[skydogtookmycash]

I figured out why this happened, and let me apologize in advance for not thinking of it before. At about the same time I was trying OpenDNS Home for the first time, I was also experimenting with the use of Blocked URLs, Allowed URLs, Black List and White List to see how they work. Well….for some stupid reason I had inserted “www.openDNS.com” into Allowed URLs, and forgot about removing it. I just removed it, and now I get the normal response from the welcome test. I believe the mystery is solved. I hope you didn’t rack your brain too hard on this one.

[skydogtookmycash]

Added Android phone to profile, same thing happens. I get the Oops screen, but when I click on the internetbadguys link it successfully treats it as a phishing threat. I tried it first with OpenDNS Home, then tried again with Family Shield, same result. Note that at one time the .welcome test was working properly. Probably coincidence, but it was only after I started trying OpenDNS Home that I started getting the Oops screen on a protected profile instead of the success screen.

[skydogtookmycash]

Let me add that I’m finding that having the Block proxy, VPN, TOR box checked is also preventing the OOMA phone adaptor from working properly. Basically it seems to go offline (although the PC connected to its home port is still online, but without Roblox working). Is that expected? Is there a fix for that, other than unchecking the box?

[skydogtookmycash]

Yes, that is the screen I’m referring to, when attempting the welcome test.

Something else I forgot to ask… When I first opened the OpenDNS Home account, there was a step in the process where it looked like I was supposed to download software onto my pc. I never did though. I think it was called OpenDNS Updater. Is that a necessary step to take advantage of OpenDNS Home, if using the pcWRT router?

By the way, I’m finding that I really like the ability to use remote access. I just use the chrome browser on my android phone. The menus don’t take long to load and seem to display just fine.

[skydogtookmycash]

I’m learning new things every day. This issue with Roblox leaves me wondering how many other popular games are the same way, where the server IP addresses are dynamic, combined with the fact that the router can’t distinguish between communications to VPN server vs communications game server as you mentioned.

Back to the issue of www.opendns.com/welcome not showing up as working in the browser, I’m seeing things that I don’t understand. For example, for one of the PC’s that I previously had on the unprotected profile, and had never previously attempted www.opendns.com/welcome thus not in cache, I went ahead and moved to protected profile with OpenDNS Family Shield, with Block proxy, VPN, TOR unchecked, and tried www.opendns.com/welcome test. It still didn’t indicated it was working. But then I did tried “internetbadguys.com” (as suggested on OpenDNS website), and it did seem to block it as a phishing threat. So I guess OpenDNS was working despite the fact that www.opendns.com/welcome test was not working.

By the way, just to try it out I created an OpenDNS Home account, to see how the logging works. Despite your clear directions, because I’m not so skilled in this stuff I still struggled some with one of the steps, but I finally got through it. Maybe for those of us that need spoon fed through this process, you could add one more little step to your blog instructions, that helps explain how to get from initially clicking “Settings” to the option for Advanced Settings. What I mean is, when I first selected Settings, it did not yet bring up Advanced Settings as a choice. There was another small step in between that was confusing to me that perhaps you could address in future updates to instructions. Thanks!

[skydogtookmycash]

Thanks a lot for the answers, clears things up for me (for now).

[skydogtookmycash]

Thanks for fixing on amazon. Well, the deed is done on the TP-Link. Not that it matters to me now, but wondering if the new version of router is just around the corner? (I usually have a knack for just missing out on things)

[skydogtookmycash]

oops, I’ve procrastinated too long, now I have 9 days before skydog stops working.

Had been waiting for new version to come out, but I don’t see it.

On Amazon the C7 for pcWRT router is now listed at $999 (ouch).

Need help on what to do ??

[skydogtookmycash]

Will the new hardware offer any advantage over the Archer C7, other than lower cost? Conversely, does the Archer C7 have any hardware advantage over the newer version coming out?

If I choose to get the Archer C7 now (instead of waiting for the new hardware), will the C7 continue to get equally good support compared to the new hardware, or might the C7 sort of die on the vine in terms of firmware updates? I’m kind of wondering if the C7 might be a better choice than new custom hardware because the C7 is well established. And any problems with using a WiFi range extender with a pcWRT based router?

Also let me ask, are you getting enough subscribers to reach critical mass to sustain service over the long haul? Not too many reviews on Amazon for the pcWRT Archer C7 router, so it had me wondering. I could imagine, after all the hard work your team puts into this, and the scarcity of good options out there, you might wonder why more families aren’t flocking to your solution. (if that’s the case, please don’t get discouraged) I was looking earlier, but got distracted. My skydog expires fairly soon, and there are some good holiday specials going on now on standard routers, has me looking again. Thanks !

[skydogtookmycash]

Okay, sounds good. Staying tuned.

[skydogtookmycash]

Thanks very much for the candid reply. Since yesterday I’ve done more reading, and am quickly getting confused about what would be the best solution for our family. For example I see things like Cirle, HomeHalo and Koalasafe out there (that are more cloud based like skydog). I’m sure there are pros and cons to each, but do you know of some info I could read to get a better understanding? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve already been searching and reading up on it, but quite honestly not finding it very clear. Could you help me understand the advantages (and disadvantages) of pcWRT versus a product like HomeHalo ? My main goal is to help protect the kids from inappropriate content. I’m glad pcWRT has plans to support some cloud based control. I also like the fact that the C7 is an available router option for pcWRT (most other solutions have very mediocre router hardware).

[skydogtookmycash]

If a person owns a TP-Link Archer C7, can they buy just the firmware, and if so for how much $? But this is not my main question, because I don’t actually own a C7 yet. I notice the C7 is $89 on amazon, and if the firmware is say $70 then that is a less expensive way to go.

Main question: Is pcWRT here to stay? I don’t really mind the $110 extra price tag over the normal C7, if pcWrt will have some longevity to it. I’m still sore about being dumped by skydog. It seemed like a perfect fit for me, which was why I paid extra $ for router hardware that was already very outdated and with poor range. I’m still surprised there isn’t a close alternative to skydog (maybe the concepts were patented, and of all companies to buy them why did it have to be Comcast ?).

Nobody has a crystal ball, but if pcWRT’s hope is to be bought up like skydog it would be nice to know up front (and I’ll steer clear). Otherwise, after next pay check I’m joining in.

One thing I really like about my skydog is that when the network goes down I get a text message. I suppose that is a feature that only a cloud based system could support ?? Are their solutions available for that?

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