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Temporarily disable WLAN internet access for children, but allow it for adults


How to disable internet access at night on the router?Setting up a WLAN Access Point Behind a ProxyRouting access point internet through PC on same networkWireless WLAN Transmitter for Desktop Computer?FritzBox router as a WLAN access point behind cable router - can't access NAS attached to cable routerWLAN setup for campusTurned wlan router into access point cannot connect to GUI anymoreCannot access the internet via WLAN bridgeConnected to LAN but no internet accessHow to make raspberry pi into wireless access point (without internet) for local SSH?TP Link Access Point drops internet access













38















We use a WLAN access point for internet access. I need the internet access to be turned off at 10pm for my children, but still be able to use it for myself.



Can I have 2 passwords? Or does anyone know another way around this, please?










share|improve this question



















  • 35





    This depends on whether your wireless router supports this. You should look into the features and documentation for your wireless router to see whether it offers a guest network, or childrens access controls, or multiple networks. You should also edit your question to include the specific model number of your wireless router.

    – music2myear
    Mar 20 at 18:37






  • 2





    Depends on the router and the software the router is running. A TalkTalk (UK ISP) router that has multiple access points with different ssid/passwords. Meanwhile an EE router (rebadged BT hub) allows per device access controls. Submit details of your router, and ISP and folks here should be able to help directly.

    – pbhj
    Mar 20 at 19:10






  • 14





    Depending on what devices your children use, you might discover your phone statement starts showing lots of extra data access after 10pm.

    – Michael
    Mar 20 at 20:51






  • 7





    I am not sure how old your kids are; but if you had to ask this question (meaning: you are not so tech saavy) I think they will soon figure it out and will try to overcome this policy and you wont even know about it. Its dead simple to get the “other” - unlimited internet - password if they have access to your computer. Instead of constraining; show them the other way & dont be hypocrate - if they see you being on the internet 24/7 what do you expect? Good luck!

    – Kyslik
    Mar 21 at 0:54






  • 5





    My parents tried to do this to me when I was a kid, I just got a 3G dongle😂 Also, I got my moms laptop and just copied their WiFi password off ot that 😂

    – Revetahw
    Mar 21 at 10:24















38















We use a WLAN access point for internet access. I need the internet access to be turned off at 10pm for my children, but still be able to use it for myself.



Can I have 2 passwords? Or does anyone know another way around this, please?










share|improve this question



















  • 35





    This depends on whether your wireless router supports this. You should look into the features and documentation for your wireless router to see whether it offers a guest network, or childrens access controls, or multiple networks. You should also edit your question to include the specific model number of your wireless router.

    – music2myear
    Mar 20 at 18:37






  • 2





    Depends on the router and the software the router is running. A TalkTalk (UK ISP) router that has multiple access points with different ssid/passwords. Meanwhile an EE router (rebadged BT hub) allows per device access controls. Submit details of your router, and ISP and folks here should be able to help directly.

    – pbhj
    Mar 20 at 19:10






  • 14





    Depending on what devices your children use, you might discover your phone statement starts showing lots of extra data access after 10pm.

    – Michael
    Mar 20 at 20:51






  • 7





    I am not sure how old your kids are; but if you had to ask this question (meaning: you are not so tech saavy) I think they will soon figure it out and will try to overcome this policy and you wont even know about it. Its dead simple to get the “other” - unlimited internet - password if they have access to your computer. Instead of constraining; show them the other way & dont be hypocrate - if they see you being on the internet 24/7 what do you expect? Good luck!

    – Kyslik
    Mar 21 at 0:54






  • 5





    My parents tried to do this to me when I was a kid, I just got a 3G dongle😂 Also, I got my moms laptop and just copied their WiFi password off ot that 😂

    – Revetahw
    Mar 21 at 10:24













38












38








38


5






We use a WLAN access point for internet access. I need the internet access to be turned off at 10pm for my children, but still be able to use it for myself.



Can I have 2 passwords? Or does anyone know another way around this, please?










share|improve this question
















We use a WLAN access point for internet access. I need the internet access to be turned off at 10pm for my children, but still be able to use it for myself.



Can I have 2 passwords? Or does anyone know another way around this, please?







wireless-networking wireless-access-point access-control






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Mar 21 at 8:38









sleske

18k85383




18k85383










asked Mar 20 at 18:32









Sue Jones YatesSue Jones Yates

19724




19724







  • 35





    This depends on whether your wireless router supports this. You should look into the features and documentation for your wireless router to see whether it offers a guest network, or childrens access controls, or multiple networks. You should also edit your question to include the specific model number of your wireless router.

