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WOMBATS Shield vs the parental controls in some modems.

Some modems and mesh systems come with parental controls in the maker's phone app; many, including some from internet providers, have little or none. We read three of the most common in Australian homes, TP-Link HomeShield, Netgear Smart Parental Controls and eero, to see what they do, what sits on the free tier, and where a Shield goes further.

The 30-day home trial for AU & NZ households: if Shield isn't right for your home, send it back — prepaid label, full refund.

Choose a Shield if…

…you want the whole job. Ads and trackers gone on every device. SafeSearch on Google, Bing and YouTube that holds. Apps like TikTok closed on their backup routes, not just the obvious one. The common ways around a filter shut. Different rules for each child on Shield Edge and Vault. And all of it bought once, with no tier to renew.

Stick with your modem's controls if…

…pausing a device and setting a bedtime is all you need, and it works for you. Those are usually free in the maker's app, per profile, and you already own the box.

Free for the basics, a subscription for the rest.

The pattern across the makers we read: pausing a device and a bedtime sit on the free tier; app blocking by name is a paid tier, and so are SafeSearch and YouTube restrictions on TP-Link and the app for the child's phone on TP-Link and Netgear, all run through the maker's cloud and app. Nothing wrong with that model, but it is a subscription for a set of features a Shield includes once. And on the thing parents ask us about most, apps that switch to a backup route the moment the usual one is blocked, backup routes aren't mentioned by the makers we checked.

Side by side.

See it as a map, next to the others

What it is

WOMBATS Shield: A supported hardware appliance for the whole family job, bought once.
Some modems: Parental controls built into some modems and mesh systems, set up and run in the maker's phone app, with a free tier and a paid tier. Many modems have little or none.

Setup

WOMBATS Shield: About fifteen minutes with your modem's admin login. It works with the modems in most Australian homes, and Guided Setup walks you through any it can't set up by itself; with Starlink, eero and other routers you can only set up in a phone app, talk to us before ordering.
Some modems: Where offered, in the app you already use for the Wi-Fi: a profile per child, with devices assigned to it.

Screen hours, app installs, purchases and who they can message

WOMBATS Shield: No. The phone's own job. Keep Screen Time or Family Link running; a Shield sits beside them, not instead of them.
Some modems: A little. Only where the maker sells an app for the child's phone on its paid tier (TP-Link's KidShield, Netgear's My Time).

Ads and trackers blocked on every device, TVs and smart devices included

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. On by default for every device that joins your network, with nothing to install.
Some modems: A little. Only on eero's paid tier (eero Plus lists ad blocking). TP-Link's and Netgear's parental controls don't list it.

Adult content and phishing blocked

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. On by default, for every device, with a level per category from Off to Strict on your dashboard.
Some modems: In part. Where offered: a category filter through the maker's app (adult content, gambling and the like); malicious-site blocking is a paid security tier on TP-Link and eero.

SafeSearch enforced on Google, Bing and YouTube

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. On every Shield for the whole house: Google, Bing, YouTube, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Yandex and Pixabay, each a tick on the dashboard.
Some modems: A little. A paid tier where offered: TP-Link's Advanced Parental Controls (Google results only), eero Plus. Netgear's page doesn't list it.

Recursive DNS built in: your Shield looks websites up itself, so no DNS company sees what the house looks up

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Out of the box, at home your Shield looks websites up from the internet's root servers itself (recursive DNS). Your internet provider still sees which sites you connect to.
Some modems: No. Lookups go to the provider's or the maker's DNS servers.

TikTok off means off: apps built to stay online (TikTok, Meta's apps) closed on their backup routes too

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Main route and backup routes closed at the network, through website lookups and the Shield's own firewall. Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads on their own switches, WhatsApp untouched. Re-tested every month.
Some modems: A little. App blocking by name is a paid tier where offered (TP-Link's Advanced Parental Controls, eero Plus), and it works from a list of addresses. Backup routes aren't mentioned by the makers we checked.

