Deco parental controls sit in the app's Parental Controls tab, or the Family tab in the Tether app: tap Get Started, follow the steps to create a profile with a name, avatar and age, and the app presets rules based on the age you choose, which you can change any time. Each child can have their own profile with individual filters, time limits and daily usage limits, and the app tracks the websites and apps in use. TP-Link's HomeShield adds security, QoS and reports and has advanced app blocking.
The checks in more detail
Parental controls on the Deco are profile based, so a device must be in a profile: TP-Link's community advice is to make a profile for devices that join the guest network and add them when they connect. Parental controls exist only in Router mode; in Access Point mode Antivirus, Parental Controls, Port Forwarding and Address Reservation are unavailable. If limits are not applied, check that the device is assigned to the profile, that the device is not using a private MAC address or a VPN, that the time zone is right and that the app has the latest firmware.
Some advanced features need a HomeShield subscription. Start with simple rules: an age-based profile for each child, then adjust categories and time limits after a week of seeing how it behaves. Explain the rules to the family so a blocked site is not mistaken for a fault, and check that every device the child uses is in their profile. Review the profile after a month; children's habits change, and rules that fit an eight-year-old are tiresome at twelve.
A short conversation about why a rule exists tends to work better than tightening it silently. On a Deco, remember that the profile follows the device, not the person, so a child who borrows a parent's phone is not filtered. Check the profile list after adding devices, and use the Family view to see what each profile did during the week. If a rule seems to fail, look at whether the device is set to use a private wifi address, which can make it look like a new device each time.
Differential
Likely causes of “TP-Link Deco mesh wifi parental controls or schedules are not working”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A device not in a profile
What separates it No limits apply to a device because it has not been added to a profile
How to confirm Add the device to the profile, so that the rules for that profile apply to it
- 2
Access Point mode
What separates it Parental controls are missing because the Deco is running in Access Point mode
How to confirm Use Router mode, since parental controls are not available in Access Point mode
- 3
A private MAC address
What separates it The device looks new every time because it uses a private MAC address
How to confirm Assign it to the profile after it joins, and turn off the private address for that network
- 4
A VPN on the device
What separates it The filters are bypassed because the device uses a VPN that hides its traffic
How to confirm Turn the VPN off on that device, so that the Deco can see and filter its traffic
- 5
An unpaid HomeShield plan
What separates it Advanced features are missing because the HomeShield plan is not paid for
How to confirm Check the subscription, since the advanced features need an active HomeShield plan
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The profile that you created and the devices in it
- Which mode the Deco is in, Router mode or Access Point mode
- The rules that you set in the profile
- Whether a HomeShield plan is active on the account
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedOpen Parental Controls
ReversibleOpen Parental Controls in the Deco app, in the Parental Controls tab of the app.
Get Started
ReversibleTap Get Started, and create a profile for each child with a name and an age.
Add devices
ReversibleAdd devices to the profile, by assigning each of the child's devices to it, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Set rules
ReversibleSet the rules, choosing age presets or time limits that suit your family, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Check the mode
ReversibleCheck the mode, because parental controls work only when the Deco is in Router mode.
Test
ReversibleTest the rules by trying to open a blocked site on one of the child's devices.
Adjust
ReversibleAdjust the profile by editing its rules, whenever you want to change what is allowed.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- HomeShield
- Models with HomeShield support the monthly report and advanced features in Router mode.
- Profiles and filters on the Deco
- In the Deco app, create a profile for each person, add their devices and set a filter level and a time limit. Devices with private Wi-Fi addresses can slip past a rule, so turn the private address off for your network on children's phones. Test the rule by browsing a blocked category on the child's device.
- Limits of router controls
- Mobile data and a VPN bypass home controls, so combine them with the phone's own screen time settings. Keep the Deco's firmware updated and review the reports in the app to see which sites are blocked.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Deco XE75 mesh, Deco X55 mesh, Deco M5 mesh.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If a paused device still browses after checks, contact TP-Link support
- !If profiles vanish after an update, check the firmware
- !If a subscription feature is missing, check the plan
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Creating profiles and rules.
App blocking.
Subscription terms.
Router versus Access Point features.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Where are parental controls?+
In the Deco app's Parental Controls tab or the Tether Family tab.
Are they profile based?+
Yes, parental controls are profile based, so you set the rules for each profile.
Can each child have a profile?+
Yes, each child can have a profile of their own, with rules that suit their age.
Do they work in AP mode?+
No, parental controls do not work in AP mode, since the Deco is not the gateway.
Does the app preset rules by age?+
Yes, the app presets rules by age, so you can start from a sensible default.
Can I limit daily usage?+
Yes, you can limit the daily usage, for the whole profile or for one type of site.
Can I block apps?+
You can block apps with HomeShield Advanced Parental Control, which is a paid feature.
Do devices on the guest network count?+
Add devices on the guest network to a profile, so that the rules apply to them too.
Why can my child bypass the filter?+
Mobile data or a VPN avoids the router.
How do I add a device to a profile?+
In the Deco app, open the profile and choose Add devices.