crucially deleting them from the hub doesn't remove them from Broadband Shield.

So all solved and I still have a reasonably effective and free method of making sure my kids get their homework done.

Hope this helps if it should ever happen to anyone else.