FAQ Sentinel StudyStation™

Does the StudyStation™ use Windows or Mac OS?

Neither. The StudyStation uses a version of the Linux Operating System that has been customized to support its advanced features and highly secure parental controls. The design has prioritized simplicity, reliability and safety for use by children.

My child is a real tech wiz and has hacked or worked around everything else we have done. How is this different?

There are many ways traditional parental controls can be bypassed - click here for a white paper on this subject. Cycles of failed limit settings can contribute to problematic video gaming and addiction. The Sentinel Gaming System StudyStation has been designed to overcome these limitations:

1. It has dedicated hardware maintaining a secure connection to remote servers to enforce limits. The Sentinel Gaming System does not rely on third party parental control solutions or even OS managed parental controls which can be disabled or the OS reinstalled, Parental controls are built into the security software designed by Sentinel Gaming Systems and is hardware enforced. This means that if it is defeated or disabled in any way, the main hardware will no longer operate until restored by Sentinel Gaming Systems. There is no provision for reinstalling the Operating System on the StudyStation. It can only be updated when authorized or required by Sentinel Gaming Systems. Virus scanning software is regularly updated but is kept separate from Operating System Updates. Remember, the StudyStation is more like an appliance, not a general purpose computer.

2. With the StudyStation, parental controls are simplified and automated, No need for monitoring and limiting every application or website your child wants to use. Since parents don’t have be the day-to-day System Administrator and IT department for the system they also aren't vulnerable to manipulation or accidentally allowing the user access to the parental controls. Set the Sentinel configuration and if you need to make a change, this can also be done easily and quickly from any web browser (including your smart phone). No more forgetting to change the settings back! Holiday and one time setting changes make this both convenient and secure. Using the Restricted Content Access request feature of Study Desktop mode, a child can request access to a specific YouTube video or website. Parents receive an email, check out the requested site and easily authorize that site if appropriate.

3. The StudyStation detects software tampering and physical sensors detect intrusion into the hardware - whether the system is plugged in or not. The system is rendered inoperable until reset by the factory. The main system board and other hardware within the system are custom and cannot be operated or bypassed by a user opening or reconfiguring the system.

My child needs a computer for homework. How can I stop him from playing games or watching videos instead of doing homework?

No computer can force a child to do homework, but we can help ensure that computer games. videos or social media are not the distraction. Study Desktop Mode and Online Learning Modes tightly restrict access to websites and applications that are not appropriate for a learning environment. No Discord, YouTube or social media sites. In addition, video and audio performance is reduced (configurable) to ensure that even if your child found some site that was not restricted, watching videos or playing games would be frustrating and unpleasant. On the other hand, word processing, online reading, educational courses, lectures, casual web browsing and listening to music (depending on settings) works just fine. In addition, the Screen image capture feature allows you to be confident your child is staying on task. Real time updates to their login allow you to kick them off altogether (with warnings) if you see them abusing the computer privilege. If your child needs a specific restricted site for schoolwork, this can be requested and authorized by the parents in an automated fashion.

My child already has a computer. Do you have a program or hardware I can simply install on their computer?

No, but the StudyStation™ can be used with their existing Windows or Mac system running Steam and/or RealVNC Server. It can help in two ways:

Networked and Secured

Simply relocate their existing computer to a secure, lockable location (i.e. parent’s closet), preferably connected to your home network via direct Ethernet. Once properly configured, the StudyStation can remotely access the existing computer in both education (RealVNC) and entertainment (Steam) modes.

System Not Relocated

If you are the System Administrator and have full parental control privileges for their existing system, you may be able to have them use their existing system for Entertainment use only and the StudyStation to complete schoolwork and for online exploration. Simply set the allowed times for the existing system to be after Education and Exploration. Alternatively, parents can use Gaming Timer Mode, Study Reports and Entertainment Enable as tools to help guide when to manually allow and shut down their existing system. Parents can then allow access to their existing system only after they log into Gaming Timer Mode on the StudyStation. To share displays, keyboards, mice, you can use a low cost (around $20) HDMI KVM Switch.

Do you offer this product to install on their XBOX or PlayStation consoles?

No, but the StudyStation itself can be used with your existing gaming console in several ways.

PlayStation 4/ 5 Console

PS Remote Play Entertainment Mode can be used with an existing PlayStation 4/5 console in the home. Place the console system in a locked area with WIFI or Ethernet internet access or place it in a specially designed, locked case (click here). Run PS Remote Play Setup to pair the two devices. By launching PS Remote Play Gaming Mode, the user can now run the console games on the StudyStation.

XBOX Gaming Console

The StudyStation can directly play games using XBOX Cloud Gaming (requires Microsoft subscription) however at lower performance levels. If you have full access to the parental controls of the XBOX console, you can alternatively use the features of the Gaming Timer mode as described below.

Other Gaming / Entertainment Devices - Gaming Timer Mode

The StudyStation can be used as a unifying usage timer for any or all gaming or entertainment devices your child might use. This includes tablets, iPads, handheld and console gaming devices, personal computers smartphones and just about any device that can be either physically restricted (taken away) or has parental control settings allowing use limits.

Gaming Timer Mode provides a use timer matching the limit settings for Entertainment Mode. The status is shown on the front panel LCD screen. This can be used so a user can request an alternate device (i.e. Nintendo Switch, iPad, smartphone) after logging in to Gaming Timer Mode. The parent can either provide the device directly or enable use of the device with the device’s own parental control settings. When time runs out completely, the parent receives the Email notification and either requests the device back and/or shuts off the device using the parental control settings of the device. Use of this mode consumes Entertainment Mode time and usage is logged. GamePlay+ extensions can be requested during the last 2 minutes of available time. The computer video display is blanked during this mode to save power and the front panel display constantly shows status.

If you do not want to relocate/secure your PlayStation 4/5 or XBOX console and you have full access to the parental controls for these devices you may be able to have them use their existing console for Entertainment use only and the StudyStation to complete schoolwork and for online exploration. This will give you full access to the features of Gaming Timer Mode, Study Reports and Entertainment Enable as tools to help you know when to allow and shut down their existing console. Parents can then allow access to their existing console only after they log into Gaming Timer Mode on the StudyStation. To share displays, keyboards and mice you can use a low cost (around $20) HDMI KVM Switch.

Do you offer a laptop computer?

No, all current models are desktop computer systems.

If I limit the gaming on the StudyStation I am afraid that my child will just spend more time gaming on his smartphone or portable gaming devices. Then what should I do?

If your child has other gaming/entertainment devices, including smartphones, computers or tablets, these will need to be physically restricted. Since the StudyStation does not support Android, iOS, Nintendo or other handheld gaming devices you will need to manage physical access to these devices if they are to be allowed. The Gaming Timer mode on the StudyStation can be used to help parents “check out” and “check back in“ these devices based on allowed Entertainment Mode time. This can be implemented by physically providing the devices and requesting the devices back OR by directly controlling the device remotely using the parental control settings for those devices.