Circle 1st generation Reviews

This is a good tool to have in today’s virtual world where kids are now attending classes online via zoom and Google and other platforms and have access to computers and Internet connected devices 24/7. For working parents and those who can’t sit next to their kids 24/7, it’s nice to have a tool that allows one to filter content and limit access to non-educational sites such as games and video/television (especially during class time) and to enforce off-screen and bed times.

The issues I have with Circle1stgeneration arise when there is need for kids to access content that has been filtered or access a computer beyond an allowed time frame. It takes a little research and tinkering to figure out why a certain application or webpage is being blocked. For example, Circle1stgeneration will notify if kids have exceeded screen time parameters, but it does not notify if content is being blocked because of bedtime or off time access parameters. (Sometimes more than one blocking parameter is causative.) Circle1stgeneration will alert kids if content is being filtered, but it takes a real sleuth to figure out what filter parameter is being triggered. When I don’t have the time to play Sherlock Holmes and dig through history, it’s just easier to temporarily disable everything, which defeats the purpose of having Circle1stgeneration.

In conclusion, I wish Circle1stgeneration would tell me specifically what and why something is being blocked and easily allow me to override the block as needed.

We have had Circle for less than four months, and it was used in conjunction with our new Netgear router model R7960 Tri-Band. The router is amazing and the Netgear NightHawk software for iOS is terrific. However the Circle app has been touch and go ever since we originally set it up. Then things got incredibly worse with the latest Circle bedtime sever crash. All settings were backed up, but upon deleting Circle1stgeneration (during troubleshooting phase) it takes the back up with it. Upon new install and setup, no devices can be seen. Chat support was mediocre. Another Circle app reinstall with the Nighthawk software proved to be futile as well. Then the final straw was a fourth time set up saving one profile locked the screen and upon re-opening of Circle app started the process all over again from the beginning. Bottom line is that this particular software won’t even recognize any one of the 12 to 15 devices in our WiFi network even though all devices work seemlessly with the very robust Netgear WiFi router. The Circle concept and collaboration with Disney and Netgear is admirable. Our experience. Not so much. Subscription canceled today. :(

I’m a teenager and parents, I can tell you right now, your kid will HATE you for installing mycircle. Not only does it cause a lot of unnecessary problems between my mom and I (to the point where we had to see counseling), but it is also a HUGE invasion of privacy. The worst part about mycircle has got to be the history browsing one. It not only blocks websites but it RECORDS the ones you’ve visited or have attempted to visit. This causes so much mistrust between the child and parent, to the point where I bought a second device and am constantly using VPN to block it out. As a teenager, we use our phones for everything and having our activity recorded is just not okay. Parents who don’t trust their kids don’t earn any respect from us, and it feels like they are insecure control-freaks. Instead, they could like talk to their kids or trust them to step up and tell you things. This just creates unhealthy habits and relationships. (Again, this is coming from a teenager- I understand using this for small children who are just starting to use the internet, but teenagers do not need it and it will only cause more problems. We will RESENT you guys for this, and remember it for our whole lives).

I would like to be able to search for a device by Mac as this seems to be the simplest way to ID the item, instead of scrolling down a list selecting each item and checking for a matching Macby circle is implied to be part of what you get when you buy the $300 - $600 mesh routers. It is not. You get a 1 month free trial. Comcast offers this functionality with their XFi router. No additional charge.
2nd, there is no search functionality with in Circle1stgeneration . So if you are an IT guy and have a lot of IoT devices, you get a notification that says a new device has connected to you network, tap it, it opens Circle1stgeneration ... that’s it just opens Circle1stgeneration . Doesn’t take you the device to apply it to a profile, nothing. Instead you have to manually search through your full list of devices locate it and assign it.
3rd, $50 a year come on guys I know companies need to have a steady income but this is our kids we are talking about here. And again at the cost of these devices these features should be included!

When I did some research on the ORBI modem/router, I had wasn’t aware of the type of interface that would be a part of it. After downloading Circle, I quickly learned that it offered (virtually) infinite possibilities. I’ve had Circle for close to a year now and I absolutely love it.

