USER MANUAL Version 1.0 October 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION GETTING STARTED CIRCLE FEATURES MYCIRCLE LEGAL 3 4 5 6 7 GETTING STARTED Welcome to the Circle Family WHAT IS CIRCLE?
Circle pairs wirelessly with your home network and helps you manage the online experience of every family member in your household. With the Circle Home app, parents can create unique proles and use features such as Time Limits to limit screen time or BedTime to ensure devices arent being used when theyre not supposed to be. Insights provides you with up-to-date information on what your kids are viewing online and Circle can even Pause the internet for times when you want some more family time. Circle Media Inc. (Circle) was founded in January 2014 with oces located in Portland, Ore. and Cypress, CA. Circle exists to develop family-centric products that redene how we connect. Circle User Manual 4 Meet Circle USB Power Ethernet
(Lift Tab) Circle Front Circle Back Power Button LED Power Indicator Circle User Manual 5 Setting Up Circle THINGS YOU WILL NEED To setup Circle, please have the following ready:
Circle USB cable (included) USB power adapter (included) Circle Home App A Wi-Fi network with name & password SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The Circle Home app requires an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) running iOS 8 or later. A compatible Wi-Fi router. Circle User Manual 6 Setting Up Circle DOWNLOAD CIRCLE HOME APP Circle is setup and managed through the Circle Home app. 1. Visit meetcircle.com/app to download the app from the Apple App Store to your iOS device. TO POWER ON CIRCLE 1. Plug the USB cable to the power adapter and connect to a power outlet. 2. Circle should power up by itself and the LED will turn on indicating that 3. Circle has power. If Circle does not power on, press and hold the power button for a few seconds to turn on or let Circle charge for a few minutes before powering on. TO POWER OFF CIRCLE Circle was designed with enterprising kids in mind and has an internal battery that will keep it going even if its unplugged. There are times where you may need to turn Circle o. 1. Plug the USB cable to the power adapter and connect to a power outlet. 2. Circle should power up by itself and the LED will turn on indicating that 3. Circle has power. If Circle does not power on, press and hold the power button for a few seconds to turn on. Circle User Manual 7 Setting Up Circle TO SETUP CIRCLE 1. 2. 3. Launch the Circle Home app from your iOS device. Tap Begin. Follow the instructions in the app to Pair your Circle with your home Wi-Fi, setup your account, and create proles for Family Members. Circle User Manual 8 Unmanaged Devices WHAT DEVICES SHOULD BE UNMANAGED?
Unmanaged devices are ignored by Circle. There are some devices that Circle should ignore such as:
Smart thermostats or smoke detectors Wi-Fi enabled outlets or light switches Sensitive Wi-Fi controlled equipment Other smart home devices Letting Circle know which devices to ignore will ensure that none of your smart home devices accidentally get Paused or Filtered. Circle User Manual 9 Home User HOW HOME WORKS The nal step in setting up your Circle is to decide the settings for your Home overall. As with family member proles, you can set a Filter Level, Time Limits, and a BedTime for your Home as well. Just follow the same process as before. NOTE: Any device that does not belong to a particular family member will automatically become a Home device (except the devices you have told Circle to ignore). Additionally, Any new device that joins your network after you have set up Circle will automatically become a Home device. You can reassign that device to a family member easily (see page <>). Circle User Manual 10 CIRCLE FEATURES Circle Features USING CIRCLE DAY-TO-DAY Getting Circle setup in your home is just the beginning. Now that each family member has their own unique Circle prole, you have what you need to shape the online experience for your family and gain valuable insight into what they do online. In the following pages, each of the Circle features will be described with additional detail and suggestions for how to use them. You will nd helpful resources for:
