Lightspeed Filter™
The most secure hybrid content filter for K-12 schools
Proven protection from cyber risks and distractions with precise and reliable access on every OS.
Filter Support for ARM Devices is here!
Battle-tested through every shift in classrooms.
Built to Help K-12 IT Stay Ahead
Block risky domains, proxies, and malicious traffic with Zero Trust-aligned architecture, backed by threat feed integration.
Manage by AI type, configure for exceptions with granular categorization, and surface searches in activity reports.
Set access by social media platform, user, group, or schedule, and manage YouTube features like Shorts, comments, and sidebars.
No loss in policy enforcement or visibility on Chrome, Windows, Mac, iOS, BYOD, and IoT – with features that work on or off the network.
Export user-level logs of searches, visited websites, and blocked attempts, structured for audits, investigations, and compliance.
Why Schools Trust Lightspeed Filter
with Your Devices
- Layered enforcement on every network: on-device SmartAgent and SmartShield DNS filtering cover school-managed, BYOD, and IoT devices - no reliance on proxies, VPNs, or hardware.
- Zero-day threat protection: block uncategorized domains and new threats by default, with live intel from PhishTank, MI6, vxIntel and IWF.
- Aligned to security frameworks: designed for CIPA, FERPA, and NIST-aligned environments, with exportable audit trails and long-term retention.
- Full coverage for BYOD and IoT: enforce DNS-based filtering on agentless traffic with the control you'd expect from an inline system.
Adapt With Schools
- The most advanced YouTube controls: enforce access to educational content using our proprietary technology, and block features like Shorts and comments.
- Parental access that aligns with district policies: the Lightspeed Parent Portal™ gives families access to activity and screen time controls outside school hours.
- Curriculum exceptions, simplified: Manage curriculum and access exceptions without compromising safety.
- Admin roles: Give school staff or tech leads policy access, without losing centralized control.
by Experience
- Live activity reporting: unlock fast troubleshooting with the only cloud solution that provides real-time device activity logging.
- Full SSL and search visibility: see exactly what students search, watch, or attempt to access, not just top-level hostnames.
- Drill-down user histories: investigate patterns and incidents with full identity-linked history, even off-campus.
- System-wide insights from one place: build reports that support audits, board reports, and stakeholder updates, without jumping between tools.
Lightspeed Filter does it better.
On every device.
Chromebooks (Chrome extension)
• Chrome extension that allows browser-level filtering with full decrypted visibility
• Silent install via Google Admin console
• Real-time reporting and policy sync by OU or group
Windows
• On-device agents support system-level filtering with full URL logging and SSL decryption
• No managing of PACs, proxies, or certificates required
• Enforcement remains intact off-network or during outages
• Support on ARM devices
Mac
• On-device agents support system-level filtering and SSL decryption
• No managing of PACs, proxies, or certificates required
• Enforcement remains intact off-network or during outages
• Apple Certified Partner
iOS (SmartAgent)
• iOS app deployment supports MDM install
• System-level filtering protects apps and browsers
• Full user specific policies
• Search and YouTube visibility when cloud-based decryption is enabled
• Enforcement remains intact off-network or during outages
BYOD & IoT (SmartShield)
• DNS-based network filtering for guest devices, student phones, and smart classroom tools
• User authentication support to enable in-depth reporting , including RADIUS
• Identifies internal IPs and users for audit and policy mapping
• Flexible deployment by school, building, or subnet
Lightspeed Filter™
FAQs
How is Lightspeed Filter different from other K–12 school web content filters?
Lightspeed Filter, our internet content filter for schools, uses a proprietary SmartAgent to filter directly on each device, paired with SmartShield for DNS-based protection of BYOD and IoT traffic. This hybrid approach provides consistent policy enforcement, SSL visibility, and detailed reporting across every OS — with no need for managing proxies or PACs on Mac and Windows, seamless extension-based filtering on Chromebooks, and flexible deployment options for iOS.
How does Lightspeed Filter handle off-campus internet content filtering?
Internet content filtering for schools stays consistent on and off the network with SmartAgent enforcing policies directly on each device, which means enabling configurable off-campus policies with no c VPNs, tunnels, or complex reconfiguration required.
Does Lightspeed Filter support SSL decryption?
Yes – SmartAgents provide full visibility on ChromeOS, Windows, and MacOS, with specific inspection available for iOS as well. SSL Decryption is handled elegantly, without needing to managing proxies and certificates.
Can we filter YouTube and social media without blocking everything?
Yes. You can allow YouTube for learning while blocking Shorts, comments, and sidebars. TikTok, Discord, and Instagram can be blocked or allowed by user, group, or schedule.
How does Lightspeed support audit and compliance reporting?
Export user-level logs with search terms, visited sites, and blocks — with audit trails and retention to meet CIPA, FERPA, and local district policies.
How is internet content filtering handled on BYOD, guest, or IoT devices?
SmartShield provides DNS-based filtering and IP-level visibility for agentless devices — with flexible deployment by site, subnet, or device type.
How does Lightspeed manage new and uncategorized sites?
Unknown domains are automatically categorized after any Agent-installed device visits them, allowing for near-real time category updates for emerging sites.
Do you offer parent-facing visibility?
Yes. Our Parent Portal gives families access to their child’s web activity and lets them pause internet access during non-school hours — no extra app or IT overhead.
Lightspeed Systems® Is a Proud Partner
"In my experience, the implementation helped me a lot. I pre-configured the systems so now I don’t have to spend time monitoring the actual server. It’s easier for us to push the Filter agent through and manage everything through the web, which saves me time."
"We want software applications that secure and protect student data, and make sure that they aren’t posing a security risk to our infrastructure. The Lightspeed Filter data has been instrumental to that, and has helped us with our software governance."
"The reporting was more specific, it showed us everything that was blocked, all the videos the kids watched, and all the searches they made. There was also an option for creating reports that showed you an overview of internet usage to see exactly what students are doing online."