    – music2myear
    Mar 20 at 18:37






  • 2





    Depends on the router and the software the router is running. A TalkTalk (UK ISP) router that has multiple access points with different ssid/passwords. Meanwhile an EE router (rebadged BT hub) allows per device access controls. Submit details of your router, and ISP and folks here should be able to help directly.

    – pbhj
    Mar 20 at 19:10






  • 14





    Depending on what devices your children use, you might discover your phone statement starts showing lots of extra data access after 10pm.

    – Michael
    Mar 20 at 20:51






  • 7





    I am not sure how old your kids are; but if you had to ask this question (meaning: you are not so tech saavy) I think they will soon figure it out and will try to overcome this policy and you wont even know about it. Its dead simple to get the “other” - unlimited internet - password if they have access to your computer. Instead of constraining; show them the other way & dont be hypocrate - if they see you being on the internet 24/7 what do you expect? Good luck!

    – Kyslik
    Mar 21 at 0:54






  • 5





    My parents tried to do this to me when I was a kid, I just got a 3G dongle😂 Also, I got my moms laptop and just copied their WiFi password off ot that 😂

    – Revetahw
    Mar 21 at 10:24












  • 35





    This depends on whether your wireless router supports this. You should look into the features and documentation for your wireless router to see whether it offers a guest network, or childrens access controls, or multiple networks. You should also edit your question to include the specific model number of your wireless router.

    – music2myear
    Mar 20 at 18:37






  • 2





    Depends on the router and the software the router is running. A TalkTalk (UK ISP) router that has multiple access points with different ssid/passwords. Meanwhile an EE router (rebadged BT hub) allows per device access controls. Submit details of your router, and ISP and folks here should be able to help directly.

    – pbhj
    Mar 20 at 19:10






  • 14





    Depending on what devices your children use, you might discover your phone statement starts showing lots of extra data access after 10pm.

    – Michael
    Mar 20 at 20:51






  • 7





    I am not sure how old your kids are; but if you had to ask this question (meaning: you are not so tech saavy) I think they will soon figure it out and will try to overcome this policy and you wont even know about it. Its dead simple to get the “other” - unlimited internet - password if they have access to your computer. Instead of constraining; show them the other way & dont be hypocrate - if they see you being on the internet 24/7 what do you expect? Good luck!

    – Kyslik
    Mar 21 at 0:54






  • 5





    My parents tried to do this to me when I was a kid, I just got a 3G dongle😂 Also, I got my moms laptop and just copied their WiFi password off ot that 😂

    – Revetahw
    Mar 21 at 10:24







35




35





This depends on whether your wireless router supports this. You should look into the features and documentation for your wireless router to see whether it offers a guest network, or childrens access controls, or multiple networks. You should also edit your question to include the specific model number of your wireless router.

– music2myear
Mar 20 at 18:37





This depends on whether your wireless router supports this. You should look into the features and documentation for your wireless router to see whether it offers a guest network, or childrens access controls, or multiple networks. You should also edit your question to include the specific model number of your wireless router.

– music2myear
Mar 20 at 18:37




2




2





Depends on the router and the software the router is running. A TalkTalk (UK ISP) router that has multiple access points with different ssid/passwords. Meanwhile an EE router (rebadged BT hub) allows per device access controls. Submit details of your router, and ISP and folks here should be able to help directly.

– pbhj
Mar 20 at 19:10





Depends on the router and the software the router is running. A TalkTalk (UK ISP) router that has multiple access points with different ssid/passwords. Meanwhile an EE router (rebadged BT hub) allows per device access controls. Submit details of your router, and ISP and folks here should be able to help directly.

– pbhj
Mar 20 at 19:10




14




14





Depending on what devices your children use, you might discover your phone statement starts showing lots of extra data access after 10pm.

– Michael
Mar 20 at 20:51





Depending on what devices your children use, you might discover your phone statement starts showing lots of extra data access after 10pm.

– Michael
Mar 20 at 20:51




7




7





I am not sure how old your kids are; but if you had to ask this question (meaning: you are not so tech saavy) I think they will soon figure it out and will try to overcome this policy and you wont even know about it. Its dead simple to get the “other” - unlimited internet - password if they have access to your computer. Instead of constraining; show them the other way & dont be hypocrate - if they see you being on the internet 24/7 what do you expect? Good luck!