Understanding the Home Screen Pausing the Internet Understanding the Prole Screens Insights View Managing Devices Changing the Filter Level Changing Time Limits Changing the BedTime MyCircle And, the Circle App Menu Circle User Manual 12 The Home Screen The Home Screen is where you can access all of Circles features. Menu Access additional options to manage Circle. Family Member Profiles Tap for more options. The color or the circle indicates their Filter level. Devices Manage and view a list of all the devices on your home network. Home User View and change settings for the Home user. Pause Pauses internet for the entire home network. Circle User Manual 13 Pause the Internet Its dinnertime. Or maybe youre trying to get the attention of one of your family members. Circle gives you the ability to pause the Internet. You can Pause the whole network, individual family members, or even specic devices. TO PAUSE ALL INTERNET 1. On the Home Screen, tap Pause. To Un-Pause, tap again. 2. Circle User Manual 14 Pause the Internet (cont.) TO PAUSE A FAMILY MEMBER 1. On the Home Screen, tap the Family Member you want to Pause. 2. On their Prole Screen, tap 3. Pause. To Un-Pause the Family Member, tap again. Circle User Manual 15 Pause the Internet (cont.) TO PAUSE A DEVICE 1. On the Home Screen, tap Devices. Select the device you want to pause from the Devices list. Tap Pause on the Device Settings screen. To Un-Pause, tap again. 2. 3. 4. Circle User Manual 16 Family Member Profile Screen The Prole Screen is the heart and soul of the Circle Home app. Here you can view details on your Family Members internet activity, ne-tune what they can and cant see, and set time limits on when the Internet is available to use. Insights Detailed view of time spent on various internet activities. Devices See which devices are assigned. Filter Level Adjust Filter Level and settings by category and Custom Filters. Edit Edit Prole Name and Photo or Delete Prole. Time Limits Set limits on internet use by day or specic platforms. BedTime Choose a timeframe to prevent internet use. Circle User Manual 17 Insights Circle does all the math for you and calculates the time spent on websites and dierent services, such as Facebook or Netix. Insights displays the information you are looking for clearly and neatly. TOTAL TIME SPENT View the duration all internet activity by Day, Week, Month, or even Year. TOP SITES Activity is organized by category and platform and ordered by longest duration spent at the top so you can easily see where the most time is spent online. HISTORY History displays a list of sites that were visited and even shows you sites that were attempted to be accessed even though they were ltered out. Circle User Manual 18 Insights (cont.) TO VIEW BY DAY, WEEK, MONTH, OR YEAR 1. 2. Tap the corresponding duration youd like to view. The total time online is shown. TO VIEW MORE DETAILS IN A CATEGORY Tap the category name. 1. 2. A detailed list of sites visited will be shown along with the time spent on that site. Tap the category name again to close the list. 3. Circle User Manual 19 Insights (cont.) IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF WHAT WEBSITE IS LISTED To view the website:
1. In the category list view, tap the website. 2. Click on Visit Website to view the url in your web browser. IF YOUD LIKE THE FAMILY MEMBER TO NOT VIEW THIS SITE ANYMORE To lter the website:
1. 2. 3. In the category list view, tap the website. Tap Filter for Family Member Name. The site will now be ltered for the Family Member and they will no longer be able to access that site. See Custom Filter if youd like to allow the site again. Circle User Manual 20 Insights (History) FILTERED HISTORY On the History page, the Filtered tab will show date and time of attempts to access a Filtered site. ALWAYS ALLOW FILTERED SITE If the website is not supposed to be ltered:
1. Click on the website you want to always allow. Tap Always allow for Family Member Name. The site will no longer be ltered and can always be accessed. 2. 3. See Custom Filter if youd like to lter the site again. Circle User Manual 21 Insights (History) VISITED HISTORY The Visited tab displays websites that were opened by date and time. FILTER VISITED WEBSITE If youd like the family member to not view a site anymore:
