PG Key; a TOS Crew Review

We have had 'issues' with a couple of children picking up computer viruses from playing games online. The children aren't suspicious of certain web sites like Mom and Dad are, and when we let them use the computer while we're in the next room cooking supper, the next thing we know, the computer is being bombarded with pop-ups. What a pain, even with virus protection software.

A couple of years ago, I was given a free subscription-based protection program (costing $50 a year had I chosen to renew it) as part of a huge package of freebies that came with a magazine subscription. The program that I was given caused us many problems and I have not looked at another program since then, until recently, with PG Key.

PG Key is a "key" that you plug in to your computer that allows the parent to block web sites, like the pesky game web sites that send those pop-ups to our computer.

The pros: PG Key is a one-time $49.95 purchase. Look for it at Office Max. There are no yearly subscription fees. PG Key does a lot more than block web sites; I can set time limits; view what web sites my children have viewed and what words they've searched; view both sides of e-mail or chat; I can filter searches; and I can choose different settings for each child. PG Key's protection coverage of options a parent may access is quite thorough.

The cons: Like a subscription-based product that I used in the past and gave up on because it gave me big headaches by blocking web sites that I did not authorize (like my own blog), PG Key has its quirks and setting it up to allow what you want and what you don't want takes some time and effort, and you, the user, must decide how much time and effort you're willing to give. There are times that life is chaotic enough without having to navigate filtering software. I confess that after my experience with the subscription based product, my patience for getting it right using PG Key is too short; others on the Crew stayed with it longer than I did. Try it before you buy it. (I do love a free trial!) A free trial is available upon request at http://www.pgkey.com/.

To read other Crewmates' reviews of PG Key, go HERE.

I was given PG Key so that I could review it for TOS Crew. I was not paid for this review and am not obligated to provide a positive review.