TOS REVIEW: PGKey

PG Key

In the world today, technology is everywhere. It is very present in education as well. There are public school classrooms that have a computer at every desk. The public libraries have computers, with internet, available for anyone that wishes to use them. Technology is a great thing. I have two computers myself and use the internet and email on a daily basis. For the times when there is someone to watch over kids when they are on the computers with internet access, such as school, it is usually a safe advance of technology that benefits our kids. However, there are times when we just can't be there to watch over them. What if a parent works late and their kids have to be home by themselves for a time? If there is a computer around, who knows what will be accessed.

Recently I was fortunate to be on the list of reviewers for PG Key. This item can be used with any age individual, although it is targeted to parents to use with their children. This can be purchased directly from the PG Key website for a one time cost of $49.99 (+shipping/handling). Or it can also be purchased through Amazon.com at the same price (+shipping/handling).

What does PG Key do for parents? Why would this item be beneficial for families with children who use computers?

Here are the features of the PG Key:

Access Control- Control computer use by inserting or unplugging PG Key.

•  I found this to be frustrating at first but then discovered that it keeps one from thinking, "I'll just unplug it and then I can do..." because they can't use the computer at all if it is unplugged from the computer it is installed on.

Time Allowance- Decide the amount of time the computer can be used daily.

• When it says 'daily', it means 'daily'. Even if your child was on for x amount in the morning and 1/2 x in the afternoon, if they try to get on in the evening but have gone over their time limit, it won't allow them to. It will require a password to reset the time limit.

Content Filter- Eliminate unwanted results from innocent searches.

Site Blocking- Block sites you decide inappropriate.

Activity Tracking- Review all activity on the PC with a DVD-like interface.

• Totally awesome. It was unreal to play back our activity on the computer through this. It definitely helps the kids with "When you think no one's watching..." mentality.

Activity Notifications- Be informed via text message or e-mail of any flagged activity.

• Really liked this feature. I had mine sent to email but think it is great that it can be sent through text as well. 

Chat and E-mail Logging- See both sides of chat and e-mail conversations.

Computer Configuration- Properly configure all users of the protected PC.

User Name and Password Logging- Keep track of user names and passwords.

Inappropriate Activity Evidence- Use video recording to show obvious or suspected inappropriate activity.

• The other side of this: Can prove that there was no inappropriate activity also :)

When I first saw the PG Key I didn't understand how something this small could do so much. I understood that it could block sites (I've had parental controls on my computer before but they blocked everything so I took them off) based on what I chose to input as allowed. What I didn't realize at first is that it records what is done while on the computer. That I thought was totally awesome! As far as I was aware none of the parental controls I'd tried on my computer did that. You can change the frequency of screen shots. I think it was set to 5 second intervals at first but I discovered that I could not see conversations on IM and emails with this. Perhaps my kids type extremely fast... I set it to 2 second intervals and I can read everything that they type.

I did have a slight problem with the PG Key shortly after I got it. Let me tell you though: it was definitely my error. PG Key only works with one computer. It won't switch from multiple computers to monitor- you have to choose a primary one to install it on. My problem was the result of plugging the PG Key into the wrong computer and installing it. So in order to resolve this problem I simply sent an email to support and within a day, I had my problem fixed.

I love the PG Key! But let me point something out- PG Key is not going to replace parental guidance! As the designers say on their website: "PG Key does NOT replace parenting with technology - It ENABLES parenting with technology." Something that I really like is that this helps the kids to foster the accountability that they need to have while online- even if I am not right there, looking over their shoulder.

An added benefit that the PG Key has allowed me, as a homeschooling parent, is the ability to check that my kids did their homework as well. I can see if it really took them an hour to complete their writing assignment- or if it only took 10 minutes and the rest of the time was spent playing on a gaming site (or a social networking site, in my 14 year-old daughter's case). If they do go to those sites, I see exactly what they did.

*Edited: Today is the 27th and I've had a lot of time to get to know the PG Key and its features. I love the PG Key but I must let my readers know of a problem that may have occurred with more than one user of the PG Key- it malfunctions and it takes support to fix it. I don't know exactly what the malfunction is but do know it is annoying and prevents the PG Key from doing its intended job. Right at this moment, I cannot use the PG Key to monitor my childrens activity because I am still waiting for support to figure out the issue.*   


Bottom Line:
I thoroughly recommend PG Key if you are looking for a low-key parental controls software. If you want to get really tough with what your children access, you can do this with PG Key but with more blocks, I felt it became more frustrating to try to use the internet with the PG Key. I really liked it for the monitoring capability and the notifications. It even tells me when one of my kids removes the PG Key from the computer.

See what other TOS Crew Members thought of the PG Key.

 *Disclaimer: I received this item free from PG Key through the TOS Crew for review. All opinions stated are my own. I did not received any compensation for this review and I was only required to give an honest review- good or bad. See more about my Disclosure/Policies.*