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Internet

Home-network-protection

Verizon Home Network Protection

Home Network Protection (HNP) is a new service on your router that, once enabled, will automatically protect all connected devices in your home network, including non-display Internet of Things (IoT) devices (sometimes called 'headless' devices) such as smart thermostats or smart refrigerators.

Home Network Protection is already loaded on your router. To turn on and manage HNP, will need to go into the My Verizon app* and select Internet -> Home Network Protection -> Turn On Protection.

*To install the My Verizon app, visit the Apple® App Store® for iOS or Google Play for Android.

Getting started and frequently asked questions

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What is the difference between MAC filtering and Home Network Protection?

Home Network Protection (HNP) has features such as Access Control / Parental Control / Block Internet Access, that help identify and inform you of any new devices that show up on your home network. This notification is provided in real-time to your mobile device. You can then choose to add or block the device from your home network. You can also further manage individual devices from your mobile phone by setting appropriate access levels by device, user, time of day, and website category.

MAC filtering allows you to block devices before they connect to the network by manually entering the individual MAC address of each device.

With our latest firmware security update, MAC filtering will no longer be available on your router. HNP's Access Control / Parental Control / Block Internet Access features may be used as an alternative to MAC filtering.

How do I manage Home Network Protection?

You manage Home Network Protection through the My Verizon app that is available for Android and iOS. The app provides easy access to a variety of features such as:

Parental controls
Home Network Protection allows you to set protections for your home network and devices accessing your network, and with parental controls, you can also manage individual devices. You can set restrictions by device, user, time of day, and website categories. For example, you can restrict devices from accessing the Internet after 9:00 PM, or you can block all users in your household from accessing certain websites.
Device identification
As soon as you turn it on, Home Network Protection automatically identifies all devices connected to your home network (including IoT devices) and gives you a simple way to know what devices are attempting to access the Wi-Fi. It also offers additional details like device type, operating system, and names.
Internet pausing
Want your family to put down the devices for a while? You can simply stop all the devices or individual devices on your home network from connecting to the internet by changing the setting in the My Verizon app HNP controls. Devices will receive a blocked page notification informing them of the internet time-out. At the end of time-out, you can simply reactivate internet access.

Home Network Protection is available on which routers?

Verizon Router

Fios Router

Fios Quantum Gateway

What does Home Network Protection protect against?

Once a customer activates Home Network Protection in the My Verizon app, HNP will actively block malicious sites from reaching your devices. This includes websites known to contain viruses, malware, and other malicious content.

Using Home Network Protection to block these sites reduces the risk of computers and devices on your network from accidentally becoming infected.

Home Network Protection uses a McAfee technology called Global Threat Intelligence (GTI) to identify dangerous websites. The protection works as follows:

GTI constantly monitors websites around the world for malicious and dangerous content.
When malicious content is found on a particular website, GTI 'flags' the site as risky.
When any of your devices attempt to visit a website, Home Network Protection checks that the website is not on the 'risky' list.
If the website is risky, Home Network Protection blocks the device from accessing that site.

GTI is an always-on, always up-to-date service that protects your network and devices from all known and emerging threats in real-time.

Real-time alerts

Home Network Protection provides you with real-time alerts through the app about things like potential vulnerabilities, new connected devices, and parental control violations. This enables you to keep control of your home network and quickly react to potentially dangerous activities or situations.

Does HNP stop me from accessing malicious sites on a device not restricted by Parental Controls?

If a device is not restricted by Parental Controls and it tries to access a malicious website, HNP will still block the device from visiting the site.

Can I access sites blocked by Parental Controls?

There is no indication that would alert a connected device if the Fios account holder has allowed or denied the request.

Home Network Protection adjusts the level of protection for different devices depending on how the device is identified in the My Verizon app. For example, security rules and Parental Control policies that HNP enforces on devices it sees as computers, smartphones, or tablets are not enforced on headless devices (devices without a display, such as smart lighting systems). This is because rules and policies for computers, smartphones, and tablets do not apply to headless devices.

If you select a device in the My Verizon app and change its device type, for example, from a tablet to a headless device, any policies that were previously enforced on that device will no longer apply and no longer be enforced.

Why do I continue to see blocked pages even after tapping "Continue to site" or being granted permission?

The user will have to wait for the cached Domain Name Server DNS entry on the device to expire. After cache expiration, the user will be able to access the site and see content. Cache expiry times vary for different browsers and operating systems.

What are time control blocks?

These are set time slots during which a specific device can be set for access to the Internet. Access to the Internet will be blocked outside the specified times.

Why do I see a browser error page for malicious or blocked domains over https?

Because HNP blocked pages do not come from the actual https domain, some browsers might flag them as a potential attack. When this happens, a browser error is displayed. If you see an option to continue, tap Yes and the HNP block page will be shown.

Why do some mobile apps still work when they should be blocked?

If you see this, contact Customer Service who will be happy to assist you.

Why can't I stream video content anymore?

The HNP service may have identified this site as malicious:

If the streaming device is connected to a TV and uses a browser to display the content listing for playback, there might be a block page displayed.
If the video streaming device connected to the HNP router is a headless device (no display unit), no block page is shown but the content will still be blocked.

Why does my device still show as online in the app when my device is offline?

It takes about 20 minutes for a device to be marked offline. Wait a while longer for the status to update.

Troubleshooting

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Why does my device appear twice with different properties? And, why don't the parental control settings work when my device is connected with an Ethernet cable?

Both issues mentioned above can happen if you connect the same device to the router with a wired Ethernet cable as well as through Wi-Fi. HNP identifies devices based on their MAC (media access control) addresses. Most devices have multiple network interface technologies and, as a result, multiple MAC addresses.

Why does HNP sometimes allow access to malicious websites?

Your Home Network Protection (HNP) router uses McAfee's cloud-based security services to identify malicious sites. If your router can't connect to this hosted cloud system, it will not be able to offer these security features.

If you are connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network through your home network, the ISP could be blocking access. Contact our Customer Support team to help you set up your router.
If you are connected to a managed network, for example a corporate network, the network administrator could be restricting outbound traffic. Contact your network administrator to open ports 53 and 6363 for outbound traffic.

Why does HNP sometimes allow access to malicious websites from my work laptop?

If your device is connected to the Internet through a Virtual Private network (VPN), for example a company VPN, all device data is sent through a secure 'tunnel' and is not visible to your home router. As a result, HNP cannot monitor and block traffic through a VPN tunnel.

To restore your HNP security features, disconnect from any VPN service.

Why isn't my newly connected device visible in the Verizon My Verizon app?

It can take up to a minute for you to see home network changes on the app.

When I disconnect my device from the router why does it show as online in the app?

It takes about 20 minutes to show a device as offline.

Why are my devices seen as online if my router is turned off?

If your router is turned off for about 20 minutes, your devices will be shown as offline on the app.