I can create profiles and add devices just for that person. My children have auto “On/Off” Internet Access that I can control (literally) at my fingertips. Circle1stgeneration will advise the person “your internet access is not available because your time has ended”. On the flip side, I can give “rewards” and the access will stay on for whatever the time limit you provide (ex. Normal Off time is 8pm, Reward given until 9:30 pm).

There are so many options that it’s impossible to list them all. Just know that it’s a great app and you will NOT be disappointed.

Hello to whoever is reading this review.. but I am a teenager and I find this frustrating and annoying to have screentime. I personally feel like Circle is a great device for screentime but not really for us teenagers since we want our own privacy. Screentime has not only made me and my parents have a miscommunication but provoked much fights since I don’t like to be recorded and moderated since it feels like my parents don’t trust me. It bothers my studies as well since screentime somehow blocks my school websites and makes my internet twice as slower than before which causes interruptions. Screentime adds more stress to me in my opinion since if I’m doing something really important then in a matter of seconds screentime is enabled it just angers me since I’m a student who receives a lot of homework plus screentime enabling at the wrong moments.. it’s just bothering. If any parent is reading thi review, instead of installing Circle1stgeneration try talking with your teen about limiting technology addiction for it will help reduce problems and help you have a better bond with you and your child.

Sincerely,
Anonymous

I’ve used the 1st Generation Circle App for my kids for the past 3 months. When we started using it, the time limits and everything seemed to work great. Then, after a month or so, the screen time limit would not work for our kids. I tried everything to make it work right, read all of the 100 different explanations that Circle1stgeneration has on its website, and have been unable to make Circle1stgeneration work anymore. I have tried repeatedly to send emails to their tech support, and have been unable to get a response. And they do not have a phone number to reach anyone that can probably explain the issue over the phone in 5 minutes or less. Now, we are unable to turn on the TV’s that are connected to Circle1stgeneration . And Circle1stgeneration now will not open, which means that I am unable to change the connectivity, and we’ve been without TV’s for 3 days. If someone from Circle wants to reach out to me to help me out - aid greatly appreciate it, because email to the company hasn’t worked…

I have been using Circle they my Netgear Orbi router for about a year and a half. It’s great, but not infallible. My oldest just turned 18 and so we changed him to an “adult”. My 2nd is 14 and has bedtime at 10pm. So we were surprised to find her still playing minecraft after midnight. Why?

Disney Circle on Netgear is having an outage and has been since May 30th. It’s June 5th now and a “fix” is supposed to be rolled out tomorrow night, June 6th.

Maybe this is due to two vendors having to share technology, maybe it’s because COVID19 has slowed everything, but if any company had a 6 day outage of service they should expect to lose customers. It’s sadly unacceptable. They should have had a better QA and a better backout plan for whatever change caused this outage. I am sadly disappointed even with their communication (which has been mediocre but not non-existent). I hope they have plans to compensate their customers, who rely on this technology to protect their families.

This has been a game changer at our house - No more fighting (although my kids playfully tell their friends that it is awful LOL)! The only limitation is that the history page makes almost no sense (it lists every ad on every page). Otherwise it's very intuitive. And while I don't think that is a substitute for collecting devices (ones they don't have, they can't use), it's a close second. Super easy to use! Just make sure to label each device as you are notified that it was added so that you don't have a ton of unknowns. I recommend this to friends constantly and it only gets a 4 instead of a 5 for offering some options that are not really up to speed (but also aren't really necessary to me - like history when I already have content filters on). Great invention!!

Circle1stgeneration has literally ruined my life i am 15 years old and i have absolutely no freedom on the internet my mom completely abuses Circle1stgeneration. she pauses my internet at least 3 times a day and makes me do things for her to turn it back on. i've lost so many friends because i can't talk to them anymore. i've been in the middle of phone calls and she'll just turn it off. the first thing she does when she wakes up is turn off the wifi and makes me earn it. don't even get me started about online school, once my school is over she turns off the internet leaving me no time to do my homework and gets mad at me when i have missing assignments. i am a sophomore and i have a lot of homework. it's not easy and she doesn't make it better by not giving me the internet time i need. i haven't seen any of my friends for about 7 months because of corona and i can't even talk to them online because of my mom. she stalks every move i make when i do have the internet and i feel as if she has no trust in me. i just want to live a normal life she doesn't understand that my phone and computer is all i have it's all i have to talk to my friends and play games. she thinks i'm addicted to wifi because i constantly beg her to turn it on but in reality i just want to text my friends. she doesn't care because she's usually on her phone all day. she'll never look in the mirror and actually see what she causes but to her everything is my fault because i'm "obsessed with wifi".

