Step 1: Log In To Your CleanerNet  Account

You may login to your CleanerNet Account by clicking on the  “login” button at the top of the page or by downloading The CleanerNet App from the App Store or the Google Play Store. Once you get to the login screen you will be prompted to provide the administrator’s e-mail address and password which you will need to enter to log in.

If you are on a mobile device you will have two options to select for that specific device that is being used. 

Protect Everywhere

The Protect Everywhere option should be enabled if you want this device to be connected to The CleanerNet no matter where it goes. This will enable all limits and time conditions on the device that the administrator has created no matter what network it is connected to ensuring a safe internet experience all the time.

Manage Limits

The Manage Limits option should be enabled if this device belongs to one of the administrators on the account. This option will allow access to all of the CleanerNet settings, browser histories, and limits for your account so it should  only be enabled if you want the person using this device to have access to these settings.

Step 2: Group Creation

Groups give you the ability to separate different devices in your homes into different categories. Once a group is created the administrator can then place time and content restrictions on each group independently so everyone can have their own personalized internet solution that is customized specifically to them.

GROUP EXAMPLES

You can create a “Video Games” group and put time limits and content restrictions on all video game devices in your home. With a single click you can enable or disable internet access to these devices.

You can create a group for each member of your household and put the devices they use in their group. If, for example, you have teenagers and younger children you could create a group for “teens” and another group for “children”.  You can change the settings for each group at any time.

Group Creation

1. Create a New Group by clicking on the “plus” sign and then name the group
2. Click on “Devices” and select “Connected” which will show you a list of devices that are currently connected to your network.

*NOTE: Sometimes the names of certain devices isn’t clear. If you can’t identify a device please follow these steps.

3. Click on the device you want to add to a group.
4. Under “Group” select the group you want this particular device to be in.
5. Repeat this step for each device in your home until each one has been identified and added to a group. (You only have to do this one time so don’t get too discouraged. If it’s too much work, you can always hire a neighbor kid to help you.)

Step 3: Time Management

The Time Management feature lets you, as the administrator, determine when certain groups can have access to the internet and when they do not. If, for example, you do not want the children online past 10:00 p.m. on a school night you can turn the internet off and then back on the following morning. We will show you how to do this in the steps below.

*NOTE: These time limits apply only to the group you are editing so make sure you repeat these steps for each group individually.

1. Click on the Group you want to edit and then select the “Limits” button
2. You will see a blue grid with the days of the week on the left and the hours of the day across the top. Below this grid you will want to click on the “Internet Blocked” icon in red.
3. In the chart above select the hours for each day that you want the internet to be blocked by clicking on the coinciding day and hour/s you want the internet disabled for that group of devices.

*NOTE: This will block the internet completely for the duration of the hours listed. If you want to enable access to certain sites or features during this time, please reference the “Custom Limit” feature in the video above.

4. Each hour that is red will represent a time when the internet is disabled for that group. This can be edited at any time by the administrator.

Step 4: Restrictions

This section is where the account administrator can set restrictions, or limits, on the type of content and web sites that a specific group has access to. This is one of the most important features the CleanerNet has to offer so we’ll take you through it step by step and explain what each function does.

Block Everything: This feature is best suited if the administrator wants to control which sites a group of devices can access. If you enable this feature all traffic is blocked and you will need to add the web sites that are permitted for this group in the “Exceptions” section.

Categories: This feature will give you the ability to block certain types of web sites and content from being viewed by a particular group. Simply click on the Categories icon and select the content you want to restrict. Below are some descriptions of each category and what it restricts when enabled.

–Dating: Websites known for meeting and connecting with people on a romantic basis.
– Drugs: Websites known to be related to alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
– Gambling: Websites known for playing games of chance and betting.
– Games: Websites known for providing games and general time-wasters.
– Pornography: Websites known to contain the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity
– Proxies: Services known to allow users to bypass local network configurations and filters.
– Search Engines: Websites known to provide services for searching content on the internet.
– Shopping: Websites known for purchasing products.
– Social Media: Websites Known for connecting and sharing with others.
– Sports: Websites known to be related to sports and sports news.
– Threats: Websites known to contain malware, phishing, spyware, and/or viruses.

Sites: When you click on this option you will see a list of the more popular websites in use today. You may restrict access by simply selecting the site/s you want to block for each particular group of users.

URL’s: If you want to restrict access to specific web sites that may not be listed in either of the sections above you may add them here. Click the “URL” icon and type in the web address of the site you want to block in the “Add A Domain” Line that appear

Step 5: Exceptions

This category is just like the Restrictions category only the opposite. It is most useful if you want to restrict access to any and all sites in a specific category, like Social Media for example, but still give access to Facebook. Exceptions can be enabled by following these steps:

• Turn Exception to “ON”
• To enable a certain category click on the “Categories” icon and enable the category you want to permit
• To Enable a popular web site click on the “Sites” option and click on the site/s you want to allow access to.
• To enable a specific web site click on the “URL” icon and then either type in the web address or copy and paste it into the “Add a Domain” line.

Step 6: Options

Under options you will find three different features listed. Here is what each feature does and why you may want to enable it.

• Safe Search: Locked – Some search engines have a “safe search” feature built in to filter out offensive images and other content that can often be accessed by accident. When activated this feature will “lock” the safe search feature to “on” for any device within that group.
• You Tube Restricted Mode: Similar to the safe search option You Tube also provides a “restricted mode” that will filter out content that is considered offensive or violent. You can restrict access to these videos by enabling this feature.
• Block Unknown Traffic: This feature is designed to block services that are commonly used to bypass internet filters. It was designed to block proxy and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) but may also restrict or block other websites and services that are used for work or other applications. You will want to enable this feature with some discretion.