Bypass tricks blocked: a device's own DNS settings, encrypted-DNS apps, Apple Private Relay, a reset

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shut at the network, and attempts show on your dashboard. The rules live on the Shield, behind its own login, not on the phone. A determined user on a managed device can still use a VPN to tunnel out.
Some modems: No. The rules live in the modem: its reset button restores factory settings, and the admin password is often on the sticker. Encrypted DNS and Private Relay aren't mentioned by the makers we checked.

Pause the internet, bedtime and school-night hours, per device: phones, TVs, consoles, everything

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Every Shield: pause one device's internet, or set its bedtime and school-night hours, from your phone. The device itself keeps working offline, so a homework document does too.
Some modems: Mostly. Where offered, pause and bedtime per profile are usually on the free tier, through the maker's app and cloud.

Different rules for each child's device

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Edge and Vault: filtering, SafeSearch and app rules per device, app schedules included. Shield Core sets them for the whole house at once; pause and schedules are per device on every Shield.
Some modems: Mostly. Where offered, per profile, through the maker's app.

The same rules on the kids' phones on mobile data and other Wi-Fi

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Vault, through Follow-Me Filtering: your rules on the kids' phones away from home, through a free app. The phone's owner can switch it off, and it depends on your home internet.
Some modems: A little. Only with the maker's app on the child's phone, on its paid tier (TP-Link's KidShield, Netgear's My Time).

Every device covered, nothing installed on any of them

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Plug it in behind the modem. Every device that joins is covered: computers, phones, tablets, TVs, consoles and smart devices, with nothing to install.
Some modems: Yes. Everything on the home Wi-Fi.

Set up in about fifteen minutes, with no technical skill

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. About fifteen minutes with your modem's admin login: Modem Autopilot sets up the modems in most Australian homes, and Guided Setup walks you through any it can't. With Starlink, eero and other routers you can only set up in a phone app, talk to us before ordering.
Some modems: Yes. Where offered, it's in the app you already use for the Wi-Fi: a profile per child, devices assigned to it.

Kept up for you: updates, someone to message, a warranty, a home trial

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Signed updates you install in under a minute, WhatsApp and email support, a 12-month warranty plus Australian Consumer Law, and a 30-day home trial for AU & NZ households.
Some modems: Mostly. The maker's updates and support; the parental-control tier renews as a subscription where it's paid.

Local first: no cloud, no account, no subscription

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. The dashboard runs on the Shield, on your network. No cloud login, no activation server, no subscription: if we disappear, your Shield keeps working.
Some modems: In part. Basic controls are free; the app usually needs an account with the maker, and app blocking, SafeSearch and the child-phone app renew as a subscription run through the maker's cloud.

Your own allow and block lists, filter levels, and who answers your lookups

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Your own always-allow and always-block lists, three filter categories each set from Off to Strict, and who answers your lookups: the Shield itself, or a provider you name. The filter lists themselves are ours to keep.
Some modems: A little. Blocking specific websites through the maker's app (TP-Link lists it in its free tier). Filter levels and who answers lookups aren't among the features the makers list.

Family file storage every device in the house can open

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Edge, on a USB drive you supply, and Shield Vault, with a 256 GB drive built in (1, 2 or 4 TB optional): photos, videos and files shared across the household (SMB).
Some modems: No. Not what it's for.

Movies, music and photos streamed to your TVs, even older ones

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Edge and Vault: a media library your TVs can play (Jellyfin, DLNA), with no account anywhere.
Some modems: No. Not what it's for.

Computer backups, with Time Machine for Macs

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Vault: a backup drive for any computer in the house, with Time Machine support for Macs, on a built-in drive that can be encrypted (switched on when you first set up the drive).
Some modems: No. Not what it's for.

Your own filtered Wi-Fi in a hotel or an Airbnb

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Edge over a cable into the accommodation's router; Shield Vault cable-free, joining the hotel or Airbnb Wi-Fi, even networks with a login page.
Some modems: No. Not what it's for.