This service came ready to go on my Orbi wifi device, compatible with my Netgear router that is compatible with Xfinity internet service in Seattle area. I’d never heard of the Circle app and thought it wouldn’t work. However, I was sick of being awakened by my teenage son at 2am on a school night, while he was still playing video games and yelling profanities. At first it was a little tricky figuring out which device was my son’s gaming laptop, but one I figured it out, I was golden and he was screwed. I was able to set different bedtimes for school nights and weekends, and give him extra time when he asked so he could finish a homework assignment. I was also able to instantly turn off internet to all his devices on an occasion when the situation warranted it. Impressive way for my son to get more secure boundaries, and I think he is secretly proud of me for using a bit of a high tech method.

I’m 14, but just hear me out. Ever since this thing was introduced into my home, I started to lose trust in my parents. Along with other teens like me, they should have some freedom. Just downloading Circle1stgeneration can destroy your relationship with your kid within a matter of weeks. Look, I understand that you want them to do well in school, that you want them to be successful. But just absolutely dictating there internet activities will make them feel oppressed, helpless, or even enslaved. Let’s say for example that your kid stays up late playing video games and is late for school. Deciding on limiting his time will do more harm than good. Your just opening up a path to distrust and oppression. If they make a mistake, that’s on them, they will eventually learn from it. So i beg you parents, please do not get mycircle, you will ruin your relationship and break your trust of your kid. I currently suffer from circle and I have lost trust and respect for my parents. I’m currently in a living hell and I’m trying to save other teens from it.

I have NETGEAR ORBi with Premium circle subscription. I had many troubles with this circle app on my iPhone in the past few months. The time limits were not working for several times for two ways.

Sometimes it said a device has reached the time limit. But actually not because Circle1stgeneration shows the device is only used for 10 mins. I disabled the time limit control, but the device still cannot connect to the internet. The screen shows “this device has reached its timelimit”. But there is no limit set! I have to delete Circle1stgeneration , so my kids can take the online classes.

Sometimes it is the other way. The time limit is not working. I set a two hours limit for my daughter, but she has been online for 5 hours already.

Today, I have to reinstall Circle1stgeneration again, reset all the profiles. What a waste of time. So I decided to call Circle. It again a waste of time. After talking to the 1st customer service, the call was dropped in the middle. So called again, the 2nd customer service said she is not trained for the circle product, transferred me to someone. After licensing to the music for 20 minutes, I decided to end the call. Have to delete Circle1stgeneration , reinstall it, reset all the profiles.

But now, it has been over 30 mins after the reinstallation of Circle1stgeneration , Circle1stgeneration couldn’t find any devices! So I guess I have to call them again.

Initially I didn’t sign up for this application because it was separate from the router. But after power strike on my other router, I decided to give it a try and it was amazing. The ability to divide out all of my equipment was great. We’ve been having someone hack our Internet from across the street and this was a great way to consolidate all the TVs all of the specific equipment in one profile and watch the activities and filter them out.

One of the problems with this application is if hackers name their stuff with a period in front of it or a name and then just a period with no extension the application does not allow the site to be blocked. I consider this a big oversight but the application is still very helpful in filtering.

We no longer have a giant pile of devices in our bedroom in the evenings. With Circle it’s easy to enforce bedtimes. Great content filters based on age group. We’d love to see a better History function that is easier to manage. It’s just a big data dump with time stamps. We discovered that our neighbor’s kids were still connecting to our WiFi from their own homes since Circle notifies you of any devices that join your network. It’s easy to deny those devices. No hassle when guests join. They are initially set to unfiltered and not bothered by any of our household WiFi security. Great tool. Hopefully, the monthly service price will keep the developer inspired to grow this product well into the future.

