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Security guide7 min read

How to set up parental controls on Virgin Media Hub

Virgin Media Hub 3, 4 and 5 settings are model-specific. Virgin’s Essential Security supplies its account-level web controls, while Canopy adds managed NextDNS through a supported device or third-party-router setup. This guide keeps those two layers separate.

By James Mackie, Canopy Families founder · How we research and review guides

Before you start
  • Virgin Media Hub 3 is known to reset some settings after firmware updates. After any hub restart, verify your DNS settings are still in place.
  • Hub 5 users in Modem Mode: your hub acts as a pass-through to a separate router. DNS settings must be applied to that router, not the Hub 5.
  • Virgin Essential Security is linked to your Virgin Media account — secure your account credentials so it cannot be disabled by another household member.

Step 1 — Identify your Virgin Media Hub

  1. Check the model name printed on the base or rear label. It should say Hub 3, Hub 4 or Hub 5.
  2. If you use a separate Wi-Fi router, check whether the Virgin Hub is in Modem Mode; the separate router then controls Wi-Fi and DNS.
  3. Keep the settings password from the hub label available. It is different from the Wi-Fi password.
Virgin’s Connect app can also show the hub linked to the account, but the physical label is the clearest check before following model-specific instructions.

Step 2 — Log into the Virgin Media Hub admin panel

  1. Connect a device to your Virgin Media Wi-Fi.
  2. Open a browser and go to http://192.168.0.1.
  3. Enter the settings password printed on the bottom of the hub. This is separate from the Wi-Fi password.
  4. Click Sign in.
If http://192.168.0.1 does not load, the hub IP may be different. Check it on a Windows PC under Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Properties, or on a Mac under System Settings → Wi-Fi → Details.

Step 3 — Change the default admin password

Use the current password printed on your own hub; older online guides that publish a generic password are no longer reliable.
  1. Once logged in, go to Advanced Settings.
  2. Click Security → Change Password.
  3. Enter a new strong password (12+ characters) and confirm it.
  4. Save changes and log back in.

Step 4 — Verify Wi-Fi encryption settings

  1. In Advanced Settings, go to Wi-Fi.
  2. Confirm the security mode is WPA2 or WPA2/WPA3.
  3. Update your Wi-Fi passphrase if it is still the factory default.
  4. Apply and reconnect devices.

Step 5 — Create a guest Wi-Fi network

  1. In Advanced Settings, go to Wi-Fi → Guest Network.
  2. Enable the guest Wi-Fi.
  3. Set a unique guest passphrase.
  4. Apply.
  5. Move smart TVs, consoles, and smart speakers to the guest network.

Step 6 — Connect Canopy-managed NextDNS

Modem Mode disables the Virgin Hub’s normal routing and Wi-Fi functions. Have the replacement router connected and its instructions available before switching modes.
  1. Start a Canopy Families full-access subscription or 14-day trial; the managed NextDNS profile is included.
  2. Virgin’s current Hub guidance does not document a custom-DNS setting for Hub 3, 4 or 5.
  3. Use Home Safety → Device Setup for protected devices, or put the Virgin Hub into Modem Mode and configure a compatible router with the addresses Canopy assigns.
  4. Return to Home Safety and run Test connection before treating the setup as active.

Step 7 — Enable Virgin Essential Security

  1. Go to my.virginmedia.com and sign in with your Virgin Media account.
  2. Open Account Settings and find Essential Security or Parental Controls.
  3. Switch on the categories and website controls appropriate for your family.
  4. Use the Virgin Media Connect app if you also want to pause a device’s broadband access.
  5. Changes apply within minutes across all devices on your connection.
Virgin renamed the former Web Safe service to Essential Security. Menu labels can change, so follow Virgin’s current account instructions rather than an older Web Safe screenshot.

What Virgin Media parental controls can and cannot do

  1. Essential Security can block selected website categories on the Virgin broadband connection.
  2. The Connect app can pause broadband access for a selected device, but that is not the same as filtering every type of content inside an app.
  3. Mobile data, a VPN, encrypted DNS configured on a device, and some in-app content can bypass home-network controls.
  4. Use device-level controls and clear family rules alongside network filtering; test both a blocked and an allowed site after setup.

Router menus vary by model and firmware. These instructions were checked against the manufacturers' current support material; use the route shown for your exact model.

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