FamilyAtlasDedicated add-on box
Bark Home focuses on family internet rules; Firewalla focuses on home-network security with parental controls. Modes and compatibility depend on the model.
Dedicated parental control and home security devices, compared.
These products are built around family internet controls or home-network security. Compare what each already offers with the phone controls and family workflows in FamilyAtlas. FamilyAtlas does not sell a modem or router: HomeControl uses a separately bought GL.iNet Brume 2 with its plug-in, while the Android child app handles phone rules.
Checked October 11, 2026 · Written by FamilyAtlas, a competing product, not an independent review. FamilyAtlas is not publicly available yet; HomeControl statuses come from its published capability data.
Built for family control or home security.
Included: specialist family-control hardware and home-security appliances such as Firewalla. General Wi-Fi routers are outside this comparison even when they offer parental controls. Stock and preorder limits are stated separately.
Specialist router
Gryphon and CleanRouter are built around family protection. pcWRT is built around security and parental access controls. This is not a comparison of general Wi-Fi or modem hardware.
Hardware, subscription and what stays in place.
| Product | Type | Hardware | Subscription | Wi-Fi built in | Keeps your router | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FamilyAtlas HomeControl | Add-on gateway (keeps your router) | GL.iNet Brume 2, about $80 on Amazon, bought separately | Family + Home $12.99/month or $119.99/year; includes the FamilyAtlas phone app | No | Yes | Pricing → |
| Firewalla | Home-control/security box | Purple SE $289 (no Wi-Fi, 500 Mbps). Orange $399 (Wi-Fi 7, 2 Gbps). Gold SE $519 (no Wi-Fi, 2 Gbps). Gold Plus $779 and Gold Pro $939 on the home page. Source ↗ | None for standard features. Firewalla says there is no monthly fee; future pro or business add-ons may carry one. Source ↗ | Purple SE and Gold SE: no. Orange: dual-band Wi-Fi 7 built in. | Yes. Purple SE runs in router mode or as a transparent bridge behind your current router. | HomeControl vs Firewalla Purple SE, Orange and Gold → |
| Gryphon | Family-control/security router | Gryphon AX $299 (Wi-Fi 6), sold out. Re-certified Guardian $39 (crossed-out price $99) and re-certified AX $179 (crossed-out price $299), both sold out. Atlas Max (Wi-Fi 7) is on preorder pending FCC authorisation; delivery is conditional on authorisation. Source ↗ | Premium Protection advertises $7.50/month billed annually, but the same page also quotes $8/month and Standard Protection at $5/month. The free-versus-paid split for individual parental controls is unclear; confirm your model and plan in the Gryphon app. Source ↗ | Yes. Gryphon replaces your router: AX is Wi-Fi 6, Atlas Max Wi-Fi 7 (pre-order). | Guardian is sold as an add-on to an existing system; AX and Atlas Max are full routers. | HomeControl vs Gryphon AX, Guardian and Atlas Max → |
| Bark Home | Home-control/security box | $79 one-time purchase, or lease for $6/month. Source ↗ | No separate Bark phone-app plan is required for Bark Home. The Bark phone app is $14/month or $99/year and is sold separately from the $79 box or $6/month hardware offer. Source ↗ | No. Bark Home plugs into your existing router. | Yes, with most routers; Bark publishes a compatibility list and says some routers need adjusting. | HomeControl vs Bark Home → |
| CleanRouter (V6 engine) | Family-control/security router | The current site offers Wi-Fi 6 hardware free with its subscription. A standalone hardware price and exact supplied model were not verified. Source ↗ | A subscription covers filtering updates, cloud services and support. The checkout did not expose a verifiable current price; get the full quote from CleanRouter. Source ↗ | Yes. The current offer describes Wi-Fi 6 and optional mesh nodes. | It connects to your modem or ISP gateway and takes over Wi-Fi; keeping existing Wi-Fi in access-point mode is not established by the checked page. | HomeControl vs CleanRouter → |
| pcWRT PW-AX1800 | Family-control/security router | PW-AX1800 $149 sale price, with $249 crossed out on the current product page; listed in stock when checked. Source ↗ | No monthly fee for built-in features. Optional third-party VPN or DNS filter services can have their own plans; those are not included in this hardware-only cost. Source ↗ | Yes. Wi-Fi 6 with mesh options. | It is a router. Retaining existing Wi-Fi needs a compatible access-point setup; the checked sources do not promise all controls in bridge mode. | HomeControl vs pcWRT → |
What these devices already offer.