The master pin rarely changes (I think only when a new admin device is added). So, if you child ever gets hold of your phone, he can note the master pin and add himself as an admin (or manager or whatever).

You do get a notification, but no ability to block the new managing device.
Once a device has been added as a manager it appears there is no way to deny it management rights.

To make matters worse, you can set a pin in Circle1stgeneration , but you only need to enter the pin on a cold start of Circle1stgeneration , so if you change a permission and then let the child use your phone for something else, they are able to access Circle1stgeneration and master pin without knowing Circle1stgeneration pin.

There are a few changes I would make to secure Circle1stgeneration better:

+ Circle1stgeneration pin should be required every time you open Circle1stgeneration , even if you just go to the Home Screen for a second.

+ If there is one or more existing managers, at least one should have to approve any new mangers.

+ The master pin should change more frequently. It should probably change every time you view it.

+ You should be able to kick out a manager.

+ If we can’t get a pre-approval system for new managers, existing managers should be able to block new manager requests from specific devices or groups. It seems crazy that a device with “teen” permissions can become a manager.

please take this away i hate the disney circle it has hurt my mental health, i have had it for almost 4 years and i’m going to have it for another 3 until i’m old enough to move out.

Circle1stgeneration is wack and honestly controlling.
please do not get this for your kid.
and i’m not just saying this because i hate the time limit, i’m saying this because i’ve gotten sadder and lost my motivation for things.

please read and understand where i’m coming from, this is a child’s perspective on this and Circle1stgeneration has a few bugs that i find irritating.

please do not “pause” your child if they do not have the motivation to do something one day, just offer something that will help them instead of making their day worse.

do not threaten them with being “paused” it is controlling and when it happens to me it makes me mad and not want to hang out with my family, and don’t you want your child to stop being on their electronics and spend time with the family more?

please and again please do not get this for your child, from my perspective (as a now teenager) it has changed me for the worse, i no longer want to spend time with my family but instead want to be in my room alone even if i don’t have my phone or access to the internet i would rather be in my room. Circle1stgeneration stresses me out and gives me anxiety.

Exactly what I was looking for! It’s integrated into our Netgear router and works seamlessly. No more fighting with kids over devices, TVs, bedtimes, app limits, nothing. Set it up and forget it! They know what time things are cutting off and are prepared for it. Again, no more fussing and asking, it just happens. No more thought on our part, it’s just set to go on and off as needed. You can always add reward time as needed too. Just what I was looking for to control everything in the house by grouping devices to each child. Been using over a month and it Lundy be easier. Thanks!!

My parents installed Circle1stgeneration about 2 years ago and I don’t mean to sound over dramatic or anything but Circle1stgeneration has ruined my life. I have nothing wrong with having my parents look at my devices or anything it’s just that when you get Circle1stgeneration you can control your kids device(s) and it feels like they have lost all of their trust for you, which is not a good feeling. I’m not trying to judge anyone’s parenting but if you get Circle1stgeneration then you most likely are not a good parent. The reason why I think that is because if you do get Circle1stgeneration then you basically don’t trust your kid to listen to you and if that’s the case then you never taught them to be responsible. I would definitely recommend not getting Circle1stgeneration but that is your choice still. Now I can’t even go onto google search to look up things like how to solve a math equation or something.

Now i’m a teenager who’s parent uses Circle1stgeneration and i feel the need to input my feedback here so please consider my opinion before you download Circle1stgeneration. My parents have been using this to disable my wifi so which i can understand but the thing is, half the time the wifi doesn’t come back on the scheduled time. I’ve been missing out on class because of it since i’m an online student. I checked with my mother because she controls it mainly and she’s said she didn’t do anything which i trust of course. I don’t think Circle1stgeneration is for teenagers or anyone that’s been on the internet long enough. All this does is create issues and i’d hate it for any other teenager or young adult to be supervised like a baby. There are most likely better options for controlling what your child sees.