Your dashboard and the family's files from a phone or laptop away from home

WOMBATS Shield: Yes. Shield Vault, through Back to Shield: the same free app puts your phone or laptop back on your home network, at your home internet's upload speed.
Some modems: In part. The maker's app manages the modem from anywhere through the maker's cloud; files aren't part of it.

Feature	WOMBATS Shield	Some modems
What it is	A supported hardware appliance for the whole family job, bought once.	Parental controls built into some modems and mesh systems, set up and run in the maker's phone app, with a free tier and a paid tier. Many modems have little or none.
Setup	About fifteen minutes with your modem's admin login. It works with the modems in most Australian homes, and Guided Setup walks you through any it can't set up by itself; with Starlink, eero and other routers you can only set up in a phone app, talk to us before ordering.	Where offered, in the app you already use for the Wi-Fi: a profile per child, with devices assigned to it.
Screen hours, app installs, purchases and who they can message	No. The phone's own job. Keep Screen Time or Family Link running; a Shield sits beside them, not instead of them.	A little. Only where the maker sells an app for the child's phone on its paid tier (TP-Link's KidShield, Netgear's My Time).
Ads and trackers blocked on every device, TVs and smart devices included	Yes. On by default for every device that joins your network, with nothing to install.	A little. Only on eero's paid tier (eero Plus lists ad blocking). TP-Link's and Netgear's parental controls don't list it.
Adult content and phishing blocked	Yes. On by default, for every device, with a level per category from Off to Strict on your dashboard.	In part. Where offered: a category filter through the maker's app (adult content, gambling and the like); malicious-site blocking is a paid security tier on TP-Link and eero.
SafeSearch enforced on Google, Bing and YouTube	Yes. On every Shield for the whole house: Google, Bing, YouTube, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Yandex and Pixabay, each a tick on the dashboard.	A little. A paid tier where offered: TP-Link's Advanced Parental Controls (Google results only), eero Plus. Netgear's page doesn't list it.
Recursive DNS built in: your Shield looks websites up itself, so no DNS company sees what the house looks up	Yes. Out of the box, at home your Shield looks websites up from the internet's root servers itself (recursive DNS). Your internet provider still sees which sites you connect to.	No. Lookups go to the provider's or the maker's DNS servers.
TikTok off means off: apps built to stay online (TikTok, Meta's apps) closed on their backup routes too	Yes. Main route and backup routes closed at the network, through website lookups and the Shield's own firewall. Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads on their own switches, WhatsApp untouched. Re-tested every month.	A little. App blocking by name is a paid tier where offered (TP-Link's Advanced Parental Controls, eero Plus), and it works from a list of addresses. Backup routes aren't mentioned by the makers we checked.
Bypass tricks blocked: a device's own DNS settings, encrypted-DNS apps, Apple Private Relay, a reset	Yes. Shut at the network, and attempts show on your dashboard. The rules live on the Shield, behind its own login, not on the phone. A determined user on a managed device can still use a VPN to tunnel out.	No. The rules live in the modem: its reset button restores factory settings, and the admin password is often on the sticker. Encrypted DNS and Private Relay aren't mentioned by the makers we checked.
Pause the internet, bedtime and school-night hours, per device: phones, TVs, consoles, everything	Yes. Every Shield: pause one device's internet, or set its bedtime and school-night hours, from your phone. The device itself keeps working offline, so a homework document does too.	Mostly. Where offered, pause and bedtime per profile are usually on the free tier, through the maker's app and cloud.
