In our household we may have as many as six computers on our network at one time. My laptop, my wife’s laptop, the family computer, the kids computer and a laptop for both of my oldest kids. As each of these computers have been introduced into our network I have done my best to instill a bit of the “big brother is watching” attitude.

I have installed remote management software on every Windows based computer (one of them runs Linux). While I have only ever used the remote management software to troubleshoot a problem, the kids are aware that I could pop in at any time. I have my own administrator account on each machine that I make sure hasn’t been disabled.

The problem with the the “big brother” attitude comes with maintaining it. It is always a matter of time before the guard is let down.

While I want my older kids to realize a bit of freedom online, it is VERY important to me that they not accidentally, or purposefully, come across an adult or tasteless site. Enter OpenDNS.

DNS stands for Domain Name Service (or Server) and is the service that translates the addresses you type, i.e. www.google.com, into the computer readable number that delivers you to the website.

Most of you are probably using your ISP’s DNS when accessing the Internet. The truth of the matter is the ISP’s strength is not in resolving domain names. The folks behind OpenDNS understand this and, as a result, have created a great service.

You can enable OpenDNS on your computer or network by assigning the OpenDNS addresses to the computers on your network or the router that all your computers go through to access the Internet. I chose the latter because I don’t have to worry about a computer on my network being updated. The settings are delivered from the router. The OpenDNS site does a fantastic job of walking you through these changes.

You do have the option of using OpenDNS without creating an account but as the site states,

You could use OpenDNS without an account, but it’d be like having a Porsche stuck in first gear.

Creating an account gives you access to filtering, stats and other features that turn this service into a layer of protection between your family and the darker side of the Internet.

Once you create an account you can turn on filtering and stats that give you some peace of mind. A nice touch is the custom message that can be displayed when a site that you have blocked tries to be accessed. My custom message reads,

This household is NOT allowed on this network… Chuck says

The categories of sites that can be blocked include:

In addition to blocking sites you also have protection against phishing sites and the ability to block, or allow, specific sites. Each of these options create a powerful layer of protection that you can typically set and forget. You don’t have to be concerned with updates, (it isn’t like anti-virus software) this burden falls on the OpenDNS team.

I hope you consider using this service. It is simply one less thing you need to worry about.

A couple of bonuses to using the service:

• A lot of folks are reporting faster Internet browsing because this service can look up names quicker than the ISP.
• Typo correction. Typing yahoo.cm will still deliver you to yahoo.com

A few additional resources:

• OpenDNS features
• OpenDNS Privacy Policy
• An interview with the CEO and Founder of OpenDNS
• An older article from Wired Magazine written before OpenDNS was open to the public - 07/2006