1. 2. 3. Click on the website you want to lter. Tap Filter for Family Member Name. The site will now be ltered and can no longer be accessed. See Custom Filter if youd like to allow the site again. Circle User Manual 22 Family Member Devices Quickly see which devices are assigned to your Family Member. TO VIEW THE SETTINGS FOR A FAMILY MEMBERS DEVICE 1. 2. Tap the device name. See Device Settings for more. TO SEE ALL DEVICES Tap See all devices. 1. 2. A list of all the devices on your home network will be shown. See Devices for more. 3. Circle User Manual 23 Filter Settings The Filter Settings is the control hub for everything your Family Member can and cant view. Use one of our Filter Levels or customize to your hearts content. FILTER LEVELS Circle has expertly crafted settings based on age. PRE-K The Pre-K lter is designed for kids 5 years old and under providing an incredibly safe browsing experience with only sites and apps that are appropriate for this age group. KID The Kid lter works for kids 6-12 years old. General platforms like education and kid safe experiences are available by default while ltering out sites designed for older age groups, like social media. Circle User Manual 24 Filter Settings (cont.) FILTER LEVELS TEEN The Teen lter is crafted for teens 13-17 years old. Most platforms, categories, and apps are available while providing lters for popular apps not approved for this age group. Inappropriate categories are ltered and invisible by default. ADULT The Adult lter is appropriate for ages 18 years old and up. Nearly all platforms, categories, and apps are available except those that are deemed explicit and mature. NONE None is designed for users that do not need any lters. Features such as Time Limits, Pause, and Insights are not available for proles set to None. TO SET A FILTER LEVEL 1. 2. Select the desired setting for your Family Member. Tap Save to set. Circle User Manual 25 Filter Settings (cont.) PLATFORMS Circle has included popular online platforms that help make ltering the right content easy. Platforms are available to toggle based on your Filter Level setting. AVAILABLE PLATFORMS Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube Snapchat Minecraft Netix Tumblr Nickelodeon Cartoon Network Netix Kids Club Penguin Disney Meerkat PBS Kids Periscope Reddit Twitter HBO GO Circle User Manual 26 Filter Settings (cont.) CATEGORIES With a ick of a switch, categories gives you a simple way to adjust what your Family Member sees online APP STORE Sites that are dedicated to the purchase of apps, primarily those for mobile platforms such as the Apple App Store and Google Play. BLOGS Blogs that are hosted by major blogging platforms like Tumblr, Typepad, Blogger, and Wordpress. BUSINESS Business related sites across several industries. Including goods & services and nance as well as sites related to employment, job postings, etc. CHAT+FORUM Sites dedicated to multimedia messaging services, online chat, bulletin boards, and forums. CREATIVE ARTS Sites related to artistic expression, specically visual arts as well as dedicated venues, such as museums. Circle User Manual 27 Filter Settings (cont.) CATEGORIES DATING Platforms dedicated to dating and personal ads such as Match.com, OKCupid, or Tinder. EDUCATION Sites pertaining to learning, teaching, educational institutions, and career preparation. EMAIL Online email providers. EXPLICIT CONTENT Sites that host adult content of a sexually-explicit nature. FAMILY Sites related to family issues such as parenting, adoption, etc. GAMBLING Sites related to online gambling, lotteries, casinos, and other gambling establishments (i.e. racetracks). Circle User Manual 28 Filter Settings (cont.) CATEGORIES GAMES Sites dedicated to games like video games, board games, card games, or puzzles. Some sites that include games within a platform (i.e., Facebook) will be controlled by that platform. GOVERNMENT + POLITICS Governmental sites as well as those connected generally to politics, lobbying, and military. HEALTH Health related sites including personal health, medicine, and tness as well as sites related to sex education. HOBBIES Sites for non-sports related recreational activities such as automobiles, toy models, etc. HOME+FOOD Sites related to home care, DIY, and food or drink. Many sites whose main focus is alcohol will be located in the Mature category due to the nature of that content. Circle User Manual 29 Filter Settings (cont.) CATEGORIES ISSUES+LIFESTYLES Sites related to specic social issues, lifestyles, philosophies, and religion. MATURE Sites that host a signicant volume of mature content that are not sexually explicit, but are still generally considered inappropriate for children. This includes content related to 18+ or 21+ activities such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, content with an elevated level of violence or profanity, or sites dedicated to the display or sale of lingerie. MUSIC Sites related to musicians as well as audio downloading or streaming. NEWS News and news-related sites. ONLINE SHOPPING Sites dedicated as points-of-sale, auctions, or classied services (i.e. Craigslist). PHOTO Sites for photography related activities as well as many sites displaying