Spector Pro specializes in recording activities on a computer. This TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award winning Mac internet filter software will literally record everything done on a computer. From websites visited to chat records, you can use this software to monitor all activity on a computer. However, unlike Safe Eyes and Net Nanny, you cannot receive usage reports via email. The internet filtering options are also much weaker with this application because you have to manually choose which websites to block or allow.
The Spector Pro application does not filter websites based on content, or a pre-selected list of potentially dangerous keywords or URLs. You have to manually select the websites that are inappropriate and should not be viewed. You can type in an address and the application will ask whether you want to just block that URL, or if you want to block all websites associated with the URL. Using this tool you can block all YouTube sites, or one particular video.
The Mac internet filter software can filter social media sites, such as Facebook, if you manually register the sites as inappropriate. However, there are no options to filter all social media sites. There are also no features to block all emails from being sent or received. You have to select certain websites, such as Yahoo, to filter.
The program does not have options to block games, online searching or file transfers. There are very few filtering options offered by Spector Pro and to use this software for filtering, it will take some time to select all the sites you want to block. On the other side of things, you can choose an option that will block all websites except the URLs you approve. Again, this is time-consuming and you’ll find this application lacking in filtering options. Instead, this program is much better utilized as a recording and monitoring program.
When using Spector Pro, the users being monitored do not have to see any sign of the program. But if you want the user to know they are being recorded, a flashing light will appear at the top of the monitor. When a website is blocked the user will be notified of the Mac internet filter software by a window appearing on the screen blocking them from accessing the site.
This is where Spector Pro outdoes all the competition. Whatever information you want to know about the computer usage, you can find it with Spector Pro. The application will record everything done on the computer including internet and other application usage. You can use the program to quickly scroll through the history or you can pause to read the website, chat records or anything else. Anything displayed on the monitor can be seen using this application. However, you have to be accessing this program through the computer where it is installed. You cannot receive reports of all internet activities via email or any other fashion.
Spector Pro also has a large selection of other recording features. Each and every email sent and received is recorded. You can read everything that is said in an email or instant message (IM). This can be especially helpful if you are trying to protect your children from online predators. In addition to all the emails being recorded, Spector Pro has a keystroke recording feature. Every key pushed on the keyboard is logged into software. There are also detailed history logs that display images of the websites visited and a search engine history tool which records every search made. When it comes to recording capabilities, Spector Pro is second to none.
In order to view any of the recorded information, you must be at the computer you are monitoring. You can set up different user accounts and passwords, but there is no way to access the information except to use the monitored computer. There are no email reports that can be sent to detail the computer usage or browsing history.
Spector Pro gathers mounds and mounds of detailed, helpful information but there are not very many different ways to access the data. We would have liked to see more features to email alerts and reports.
The manufacturer’s website is riddled with fantastic customer support options. The frequently asked questions section of the website is populated with detailed information that should help you not have to contact any other section of support. But Safe Eyes has some of the best Mac internet filter software help options. We also contacted the manufacturer by telephone. The help lines are open around-the-clock and when we called we were quickly connected to knowledgeable and helpful customer service representatives.
We highly recommend Spector Pro, especially if you want to focus on monitoring internet activity. The filter options are adequate and you can stop children or employees from visiting some websites but the monitoring features are top-notch.