– Kyslik
Mar 21 at 0:54





I am not sure how old your kids are; but if you had to ask this question (meaning: you are not so tech saavy) I think they will soon figure it out and will try to overcome this policy and you wont even know about it. Its dead simple to get the “other” - unlimited internet - password if they have access to your computer. Instead of constraining; show them the other way & dont be hypocrate - if they see you being on the internet 24/7 what do you expect? Good luck!

– Kyslik
Mar 21 at 0:54




5




5





My parents tried to do this to me when I was a kid, I just got a 3G dongle😂 Also, I got my moms laptop and just copied their WiFi password off ot that 😂

– Revetahw
Mar 21 at 10:24





My parents tried to do this to me when I was a kid, I just got a 3G dongle😂 Also, I got my moms laptop and just copied their WiFi password off ot that 😂

– Revetahw
Mar 21 at 10:24










7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes


















62














There are features in some routers that allow you to set up multiple SSID's and a wifi schedule. If your router has these features, you can set up 2 wifi networks with different SSID's and different passwords, and schedule one of them to be on and off at certain hours.






share|improve this answer

























  • While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

    – djsmiley2k
    Mar 21 at 12:19


















31














Oh yes. The ability to provide a second or "guest" network is a feature of many home WiFi routers. If you ever go into a business and you see two WiFi networks:



 JPS-Private
Joes Pizza Shack Free WiFi


That's exactly what that is. It simply has an internal firewall between the "guest" WiFi and the private network.



And many of these routers also have the feature to only enable the guest network at certain hours (e.g. Their business hours).



This is an easy feature to add to routers, and I see it in many. So just shop around (this stack is not a shopping help site) and you should find those features in a good number of routers.






share|improve this answer


















  • 11





    to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

    – QuickishFM
    Mar 20 at 20:36






  • 3





    There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

    – Baldrickk
    Mar 21 at 17:06











  • @Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

    – Tim
    Mar 23 at 13:26


















27














I appreciate this is a tech questions site, and you’ve asked an appropriately on-topic question. However, I believe you’ve asked an XY question and this is actually a parenting problem, not a tech one.



Disabling or blocking your WiFi does not address the root cause of your problem which, reading between the lines, is that you’ve told your kids no internet after 10, but they disregard you. Confiscating devices, banning devices from bedrooms, and just making sure your kids respect you enough to follow your wishes/commands might all be better solutions. You might want to look for similar questions (or ask a new one) on Parenting SE.






share|improve this answer




















  • 9





    @Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

    – Celos
    Mar 21 at 9:12






  • 4





    On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

    – Dmitry Grigoryev
    Mar 21 at 13:11






  • 3





    @user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

    – Darren
    Mar 21 at 14:31







  • 6





    This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 21 at 20:06






  • 2





    @Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 22 at 0:24



















15














If your current router does not support two wifi networks / passwords, then it might be cheaper & easier to just use a second router with a different password for it's wifi.



Sometimes old used routers are practically a dime a dozen, definitely much cheaper than buying an new one. An old router that supports OpenWRT / DD-WRT / Tomato would be ideal (but a little more effort to set up).



If you don't want the networks to communicate with each other, then it could be as simple as attaching the new router's WAN port to one of your main router's LAN ports.



Then you could have the children's internet access, or wifi network, or entire router (if it's not the main router) turned off after X o'clock, leaving yours on.






share|improve this answer


















  • 2





    I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

    – Monty Harder
    Mar 22 at 17:37











  • One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 22 at 21:10


















8














The other answers already cover the "multiple password" part of your question.



Let me give you an alternative, which still covers the problem you're facing:



Parental Control



Depending on your Wi-Fi access point or your router (which may both be the same device), either (or both) may support a feature known as "Parental Control". This can be used to set a schedule during which a specific device may access the internet, or even a maximum usage time (e.g. 3 hours), after which they will lose access to the internet, even if it's not 10pm yet.



If both devices support the feature, I suggest activating it only on one device, preferably the router. Children can get really creative when they want something, and find some way of bypassing the Access Point. There is no bypassing the router, however.



The only downside to Parental Control, is that you need to know either the names or MAC addresses of the devices your children use. If your children managed to purchase a new device in secret, you'd have to block that as well, which you can only do if you monitor your router regularly enough to notice the new device popping up. You can limit this as long as you keep the password secret, forcing your children to go through you whenever they need to connect to the Wi-Fi with a new device. You can use this opportunity to see which new device just connected to the router, and apply Parental Control to it. If your children already know the password, you can simply change it.






share|improve this answer























  • Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:43











  • Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

    – Razvan Socol
    Mar 21 at 9:32












  • @RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 21 at 9:50











  • I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

    – David
    Mar 21 at 14:39



















4














EDIT: Re-reading the question, you do not specifically mean wi-fi, but I had assumed this was implied. You may only need a managed switch.