Pause, schedules and filtering may already meet your needs. Shared capabilities are not exclusive FamilyAtlas additions.
FamilyAtlas cells show Available or Preview from its capability data; vendor cells summarise their published documentation, with the source linked on each product's page. Not listed means we did not find it, not that it is absent.
| Product | Pause one device or everyone | Bedtime and homework schedules | Block YouTube, TikTok, games on TVs and consoles | Content filtering and SafeSearch | Per-child profiles with daily time limits | Usage reports per device | Malware, phishing and ad blocking for every device | Encrypted DNS upstream | Rules that follow the child's phone away from home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FamilyAtlas HomeControl | Available | Available | Available | Available | Preview | Preview | Available | Available | Available |
| Firewalla | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Gryphon | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Not listed | Partial |
| Bark Home | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Partial |
| CleanRouter (V6 engine) | Not listed | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Not listed | Partial |
| pcWRT PW-AX1800 | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Yes | Partial |
2 FamilyAtlas rows are Preview and are not claimed as Available anywhere on this page.
What FamilyAtlas adds to the family workflow.
Use supported Android phones with the child app, separate parent accounts and requests for extra phone time. HomeControl joins that workspace through a supported Brume 2; it is not installed on the competing devices. Some vendors offer overlapping workflows or separate phone products; check each comparison.
| Family need | FamilyAtlas | What changes for the family |
|---|---|---|
| App limits on an existing Android phone | AvailableAndroid child app. | The child app enforces supported app-use limits on the phone; a network service block controls internet access, not offline app use. |
| Separate parent accounts | AvailableAndroid child app. | Parents use their own FamilyAtlas accounts. Shared vendor administration may also be available; missing documentation is not a unique-feature claim. |
| Child requests extra phone time | AvailableAndroid child app. | The child sends a request and a parent decides. Android phone requests do not establish home-gateway extra-time support. |
| Daily home internet budgets | PreviewHomeControl on Brume 2. Needs the Brume 2. Needs the GL.iNet Brume 2 with the FamilyAtlas plug-in. | Check the Preview badge. Scheduled access windows are different from daily usage budgets; network activity is not active screen time. |
| Home usage reports | PreviewHomeControl on Brume 2. Site names for children's and shared devices, kept 7 days. Needs the GL.iNet Brume 2 with the FamilyAtlas plug-in. | Check the Preview badge. A vendor may already offer richer or released reports; no reporting advantage is promised. |
What Brume 2 already does, and what FamilyAtlas adds.
Brume 2 already has useful controls without FamilyAtlas. Its own firmware provides OpenVPN/WireGuard, client blocking, AdGuard Home and supported local parental-control profiles, domain rules and schedules. These are shared capabilities, not features invented by FamilyAtlas. Check the exact firmware and model support.
FamilyAtlas pairs the supported gateway with its parent workspace, so home rules sit alongside Android app limits, extra-time requests and separate parent accounts. The Android child app is installed separately and can enforce supported phone rules away from home. Home daily budgets and home usage reports remain Preview.
Current FamilyAtlas HomeControl support is Brume 2 (GL-MT2500/GL-MT2500A) with the FamilyAtlas plug-in. A vendor offering parental controls does not establish FamilyAtlas compatibility with Flint, Marble, CleanRouter, pcWRT or Firewalla. FamilyAtlas does not replace Wi-Fi, QoS or VLAN administration.
