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Google Wifi Now In Singapore: Limit Your Kid’s Internet Access At Home

By Seow Kai Lun
August 30, 2017

We are living in a digital world today. There’s no denying it. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find people with their heads buried in their electronic devices and this phenomenon has led to a reliance and attachment to digital devices that little ones have these days. Let’s face it, it isn’t unusual to see kids kicking up a big fuss when they can’t play their favourite games or watch YouTube videos during mealtime.

So how can you limit their usage at home without pulling the plug on your modem and killing the Wi-Fi signal? Cutting off Wi-Fi from the whole house isn’t a great solution as it affects you and the other grown-ups in the household, not to mention the various devices at home that rely on a Wi-Fi signal to function well, such as smart digital weighing scales and NetFlix.

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While there are several solutions in the market, which include setting up separate networks for the adults and kids at home, Google Wifi has come up with a fuss-free solution that only requires a few clicks of the button to activate.

Google Wifi has been available a few countries for nearly a year, and it is available in Singapore from 31 August in Singapore. Primarily a mesh router that will give your entire household better Wi-Fi coverage, which means no more dead spots for Wi-Fi in the household, the unique thing about Google Wifi is that everything is can be controlled from app, the Google Wifi app to be precise. The app boasts a multitude of functions such as sharing a guest password, but the one function that parents will appreciate is the ability to put a pause on the Wi-Fi connection of specific devices, using the Family Wi-Fi feature.

Family Wifi: Putting scheduled pauses on child’s Internet access

As the administrator of the Google Wifi set-up at home, you get to cut off the Internet connection of your children’s devices during mealtime and bedtime. On their phones, it will look as if they still are connected to the Internet, but their favourite YouTube videos will stop playing.

The app allows you to enforce and tweak these settings remotely. This means that mum and dad can now have direct control over junior having just 30 minutes of play time on their tablets, and cut off their access when 30 minutes is up, whether he or she gives up the tablet or not, even when they are at work and the children are left alone at home. You can also preset schedules for Internet usage, like cutting off the Wi-Fi access for your kids after 9pm on school nights so you don’t need to worry about them staying up all night to watch videos instead of sleeping.

There are plenty of other positives to Google Wifi, including its sleek minimalistic design and general better connectivity, but for parents, the Family Wi-Fi option is a winner.

Google Wifi is currently only available from StarHub as a bundle with new sign-ups or renewed StarHub broadband plans. It will cost S$15 per month over a 24-month period for a pack of three Google Wifi units.