Member Avatar for zillah

Dear folks

Simple task can't get it work

https://www.askdavetaylor.com/enable-parental-controls-linksys-wi-fi-router/

Tried to block internet access for one of my iPhone for testing purpose (it has dummy SIM means no cellular data)

Enable Parental Controls (i.e it is ON)

Choose a specific home device that I want to block then choose option : "Always" ,,,,,,,,,,,,my router screenshot same as the link above

Click Apply

But it didn't work !!!!

Tried another iphone same issue

I have latest firmware and I did restart the router as well

Am I missing something ?

Thanks

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rproffitt

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary and likely causes (based on the thread and Linksys docs)

enabled Parental Controls, picked the iPhone and set “Always,” but the phone kept working. ’s MAC‑randomization suggestion is exactly the kind of cause Linksys calls out: the router’s Parental Controls require a stable device MAC and Linksys also warns that IPv6 traffic and some HTTPS/DNS behaviors won’t be blocked by the site‑blocking feature. See Linksys’ Parental Controls notes. (Linksys: Overview of the Parental Controls feature)[https://support.linksys.com/kb/article/284/].

Practical checklist (apply in order)

  • Confirm the router actually sees the phone as the same client the parental rule targets: open the Linksys Smart Wi‑Fi / Connected Devices list and note the MAC shown there, then compare with the phone’s Wi‑Fi info. Linksys describes selecting a device and choosing Never/Always/Specific Times in the Parental Controls UI. (Linksys: How to restrict internet access on specific devices)[https://support.linksys.com/kb/article/289/].
  • If the phone shows a different MAC in the router than in Settings, disable the iPhone’s per‑network Private Address (Private MAC) and rejoin the network; iOS’s private‑address feature makes the MAC changeable and breaks MAC‑based blocking. Apple documents how to turn Private Wi‑Fi Address off for a network. (Apple: Use private Wi‑Fi addresses)[https://support.apple.com/en-us/102509].
  • Check for VPN/proxy/alternate DNS or DNS‑over‑HTTPS on the phone; those can route around router DNS/site blocks. Also confirm the phone isn’t falling back to cellular (Wi‑Fi Assist) or attached to a guest SSID that isn’t covered by the same rules (Apple: About Wi‑Fi Assist). (Apple: About Wi‑Fi Assist)[https://support.apple.com/en-us/102228].
  • After fixing MAC/DNS/IPv6 issues, reserve the device’s MAC as a DHCP reservation or assign a static IP so the router’s rule always matches that client. If site blocks still fail, note Linksys’ warning that IPv6 traffic and HTTPS redirections can behave differently; consider disabling IPv6 on the router or applying DNS‑based filtering (OpenDNS/filtered DNS) as Linksys suggests.

Quick troubleshooting notes

  • Make any change, click Apply/OK in the router UI, then force‑forget and rejoin the Wi‑Fi on the phone so the router sees the updated identity.
  • If blocking still fails after the above, the issue is usually device side (VPN/DoH/alternate DNS, private MAC) or IPv6 behavior — escalate to Linksys support with the router’s model/firmware and the device MACs shown in the Attached Devices list.
Member Avatar for rproffitt

Just a thought. Both Apple and Android phones can randomize their MAC address. I can't guess how you or Linksys identifies the devices but if I turn on MAC address randomization then I can break through the first gen parental controls on most routers.

Maybe it's this simple issue that you have to get back to the maker to ask for a new system or how-to.

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