Different rules for each child's device	Yes. Shield Edge and Vault: filtering, SafeSearch and app rules per device, app schedules included. Shield Core sets them for the whole house at once; pause and schedules are per device on every Shield.	Mostly. Where offered, per profile, through the maker's app.
The same rules on the kids' phones on mobile data and other Wi-Fi	Yes. Shield Vault, through Follow-Me Filtering: your rules on the kids' phones away from home, through a free app. The phone's owner can switch it off, and it depends on your home internet.	A little. Only with the maker's app on the child's phone, on its paid tier (TP-Link's KidShield, Netgear's My Time).
Every device covered, nothing installed on any of them	Yes. Plug it in behind the modem. Every device that joins is covered: computers, phones, tablets, TVs, consoles and smart devices, with nothing to install.	Yes. Everything on the home Wi-Fi.
Set up in about fifteen minutes, with no technical skill	Yes. About fifteen minutes with your modem's admin login: Modem Autopilot sets up the modems in most Australian homes, and Guided Setup walks you through any it can't. With Starlink, eero and other routers you can only set up in a phone app, talk to us before ordering.	Yes. Where offered, it's in the app you already use for the Wi-Fi: a profile per child, devices assigned to it.
Kept up for you: updates, someone to message, a warranty, a home trial	Yes. Signed updates you install in under a minute, WhatsApp and email support, a 12-month warranty plus Australian Consumer Law, and a 30-day home trial for AU & NZ households.	Mostly. The maker's updates and support; the parental-control tier renews as a subscription where it's paid.
Local first: no cloud, no account, no subscription	Yes. The dashboard runs on the Shield, on your network. No cloud login, no activation server, no subscription: if we disappear, your Shield keeps working.	In part. Basic controls are free; the app usually needs an account with the maker, and app blocking, SafeSearch and the child-phone app renew as a subscription run through the maker's cloud.
Your own allow and block lists, filter levels, and who answers your lookups	Yes. Your own always-allow and always-block lists, three filter categories each set from Off to Strict, and who answers your lookups: the Shield itself, or a provider you name. The filter lists themselves are ours to keep.	A little. Blocking specific websites through the maker's app (TP-Link lists it in its free tier). Filter levels and who answers lookups aren't among the features the makers list.
Family file storage every device in the house can open	Yes. Shield Edge, on a USB drive you supply, and Shield Vault, with a 256 GB drive built in (1, 2 or 4 TB optional): photos, videos and files shared across the household (SMB).	No. Not what it's for.
Movies, music and photos streamed to your TVs, even older ones	Yes. Shield Edge and Vault: a media library your TVs can play (Jellyfin, DLNA), with no account anywhere.	No. Not what it's for.
Computer backups, with Time Machine for Macs	Yes. Shield Vault: a backup drive for any computer in the house, with Time Machine support for Macs, on a built-in drive that can be encrypted (switched on when you first set up the drive).	No. Not what it's for.
Your own filtered Wi-Fi in a hotel or an Airbnb	Yes. Shield Edge over a cable into the accommodation's router; Shield Vault cable-free, joining the hotel or Airbnb Wi-Fi, even networks with a login page.	No. Not what it's for.
Your dashboard and the family's files from a phone or laptop away from home	Yes. Shield Vault, through Back to Shield: the same free app puts your phone or laptop back on your home network, at your home internet's upload speed.	In part. The maker's app manages the modem from anywhere through the maker's cloud; files aren't part of it.

