Skip to content

Pause monitoring when you use the PC

When you (the parent) use the kid's PC — to install software, check something for them, or just to use it briefly — you'll want to pause monitoring so your own activity isn't logged.

How to pause

  1. Look at the Windows taskbar near the clock. Find the GuardianNode shield icon (it may be in the hidden overflow area — click the small ^ arrow).
  2. Right-click the shield icon.
  3. Click Pause monitoring in parent dashboard.
  4. Sign in to the HTTPS parent dashboard if needed.
  5. Open Devices, find this PC, and click Pause 1h.

The next broker status refresh shows the pause on the child PC. The tray does not accept or retain a parent password.

Resuming early

Open the signed-in parent dashboard, go to Devices, and click Resume.

Resuming automatically

When the one-hour timer runs out, monitoring resumes on its own.

What happens during a pause

  • No screenshots are captured or sent from the agent.
  • The backend records the parent-authorized pause and the broker enforces it on the child PC.

What the kid sees

The child keeps a visible GuardianNode icon. We deliberately do not hide monitoring status—GuardianNode is not stealth software. A child can open the dashboard URL from the tray, but cannot authorize a pause without the parent session.

"I forgot my password — can I pause?"

Use the recovery phrase to reset dashboard access, then pause from Devices. The recovery phrase never authorizes a child-side action. See If you forget your password.

Pausing from the dashboard (remote pause)

If you're using a separated setup (kid PC + parent server) and you're on your parent PC, you can pause the child's device from the dashboard. Dashboard pauses are stored server-side and shown in device status:

  1. Sign into the dashboard.
  2. Click Devices.
  3. Find the device → click Pause → pick duration.

This is the only supported pause authority in the current broker design.

Pause vs. uninstall

If you want to permanently stop monitoring (e.g. you're transferring the PC, or your kid has aged out), uninstall instead of using a recurring pause. The alpha relies on Windows administrator/UAC permissions for uninstall. See Troubleshooting for uninstall instructions.