Yes.



  • Method 1. Use a separate physical access point (AP), on a different channel.

  • Method 2. Create (if router permits) a separate SSID from the same router.

  • Method 3. Block their computers by MAC address from your router at scheduled times.

  • Method 4. Shape their speed with QOS (quality of service) from your router.

etc.



But. (and, being as nice as I can, this is not Quora)



Your children are capable of using a computer. They will almost certainly work around these measures by tethering to a mobile phone or router. One they may keep secret from you. These are hard to lawfully block (jam). They may even be able to spoof another MAC address to circumvent filtering (or use a "bridge"). They may run a cable from your router, or have their own access point.



So, you needed to have (exclusive) Administration rights to their devices, and restrict their user account logons. This needs to be done at a device level, as your network will not be sophisticated enough to control their accounts.






share|improve this answer

























  • "you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:45











  • Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

    – carlin.scott
    Mar 21 at 17:36


















1














You can have as many users/passwords as you want by using a radius server and a normal WiFi router (lots of them should support it). This also increases security in general. How to configure this depends on your router. For example if you use openwrt on your router, then it would be explained there.






share|improve this answer




















  • 1





    Enterprise != Home

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 21:32











  • @HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

    – Nobody
    Mar 20 at 21:55







  • 4





    In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 22:57











  • There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

    – Tomek
    Mar 21 at 7:23












  • @Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

    – zakinster
    Mar 21 at 16:17










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7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes








7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









62














There are features in some routers that allow you to set up multiple SSID's and a wifi schedule. If your router has these features, you can set up 2 wifi networks with different SSID's and different passwords, and schedule one of them to be on and off at certain hours.






share|improve this answer

























  • While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

    – djsmiley2k
    Mar 21 at 12:19















62














There are features in some routers that allow you to set up multiple SSID's and a wifi schedule. If your router has these features, you can set up 2 wifi networks with different SSID's and different passwords, and schedule one of them to be on and off at certain hours.






share|improve this answer

























  • While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

    – djsmiley2k
    Mar 21 at 12:19













62












62








62







There are features in some routers that allow you to set up multiple SSID's and a wifi schedule. If your router has these features, you can set up 2 wifi networks with different SSID's and different passwords, and schedule one of them to be on and off at certain hours.






share|improve this answer















There are features in some routers that allow you to set up multiple SSID's and a wifi schedule. If your router has these features, you can set up 2 wifi networks with different SSID's and different passwords, and schedule one of them to be on and off at certain hours.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Mar 21 at 7:10









foerno

2917




2917










answered Mar 20 at 18:43









abdou dzabdou dz

56115




56115












  • While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

    – djsmiley2k
    Mar 21 at 12:19

















  • While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

    – djsmiley2k
    Mar 21 at 12:19
















While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

– djsmiley2k
Mar 21 at 12:19





While the answer about parenting is sensible, this is the technically 'correct' answer. Thank you for answering even if you haven't gotten the 'accepted' stamp yet.

– djsmiley2k
Mar 21 at 12:19













31














Oh yes. The ability to provide a second or "guest" network is a feature of many home WiFi routers. If you ever go into a business and you see two WiFi networks:



 JPS-Private
Joes Pizza Shack Free WiFi


That's exactly what that is. It simply has an internal firewall between the "guest" WiFi and the private network.



And many of these routers also have the feature to only enable the guest network at certain hours (e.g. Their business hours).



This is an easy feature to add to routers, and I see it in many. So just shop around (this stack is not a shopping help site) and you should find those features in a good number of routers.






share|improve this answer


















  • 11





    to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

    – QuickishFM
    Mar 20 at 20:36






  • 3





    There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

    – Baldrickk
    Mar 21 at 17:06











  • @Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

    – Tim
    Mar 23 at 13:26















31














Oh yes. The ability to provide a second or "guest" network is a feature of many home WiFi routers. If you ever go into a business and you see two WiFi networks:



 JPS-Private
Joes Pizza Shack Free WiFi


That's exactly what that is. It simply has an internal firewall between the "guest" WiFi and the private network.



And many of these routers also have the feature to only enable the guest network at certain hours (e.g. Their business hours).



