CIPA filtering at the router or on each device?
CIPA asks libraries and schools to filter internet access. Where the filter sits decides whether the phones and laptops patrons and students bring are filtered too.
Request a quoteSee the hosted filterWhat CIPA asks of the filter
The law asks for a technology protection measure that blocks images that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors. An authorized person may switch it off for an adult doing research or another lawful task.
Many libraries and schools apply the same filter to their public Wi-Fi, so the policy they adopted holds for every device on the connection. If E-Rate helps pay for your internet access or Wi-Fi, ask your E-Rate adviser how your plan treats it.
Two places a filter can sit
Both block websites by category. They reach very different sets of devices.
At the router
The library's router sends every website lookup to the filter. Whatever joins the network is filtered.
- Public computers and staff computers
- Patrons' phones, laptops and tablets on the Wi-Fi
- Students' own phones on school Wi-Fi
- Nothing to install, nothing for a user to switch off
On each device
Software or a profile is installed on every computer or tablet you manage. It filters that device and nothing else.
- Library and school computers that have it installed
- Devices that leave the building, wherever they go
- No reach to devices the library does not own
- Licensed per device, installed on each one
Compared for a library or school
What each approach means for the things a CIPA filter has to handle every day.
| At the router (our hosted filter) | Software on each device | |
|---|---|---|
| Public computers | Filtered | Filtered once the software is installed |
| Patrons' phones and laptops on library Wi-Fi | Filtered | Not filtered |
| Students' own phones on school Wi-Fi | Filtered | Not filtered |
| Children's area | Its own stricter rules, as a separate network | Its own rules for the devices in that group |
| Adult research request | Staff PIN opens adult content for 15, 30 or 60 minutes, logged, then closes by itself | Depends on the product |
| A new device | Filtered as soon as it joins | Filtered after someone installs the software |
| Getting around it | VPN and proxy sites and outside lookup services blocked for every device | Devices without the software stay open |
| AI tools | A separate AI tools setting for every device, with policies for children and adults | Only on devices with the software |
| Records for your CIPA files | Policy record and monthly reports per branch or school | Reports per device |
| Cost | Flat per branch or school | Per device, per year |
A day at a branch library
How a filter at the router handles the moments that come up at a busy branch.
A patron joins the Wi-Fi
Their phone is filtered from the first page. Nobody installs anything or asks them to.
A child uses the children's area computer
That network follows a stricter profile, with SafeSearch, YouTube Restricted Mode and chatbots closed.
An adult needs a blocked page for research
A staff member enters the branch PIN on a phone, picks 30 minutes, and the filter closes again by itself.
The director needs records
A monthly report per branch and a policy record are ready to print for your files.
What per-device pricing means for a library system
Device software is priced per device, per year. Quotes published in school board documents run from roughly $3 to $15 per device.
A system with 20 branches and 30 computers in each pays for 600 licences, and its Wi-Fi is still open. Our hosted filter is priced per branch: $99 per month for one branch, and a quote for library systems that covers every device in every branch.
Questions to ask any filter vendor
Put these to every vendor you talk to. The answers show quickly what you are buying.
- Does it filter devices the library or school does not own?
- What does it cost for a branch with 300 Wi-Fi users a day?
- How do staff open adult content for research, and is it logged?
- Can the children's area have stricter rules than the adult computers?
- What records do we get for our CIPA files?
- How are VPN apps and outside lookup services handled?
- Can we decide which AI tools children and adults may use?
- How long does setup take for one branch?
Questions
Does a router filter cover patrons' own phones?
Yes. Every device that joins the library's network is filtered, with nothing installed on it. Software installed on library computers cannot reach a phone a patron brings.
Can the children's area have stricter rules than the adult computers?
Yes. Register the children's area as its own network and give it a stricter profile, with SafeSearch, YouTube Restricted Mode and its own AI tools setting.
How do adults ask for unfiltered access for research?
Staff open a page on any phone, enter the branch PIN and unblock adult content for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The filter switches back by itself and each use is logged.
What does it cost for a library system?
A single branch is $99 per month. Library systems and districts get a quote based on the number of branches or schools, not on the number of devices.
How quickly can we start?
Start with one or two branches on the monthly plan. They are set up within one business day, and a monthly plan can be cancelled anytime.
Filter every device in every branch
Tell us how many branches or schools you have. We reply with a quote within one business day.
Request a quoteSee plans