What three years costs.
| Product | First year | Three years | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| FamilyAtlas HomeControl | $199.99 | $439.97 | Brume 2 $80.00 + $119.99/year |
| Firewalla | $289.00 | $289.00 | Purple SE Source ↗, no subscription for built-in features |
| Gryphon | $389.00 | $569.00 | Gryphon AX (sold-out listing) Source ↗ + $90.00/year Source ↗Illustrative AX listing plus $90/year derived from the advertised $7.50/month annual-billing quote; the same page also quotes $8/month. AX is sold out; confirm stock and your actual plan price. |
| Bark Home | $79.00 | $79.00 | Bark Home (one-time purchase) Source ↗, no subscription for built-in features |
| CleanRouter (V6 engine) | Total not verified: hardware or subscription price missing | Total not verified: hardware or subscription price missing | Hardware offered with the subscription; standalone price unverified Source ↗; subscription price not verified Source ↗Hardware is offered with a subscription, not as a verified standalone zero-cost purchase. No first- or three-year total is calculated without the plan price and terms. |
| pcWRT PW-AX1800 | $149.00 | $149.00 | PW-AX1800 sale listing Source ↗, no subscription for built-in featuresUses the current $149 sale listing, not the crossed-out $249 price. Optional paid DNS or VPN providers are excluded; confirm the purchase price. |
How to choose.
Do you like your current Wi-Fi?
Then an add-on box keeps it: Firewalla Purple SE, Bark Home or a Brume 2 with HomeControl. Routers with built-in controls usually switch their controls off in access-point mode.
Do the rules need to follow a phone?
Home hardware stops at the front door. Gryphon HomeBound, the separate Bark phone plan and CleanPhone document phone controls. CleanPhone requires its supplied phone and excludes bring-your-own-device. FamilyAtlas uses supported existing Android phones; check each platform and plan. A home VPN is not a local phone app-use limit.
Is the hardware actually available?
Verify the model and stock before planning a change. Gryphon AX and Guardian were sold out when checked; Atlas Max was on preorder with delivery conditional on FCC authorisation. Software-only filters and products without a verified current hardware offer are outside this comparison.
Parental control app vs router: what is the difference? → Parental controls for smart TVs and game consoles → What HomeControl does →
Before you buy a box.
What is a parental control router?
A router, or a box beside your router, that applies rules to every device on the home network: pause, bedtime schedules, website filtering and, on some products, per-app blocking. It cannot see a phone on mobile data or a console playing offline.
Can a router block YouTube on a smart TV or console?
Some devices document whole-service blocking on TVs and consoles; others document only domains or categories. Check the model and plan in the matrix. HomeControl blocks supported services on routed traffic, not individual encrypted videos, YouTube channels or Shorts.
Do I need a subscription?
Firewalla and pcWRT advertise no recurring fee for built-in features; optional provider services can cost extra. Bark Home is offered as a purchase or monthly hardware plan. Gryphon tier prices conflict in the checked sources. CleanRouter offers hardware with a subscription whose current price was not verified. FamilyAtlas HomeControl is part of the Family + Home plan, which also covers supported phones.
Why are general routers and older products absent?
Included: specialist family-control hardware and home-security appliances such as Firewalla. General Wi-Fi routers are outside this comparison even when they offer parental controls. Stock and preorder limits are stated separately.
- Circle Home Plus: the current Circle site promotes the Aura mobile app, and we could not verify a current hardware offer. It is excluded from this active-device comparison; this does not establish that existing boxes have stopped working.
- Circle with Disney, Disney Circle Go, Router Limits, Cujo and Bitdefender Box are historical products or services, outside this current hardware comparison.
How this page was made.
Vendor facts link to the manufacturer documentation checked on October 11, 2026. Hardware or subscription offers without a verified price have no numeric total; uncertain tiers and model limits are stated explicitly. FamilyAtlas statuses are the same capability data behind the app comparisons and device support page. We sell a competing product; use the sources to check us.
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