Verizon adds parental controls, guest Wi-Fi capabilities to FiOS Quantum gateway

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is giving customers who use its FiOS Quantum Gateway something to smile about with a suite of guest Wi-Fi and enhanced parental controls.

Existing consumer or small business FiOS customers that already have the FiOS Quantum Gateway will automatically receive the new features beginning today and over the next few days.

With the Guest Wi-Fi feature, a user can provide Wi-Fi access to visitors through a unique log in and password they choose, which is separate from the customer's own home network. They can also create a separate secure WPA2 encrypted network just for guests, allowing Internet access.

The enhanced parental controls will enable residential customers to control how their children access the web and related content with various features: manage children's Internet usage on each device; establish controls from the MyFiOS App; turn Internet access on or off on any device; and set time limits on any device on a daily or weekly basis.

"This new release is the first of more enhancements coming up for the Gateway," said John Harrobin, chief marketing officer for Verizon's Consumer and Mass Business unit, in a release. "Best of all, these new features come at no additional cost or effort for our customers. It's another way we say thank you."

News of the new features should not come as a complete surprise as Fran Shammo, CFO and EVP of Verizon, said during the earnings call that consumers will "begin to see more marketing of this router and its capabilities shortly."

FiOS continues to be a major revenue driver in Verizon's wireline revenue mix, a trend that continued in the fourth quarter. During that period, the service provider reported that FiOS revenues grew 11.6 percent to $3.3 billion over the same period a year ago. For the full year 2014, FiOS revenues totaled $12.7 billion, up 13.6 percent compared with $11.2 billion in 2013.

For more:
- see the release

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