photos. Circle User Manual 30 Filter Settings (cont.) CATEGORIES SCIENCE+TECHNOLOGY Sites related to physical and social sciences as well as technologies like computers and articial intelligence. SEARCH+REFERENCE This category includes all search engines and reference sites. SOCIAL MEDIA Sites that host social networking, whether professional, personal, or photo/art sharing such as Facebook, Flickr, or Twitter. SPORTS Sports related sites including professional teams, clubs, and sports media providers. VIDEO Sites that host and stream video on demand. ADS Includes sources for online advertising. Filtering advertisements will eliminate most ads from websites that you visit. Circle User Manual 31 Filter Settings (cont.) Now that youve learned about which platforms are available and how each category is dened, Circle lets you cater the Filter Settings just the way you want it for each Family Member. TO SET THE FILTER OF A PLATFORM OR CATEGORY 1. 2. Switch the toggle on or o by tapping the platform or category youd like to select. Tap Save when nished. Not Allowed Platform or Category will be ltered Allowed Platform or Category will not be ltered Circle User Manual 32 Filter Settings (cont.) CUSTOM FILTER Sometimes a Filter Setting is still allowing a site that you would like to block or sometimes youd like to allow a specic site that is being ltered. Custom Filters is here to help and will let you control Filter Settings on a site by site basis TO ALWAYS ALLOW A WEBSITE 1. On the Filter Settings screen, tap 2. 3. Custom Filter on the bottom. Tap Add Website and enter in the url of the site youd like to allow. The Family Member will now be able to access the site no matter the Filter Level or Setting. TO NOT ALLOW A SPECIFIC WEBSITE 1. 2. Tap the URL to toggle the switch o to lter out the website. The Family Member will no longer be able to access the site no matter the Filter Level or Setting. Circle User Manual 33 Filter Settings (cont.) CUSTOM FILTER TO REMOVE A WEBSITE FROM CUSTOM FILTER 1. 2. 3. 4. Tap Edit on the top right corner. Tap the delete button. The website will now be removed from Custom Filter. Tap Done to save. Circle User Manual 34 Time Limits Time Limits is a powerful feature that allows you to control how much time is spent online by day, on each platform, or by a particular category. The Daily Time Limit will always be the maximum time allotted online even if Platforms and Categories are set for a longer total time. TO SET A DAILY TIME LIMIT OR SET TIME LIMITS FOR A PLATFORM OR CATEGORY 1. 2. 3. Turn on Time Limits by toggling the Enable switch. Tap the name of the Family Member under Daily Time Limit, a Platform (i.e. Minecraft), or a Category (i.e. Blogs) that youd like to adjust. Scroll up or down to set your desired time. Tap close. 4. 5. Make sure to hit Save at the top right when you are nished. TO TURN OFF TIME LIMITS 1. 2. Toggle the enable switch to turn o. Tap Save. Circle User Manual 35 BedTime Set a stop and start time for when you want your Family Members devices to be oine so BedTime can remain for sleeping and not browsing. TO SET A BEDTIME 1. 2. 3. Turn on BedTime by toggling the Enable switch. Set a BedTime for when you want your Family Members devices to stop internet activity. Set an Awake time for when you want to resume internet activity. 4. Make sure to hit Save at the top right when you are nished. TO DISABLE BEDTIME 1. 2. Toggle the enable switch to disable BedTime. Tap Save. Circle User Manual 36 Edit or Delete Profile TO EDIT PROFILE PHOTO Tap the prole photo. 1. 2. You can either take a new photo, choose an existing photo from your library, or clear the photo. The default is the rst letter of the name, Tap Done to save your new setting. 3. TO EDIT PROFILE NAME 1. 2. 3. Tap the name. Enter in desired name. Tap Done to save your new setting. TO DELETE A PROFILE Deleting a prole is permanent and will remove all settings and data. Tap Delete Prole. 1. 2. Click Delete again to conrm. Circle User Manual 37 Devices The Devices screen lists all the devices on your home network and gives you a quick glimpse of who each device belongs to. Selecting a device from the list allows you to customize its settings. LIST OF DEVICES DEVICE SETTINGS Circle User Manual 38 Devices (cont.) DEVICE SETTINGS TO RENAME A DEVICE Renaming a device will make it easier to identify and assign. 1. On the Device Settings Screen, tap Device Name. Enter in a new name for the device. Tap Done when nished. 2. 