Some modems and a Shield: where they overlap, and where they don't.

Where a modem offers parental controls, it shares the pause and the bedtime; the rest of the job is what a Shield is for. Row by row from the map: what only Some modems does, what both do, and what only a Shield does.

Only Some modems 1

Screen hours, installs, contactsOnly where the maker sells an app for the child's phone on its paid tier (TP-Link's KidShield, Netgear's My Time).

Both 13

Ads and trackersin partOnly on eero's paid tier (eero Plus lists ad blocking).
Adult content and phishingin partWhere offered: a category filter through the maker's app (adult content, gambling and the like); malicious-site blocking is a paid security tier on TP-Link and eero.
SafeSearchin partA paid tier where offered: TP-Link's Advanced Parental Controls (Google results only), eero Plus.
TikTok off means offin partApp blocking by name is a paid tier where offered (TP-Link's Advanced Parental Controls, eero Plus), and it works from a list of addresses.
Pause and bedtime per devicein partWhere offered, pause and bedtime per profile are usually on the free tier, through the maker's app and cloud.
Rules per childin partWhere offered, per profile, through the maker's app.
Kids' phones away from homein partOnly with the maker's app on the child's phone, on its paid tier (TP-Link's KidShield, Netgear's My Time).
Every device, nothing installedEverything on the home Wi-Fi.
Set up without skillWhere offered, it's in the app you already use for the Wi-Fi: a profile per child, devices assigned to it.
Updates, support, warrantyin partThe maker's updates and support; the parental-control tier renews as a subscription where it's paid.
No cloud, no account, no subscriptionin partBasic controls are free; the app usually needs an account with the maker, and app blocking, SafeSearch and the child-phone app renew as a subscription run through the maker's cloud.
Your own lists and settingsin partBlocking specific websites through the maker's app (TP-Link lists it in its free tier).
Dashboard and files from awayin partThe maker's app manages the modem from anywhere through the maker's cloud; files aren't part of it.

“In part” means Some modems covers some of it: fewer devices, a paid tier, an app on the child's phone, or a server you run.

Only a Shield 6

Recursive DNS built inOut of the box, at home your Shield looks websites up from the internet's root servers itself (recursive DNS).
Bypass tricks blockedShut at the network, and attempts show on your dashboard.
Family storageShield Edge, on a USB drive you supply, and Shield Vault, with a 256 GB drive built in (1, 2 or 4 TB optional): photos, videos and files shared across the household (SMB).
Media to the TVShield Edge and Vault: a media library your TVs can play (Jellyfin, DLNA), with no account anywhere.
Computer backupsShield Vault: a backup drive for any computer in the house, with Time Machine support for Macs, on a built-in drive that can be encrypted (switched on when you first set up the drive).
Travel Wi-FiShield Edge over a cable into the accommodation's router; Shield Vault cable-free, joining the hotel or Airbnb Wi-Fi, even networks with a login page.

Founding Edition

Protection from $424 AUD, inc GST (Shield Core) · storage and media from $524 (Shield Edge, with your own USB drive) · Shield Vault $724

Founding prices for the first 20 numbered Shields, locked in for life. Standard prices from unit 21: Core $574 · Edge $664 · Vault $914, plus $25 delivery in Australia.

Pay in 4: From $106.00 a fortnight with Afterpay or PayPal, interest-free — or Zip, with weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments on Zip's terms. The total is the same either way.

30-day home trial for households in Australia and New Zealand · 12-month warranty plus Australian Consumer Law · Security updates until at least 31 December 2029

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Common questions.

Our modem says it blocks apps. Why didn't it stick?

Most modem controls that exist pause a whole device or filter by category, and the ones that block apps by name rely on a list of addresses. Apps like TikTok are built to switch to a backup route the moment the usual one is blocked, and to reach some servers without asking for their names at all. A Shield closes the backup routes too, at the network, through the website lookups and the firewall on the Shield itself, and we re-test the popular apps every month.

Can I keep my modem and add a Shield?

Yes, that's the normal setup: the modem stays, the Shield sits behind it, and the modem hands the network to the Shield. About fifteen minutes with the modem's admin login. Starlink, eero and other routers you can only set up in a phone app are the exception; talk to us about those before ordering.

Is a Shield a subscription too?

No. Buy once. No subscriptions. The filter lists it uses are public and keep updating without us, the software updates are free, and the dashboard runs on the Shield, on your own network, with no account anywhere.

What about the modem my internet provider sent?

Open its app and ask it the questions in the map: is there a pause, a bedtime, SafeSearch, app blocking, and which of those cost extra. If pause and bedtime are all you need and they work, keep using them. The rest is what a Shield is for.

This comparison is based on publicly available information from each maker’s own website and documentation, reviewed 30 September 2026. TP-Link, HomeShield, Netgear, eero are trademarks of their respective owners; WOMBATS Shield has no affiliation with, and no endorsement from, the companies or projects mentioned. Spot something outdated or unfair? Email hello@wombatss.com and we’ll fix it.