This is an easy feature to add to routers, and I see it in many. So just shop around (this stack is not a shopping help site) and you should find those features in a good number of routers.






share|improve this answer


















  • 11





    to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

    – QuickishFM
    Mar 20 at 20:36






  • 3





    There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

    – Baldrickk
    Mar 21 at 17:06











  • @Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

    – Tim
    Mar 23 at 13:26













31












31








31







Oh yes. The ability to provide a second or "guest" network is a feature of many home WiFi routers. If you ever go into a business and you see two WiFi networks:



 JPS-Private
Joes Pizza Shack Free WiFi


That's exactly what that is. It simply has an internal firewall between the "guest" WiFi and the private network.



And many of these routers also have the feature to only enable the guest network at certain hours (e.g. Their business hours).



This is an easy feature to add to routers, and I see it in many. So just shop around (this stack is not a shopping help site) and you should find those features in a good number of routers.






share|improve this answer













Oh yes. The ability to provide a second or "guest" network is a feature of many home WiFi routers. If you ever go into a business and you see two WiFi networks:



 JPS-Private
Joes Pizza Shack Free WiFi


That's exactly what that is. It simply has an internal firewall between the "guest" WiFi and the private network.



And many of these routers also have the feature to only enable the guest network at certain hours (e.g. Their business hours).



This is an easy feature to add to routers, and I see it in many. So just shop around (this stack is not a shopping help site) and you should find those features in a good number of routers.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Mar 20 at 20:33









HarperHarper

44914




44914







  • 11





    to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

    – QuickishFM
    Mar 20 at 20:36






  • 3





    There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

    – Baldrickk
    Mar 21 at 17:06











  • @Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

    – Tim
    Mar 23 at 13:26












  • 11





    to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

    – QuickishFM
    Mar 20 at 20:36






  • 3





    There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

    – Baldrickk
    Mar 21 at 17:06











  • @Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

    – Tim
    Mar 23 at 13:26







11




11





to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

– QuickishFM
Mar 20 at 20:36





to add to this, its also possible that OPs router has the capability, but its not in the firmware - perhaps DD-WRT can enable it if it doesn't work on stock firmware. Just something to look out for, in case you have such a router by coincidence

– QuickishFM
Mar 20 at 20:36




3




3





There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

– Baldrickk
Mar 21 at 17:06





There is a downside to this - you can't share things across the LAN like this. Public wifi side is often prevented from seeing any devices (routed directly to outbound port) so even if two devices were on that side, they wouldn't be able to directly communicate with each other.

– Baldrickk
Mar 21 at 17:06













@Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

– Tim
Mar 23 at 13:26





@Baldrickk would that block things like AirDrop, or just direct access of public folders?

– Tim
Mar 23 at 13:26











27














I appreciate this is a tech questions site, and you’ve asked an appropriately on-topic question. However, I believe you’ve asked an XY question and this is actually a parenting problem, not a tech one.



Disabling or blocking your WiFi does not address the root cause of your problem which, reading between the lines, is that you’ve told your kids no internet after 10, but they disregard you. Confiscating devices, banning devices from bedrooms, and just making sure your kids respect you enough to follow your wishes/commands might all be better solutions. You might want to look for similar questions (or ask a new one) on Parenting SE.






share|improve this answer




















  • 9





    @Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

    – Celos
    Mar 21 at 9:12






  • 4





    On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

    – Dmitry Grigoryev
    Mar 21 at 13:11






  • 3





    @user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

    – Darren
    Mar 21 at 14:31







  • 6





    This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 21 at 20:06






  • 2





    @Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 22 at 0:24
















27














I appreciate this is a tech questions site, and you’ve asked an appropriately on-topic question. However, I believe you’ve asked an XY question and this is actually a parenting problem, not a tech one.



Disabling or blocking your WiFi does not address the root cause of your problem which, reading between the lines, is that you’ve told your kids no internet after 10, but they disregard you. Confiscating devices, banning devices from bedrooms, and just making sure your kids respect you enough to follow your wishes/commands might all be better solutions. You might want to look for similar questions (or ask a new one) on Parenting SE.






share|improve this answer




















  • 9





    @Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

    – Celos
    Mar 21 at 9:12






  • 4





    On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

    – Dmitry Grigoryev
    Mar 21 at 13:11






  • 3





    @user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

    – Darren
    Mar 21 at 14:31







  • 6





    This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 21 at 20:06






  • 2





    @Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 22 at 0:24














27












27








27







I appreciate this is a tech questions site, and you’ve asked an appropriately on-topic question. However, I believe you’ve asked an XY question and this is actually a parenting problem, not a tech one.