3. Circle User Manual 39 Devices (cont.) DEVICE SETTINGS TO ASSIGN OR REASSIGN A DEVICE 1. On the Device Settings Screen, tap 2. Assigned to. Select the Family Member youd like to assign the device to. You can also assign a device to the Home user or Unmanaged. Circle User Manual 40 Devices (cont.) DEVICE SETTINGS TO REMOVE A DEVICE The device will automatically be added back to your list if it connects to your network again. 1. On the Device Settings Screen, tap Remove Device from Circle. 2. Click Remove to conrm. Circle User Manual 41 Menu The Circle Home app menu gives you access to additional features. HOME Head back to the Home Screen. ADD PROFILE Add a new Family Member. DEVICES List of Devices Screen. See page SIGNAL STRENGTH Check Circles signal strength. MANAGE Manage notications, Disable Circle, Reboot Circle, and Reset Circle to factory settings. HELP Ask Circle Support for help. Circle User Manual 42 TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING Hardware Issues INTERNET IS SLOW If your internet is experiencing speed decreases when Circle is paired to your network:
Restart both your Circle and your router. To restart Circle:
1. Press and hold the power button on the back of the device for about 10 seconds until the light turns o. 2. Wait a few moments for it to completely shutdown. 3. Press the button again to restart your Circle. To restart your router:
1. Remove the power cable from the back of your router and wait 10 seconds then re-insert the cable. The router should now restart. 2. If the internet is still slow:
Use the ethernet cable that came with the Circle device to connect Circle to your router directly. Circle User Manual 44 Hardware Issues INTERNET IS SLOW (cont.) If you are experiencing slow upload speeds for large les:
Temporarily set the lter level to None for the user who is connected to the device that needs to upload the large le. 1. Select the user from the Circle home screen. Tap Filter Level. 2. 3. Select None . 4. Return the lter level to its desired setting when uploading is complete. Circle User Manual 45 Hardware Issues Devices Aren't Being Managed When Switched to Cell Network Circle currently only manages devices that the home network is paired with. Circle works with one network at a time. It will manage devices on your home network, but if the device connects to another network outside of the home or a cell network, it will become unmanaged. Stay tuned. We are currently working on a solution to extend Circle into the mobile environment. Circle User Manual 46 Hardware Issues Unable to Access VPN If you are unable to access your VPN or the connection is slow:
Set the lter level to None for the user who is connected to the device that needs to access the VPN. 1. 2. 3. 4. Return the lter level to its desired setting when access to the Select the user from the Circle home screen. Tap Filter Level. Select None. VPN is no longer needed. PAUSE ISN'T WORKING RIGHT AWAY When you Pause a user, device, or the whole network, sometimes it may take a few moments before the Pause is in eect. Circle User Manual 47 Hardware Issues FILTERED/UNFILTERED SITE IS LOADING/NOT LOADING If a website that you have restricted through lters is still loading:
The website may be cached and is only showing previously saved information. Websites cache data to help your browser load faster. With Circle lters enabled, once the page is loaded, it will become inoperable and a refresh will not reload new content. If you are unable to load a website that you no longer want ltered:
The settings may be cached in the browser. Since the website was previously restricted by your Circle settings, the browser caches the settings and assumes the website is still restricted. 1. 2. Quit the web browser and reopen it. 3. Your new Circle settings should take eect and allow the website to Try reloading the website. load properly. If you are still unable to load the website:
1. 2. The new settings may still be implementing. Give it a moment and try again. Please check your settings to make sure that the correct website has been unltered or that the correct user or device were selected for this change. Circle User Manual 48 FCC Warning This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
-- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
-- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
-- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. To maintain compliance with FCCs RF Exposure guidelines, This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance between 20cm the radiator your body: Use only the supplied antenna. FCC ID: 2AF7ECIRCLE2 2015. CIRCLE MEDIA INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.