Unusable Web Protection

Unusable Web Protection

Unusable Web Protection
Unusable Web Protection
2025-01-31 10:23:42
Model: Deco X50  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.6.3

Hi All,
I enabled Web Protection on my Deco. I'm an IOs user. I have some issues with Web Protection.


1) the URLs are truncated. This makes quite difficult to understand what is blocked.
2) all blocked sites are classified as Malware
3) corporate website (the company I'm working for is legit) are mostly blocked as Malware

4) wildcard URL are not supported on "Allowed Websites" (or "Approved Websites" in the other menu - please consistency would be appreciated). This is a truly mess for me.

On point 4, I can whitelist a wildcard URL if blocked (see blink module in the image), but if I try add one manually the app does not allow me to do so.

 

Eventually, to be able to connect to my company services I had to exclude my laptop from Web Protection filters.
Painful and, as service is not free, costly 

 

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#1
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4 Reply
Re:Unusable Web Protection
3 weeks ago

  @DPisa I'm having the same issue at the moment and have been for a few weeks.

 

Everything, even after multiple visits, seems to be added to the block list randomly and frequently.

 

Even to the point that youtube kids was blocked tonight! The app performs so poorly I have to force close and reopen it just to unblock yet another site or domain. 

 

I've ended up turning web protection off, but it still applies random and frequent blocks to parental control devices.

 

Not good enough really is it.

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#2
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Re:Unusable Web Protection
2 weeks ago

  @NickKennedy86 

Hi, Can I have the model number of your Deco and the current firmware version?

If you could consistently reproduce this issue, please help us submit the Deco APP here:

How to submit Deco APP log

 

At the same time, it would be help to add some details when you submit the APP feedback:

  • Everything, even after multiple visits, seems to be added to the block list randomly and frequently.

---Can you add some examples of these websites in the APP feedback?

 

  • Even to the point that youtube kids was blocked tonight! 

---Is it a random issue, or did it just happen once?

 

  • I've ended up turning web protection off, but it still applies random and frequent blocks to parental control devices.

---How you found out Security+>Web protection still takes effect?

The Parental Control module has its individual web content filters. I think the devices might be blocked by the selected web filters instead of web protection.

 

Thank you very much and best regards.

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#3
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Re:Unusable Web Protection
2 weeks ago

  @David-TP 

 

Hardware version 1.0

Firmware version 1.6.1 

Build 20241010 rel. 65389

 

Somewhat inexplicably and even confused your own support agents, yesterday I realised my firmware version had been automatically updated to 1.6.3, this is despite 1.6.1 being the latest general release. Seems some poor version control going on. I have since rolled back in the hope thing would improve. Unfortunately not.

 

I'd have absolutely no issue providing examples of websites, however the app, that TP Link thought was a great idea over a web interface, truncates the majority. I'm not sure "www" or "cdn" are going to cut it as examples.

 

No, Youtube Kids was not a random occurrence. It seems to only be blocked under parental control profiles, despite it being added to the exceptions and relaxing effectively every restriction during testing. Parental control profiles appear to simply be a switch to turn the entire Internet off on devices in those profiles. 90% of the time the devices show "connected, no internet" until they are removed from the profile. The remaining 10% of the time nothing is accessible anyway.

 

Web protection is another matter. This began blocking on devices outside of profiles, with around 100% increase in blockages in the last 2 weeks vs the last 9 months. These are everyday websites, news, sports, gaming and such. Again, with truncated logs it was difficult to allow them again, turning web protection off solved it.

 

That brings me to scheduled reboots. It seems thesr reboots trigger the entire Homeshield product to be enabled again. So now I've had to disable those too.

 

Moving onto the app itself. Where do I begin? The decision to not have a native web interface truly baffles not only myself, but evidently many users in these forums. The app is effectively a one time use before having to be fully closed and reopened. Switching apps to test the change you've just made renders the app unusable when switching back. Poor. Whoever made that decision should be ashamed. Whoever persisted with that decision despite the feedback should reconsider their career in tech.

 

So in summary, the Homeshield product I paid a subscription for isn't fit for purpose. The app is a poorly executed effort that isn't fit for purpose and should only have been a nice to have, alongside a proper web interface like the rest of the world. Taking all of these into account, plus the Deco X50 product page itself suggesting granular control (and even an image of a user viewing "comprehensive reports" on a web interface), I can only conclude that the product in general is not fit for purpose.

 

You may note from some of my terminology, that I am in fact an IT professional. So any attempts at asking me to complete reboots, DNS changes, network reconfigurations and other such steps,  you can safely assume these have all been attempted and tested vigorously prior to even considering posting my thoughts here.

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#4
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Re:Unusable Web Protection
2 weeks ago

Same in my case.
My laptop is not under Parental Control. All new URL are mostly marked as Malware by the service. 
As I consume cloud services the frontend url may vary a lot.
Having them truncated is far from optimal for a long list of reasons. Just show the full FQDN please.
And please add the ability to whitelist a domain.

 

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#5
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