Here are the October 2023 dates for THE TECH-SAFE HOME® webinars.

These webinars are designed to educate and equip parents, grandparents, and other caregivers on the dangers to children on the Internet, and how to create THE TECH-SAFE HOME in their own home!

Sign up, now! Sign up HERE!

For a number of years Circle Home Plus has been Knights’ Quest Ministries’ #1 recommendation for parents due to it’s features, simplicity, and price. Not only were phones and tablets filterable, but EVERYTHING in the home that used the Web was filtered at the network level. And the price was not bad at all! As with all things, there have been some major changes so I have published this important update for Circle Home Plus!

Circle Has Been Sold

Internet security firm, AURA, acquired CIRCLE, the company. Aura has it’s own parental control app. So, I thought I should post an important status update for Circle Home Plus users!

This purchase of CIRCLE has brought about some changes:

• The Circle Home Plus production has stopped.
• The Circle app remains available. It is still recommended for phones & tablets.
• Aura may offer a hardware solution in the future but the details are not available. The Aura App can be used along side the Circle Home Plus hardware with no problem.

Options

So, where does that leave parents who are using Circle Home Plus, or who wish to use Circle Home Plus?

• Your Circle hardware and software will continue to function. I do not know if that will change in the future.
• Circle Home Plus is still available for purchase from eBay. There are both new and used units available as of 7/14/2023. If you get a used/refurbished unit make sure you reset it to factory conditions. Used units, obviously, will not have the 3-months or 1-year of the Premium Services included.
• BARK HOME is a relatively inexpensive alternative to CIRCLE HOME PLUS. The main thing is that the Bark unit does not have internal batteries nor does it have WIFI. These are useful to counter children just unplugging the power or network cords to disable the parental controls. This product is also in testing.
• There are a number of routers that have Parental Controls included. Knights’ Quest is testing the Gryphon Tower router, their mid-range device, and will publish reviews in the very near future. If you need such a device now, our recommendation is to use one of the GRYPHON GUARDIAN routers. These come with an app as well as the hardware parental controls system built into the router, itself.
  

I am also investigating the offerings by Aura, and monitoring for new developments.

In the meantime, I have scheduled Back-Too-School presentations of THE TECH-SAFE HOME^Ⓡ Webinar. You can find the schedule and register on the WEBINARS page of my web site: www.knightsquest.org.

Recommended Links

Here are some of my articles you can find on Blogging the Knights’ Quest:

• Parental Controls Review: Circle Home Plus
• Apple’s “Ask To Buy”: What Parents Need To Know

Please share Knights’ Quest Ministries with your friends family!

We have added a 3rd date for THE TECH-SAFE HOME: PROFESSIONAL EDITION Webinar. It will take place on 18 November 2020.

The webinar is FREE, but registration is required. You can register via the link, below:

REGISTER

It’s that time of year, again when Apple conducts public testing for it’s new operating systems.

Apple typically begins a Public Beta Test of it’s new operating systems for it’s products in the Summer to support the Fall release of the new software! A beta test is the final step before releasing new software and consists of tests by folks who are not part of the development team.

Currently Apple is testing:

• iOS 14 for iPhones and iPods
• iPadOS 14 for iPads
• macOS Big Sur (aka OS 11)
• tvOS 14
• watchOS 7

These public betas are very popular among those comfortable with experimenting with their devices. They get to try out “the latest and greatest” before it is released and even get to provide suggestions or report issues with the beta.

But, if you have been working on a TECH-SAFE HOME the question arises:

“Should you beta test Apple’s new operating systems?”

In a word: “NO!”

Beta test software is “incomplete” and often does not work with other programs until a program’s publisher updates their apps. There may be many iterations, or versions, of a package in beta test. Therefore many publishers will not release an update until the “Gold”, or final, version is released. Until that time there are always bugs and glitches and compatibility issues that arise. Specialized software, such as parental control and monitoring apps, is especially susceptible.

The Beta Test Hazard

In some cases, everything might work just fine. But, the changes in the new operating systems could result in parental controls not working as planned. This might happen even (though unlikely) the built-in Apple Screen Time controls.

You can call the publisher of a parental control (or just about any other) app to find out if they support it. If you do, you will get the party line: They do not support their product on unreleased operating systems still undergoing development and testing. I’ve asked!

You might consider participating in a beta test. Doing so might make your children’s devices become “unsafe”. I recommend that you wait until Apple launches the final commercial release of these operating systems.

Another reason is this: Your child is most likely homeschooling right now, to some degree, due to the Pandemic. Software that schools may require your child to use may not be compatible with the beta versions of the operating systems.

When you do upgrade to the new OS you need to check your parental control apps to make sure settings having changed. You can make sure your apps are automatically updated by following these instructions on Apple’s web site.

Don’t forget to register for a TECH-SAFE HOME Webinar!

I have scheduled additional dates for THE TECH-SAFE HOME Webinar through September 10th.

Learn:

• The many online threats to children and youth
• First Steps to take for a TECH-SAFE HOME
• Recommended software and hardware
• Which phones you should, and shouldn’t give your children
• How to deal with CHROMEBOOKS!
• How to set online boundaries
• How to monitor social media…and enforce them
• Limitations parents face
• How pornography harms children
• How predators operate
• Actions to take if you discover problems

All of this, and more, in two 1-hour session.

Register now: THE TECH-SAFE HOME Webinar

With so many of us stuck at home for who knows how long I wanted to share this list of ideas that you and your family can attack while our Nation deals with this virus!

Here is the list, in PDF format! Click on the image or the DOWNLOAD button, below. Then print it out! The 3rd page has room to add your own ideas! Make some of them family projects!

Remember, none of this is catching God by surprise!

Buddy