Connect Filter

Connect Filter is a web redirector for iOS, macOS and Windows clients and devices. It enforces your organization's web content filtering policy on devices owned by your organization, wherever they're located.

Connect Filter for Windows runs as a client service on each network device, using the following system tray icons:

— Connect Filter has authenticated with the proxy server and the user is now being filtered.

— Connect Filter is in an error or warning state.

By installing Connect Filter on devices, users' browsers are forced to send web content requests to Smoothwall proxies. Smoothwall proxies can then enforce your organization's web content filtering policy by blocking undesirable and malicious content.

The following should be considered when using Connect Filter:

  • You must install the Connect Filter by using administrative privileges. Don't give your users access to the administrator account on the device.
  • You must supply users with Smoothwall usernames and passwords, as Connect Filter prompts users to authenticate themselves when they start to browse.
    • Connect Filter for Windows version 3.0 users don't need to do this, as users are prompted for their Active Directory credentials
  • Users can't remove Connect Filter unless they're using a device account with administrator privileges.
  • We recommend that you tell users that Connect Filter has been installed on their devices, that web content is being filtered, and their browsing is being logged.
  • We recommend that you provide users with a way of reporting problems with over- or under-blocking of pages, so that you can adjust your policy to suit your organization.

Note: Connect Filter and IDex Client can't be installed together on the same device.

You can see the status of the Connect Filter Proxy service on the Dashboard (available from the Kenilworth release onward). If it is red, the service is down, preventing client devices from connecting. Reboot the Smoothwall Filter to restart the Connect Filter Proxy.

Note: Mac OS and iOS clients and devices, and those Windows-based devices using the older version of Connect Filter, use the Mobile Proxy feature to communicate with the Smoothwall Filter. The following instructions are for version 3.0 and higher of the Connect Filter for Windows service only.