Disabling or blocking your WiFi does not address the root cause of your problem which, reading between the lines, is that you’ve told your kids no internet after 10, but they disregard you. Confiscating devices, banning devices from bedrooms, and just making sure your kids respect you enough to follow your wishes/commands might all be better solutions. You might want to look for similar questions (or ask a new one) on Parenting SE.






share|improve this answer















I appreciate this is a tech questions site, and you’ve asked an appropriately on-topic question. However, I believe you’ve asked an XY question and this is actually a parenting problem, not a tech one.



Disabling or blocking your WiFi does not address the root cause of your problem which, reading between the lines, is that you’ve told your kids no internet after 10, but they disregard you. Confiscating devices, banning devices from bedrooms, and just making sure your kids respect you enough to follow your wishes/commands might all be better solutions. You might want to look for similar questions (or ask a new one) on Parenting SE.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Mar 21 at 10:42

























answered Mar 20 at 22:33









DarrenDarren

1




1







  • 9





    @Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

    – Celos
    Mar 21 at 9:12






  • 4





    On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

    – Dmitry Grigoryev
    Mar 21 at 13:11






  • 3





    @user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

    – Darren
    Mar 21 at 14:31







  • 6





    This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 21 at 20:06






  • 2





    @Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 22 at 0:24













  • 9





    @Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

    – Celos
    Mar 21 at 9:12






  • 4





    On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

    – Dmitry Grigoryev
    Mar 21 at 13:11






  • 3





    @user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

    – Darren
    Mar 21 at 14:31







  • 6





    This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 21 at 20:06






  • 2





    @Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

    – David Schwartz
    Mar 22 at 0:24








9




9





@Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

– Celos
Mar 21 at 9:12





@Darren, "I could have flagged it as off-topic and got it moved to Parenting SE" That would have been absolutely the worst way to deal with this, so thank you for not doing it.

– Celos
Mar 21 at 9:12




4




4





On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

– Dmitry Grigoryev
Mar 21 at 13:11





On Parenting/IPS SE if you answer a question about kids using internet without permission with "Just set up a guest network for them", that answer will be deleted on the spot. I don't see why we should keep answers like this one on SU.

– Dmitry Grigoryev
Mar 21 at 13:11




3




3





@user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

– Darren
Mar 21 at 14:31






@user202729 you can flag any question for moderator intervention. Go ahead, I don't care. It just reinforces my increasing opinion that helping people (which is the raison d'etre of the entire SE network) is less important to lots of people than being able to crow about questions and answers as being off-topic or dupes and it makes me sad. Also.

– Darren
Mar 21 at 14:31





6




6





This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

– David Schwartz
Mar 21 at 20:06





This answer could be improved by addressing some of the technical reasons to prefer this solution. For example, blocking Internet access prevents devices from receiving security updates, cuts off a lifeline for getting help in an emergency, prevents a device from providing services (such as the secure re-encryption some secure messaging apps use), and generally is just completely the wrong tool for the job.

– David Schwartz
Mar 21 at 20:06




2




2





@Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

– David Schwartz
Mar 22 at 0:24






@Maxim You're probably wrong about all of those things. For example: You can call 911 if you have phone access but on a modern phone that would probably give you Internet too. Tablets and laptops usually can't do anything like calling 911 without Internet access. Lots of devices use encrypting messaging applications that require the app to provide services, they're quite popular. As for the security issue, you're wrong. When you start using the device, typically updates are deferred, leaving you a window of vulnerability. The approach is just all wrong.

– David Schwartz
Mar 22 at 0:24












15














If your current router does not support two wifi networks / passwords, then it might be cheaper & easier to just use a second router with a different password for it's wifi.



Sometimes old used routers are practically a dime a dozen, definitely much cheaper than buying an new one. An old router that supports OpenWRT / DD-WRT / Tomato would be ideal (but a little more effort to set up).



If you don't want the networks to communicate with each other, then it could be as simple as attaching the new router's WAN port to one of your main router's LAN ports.



Then you could have the children's internet access, or wifi network, or entire router (if it's not the main router) turned off after X o'clock, leaving yours on.






share|improve this answer


















  • 2





    I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

    – Monty Harder
    Mar 22 at 17:37











  • One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 22 at 21:10















15














If your current router does not support two wifi networks / passwords, then it might be cheaper & easier to just use a second router with a different password for it's wifi.



Sometimes old used routers are practically a dime a dozen, definitely much cheaper than buying an new one. An old router that supports OpenWRT / DD-WRT / Tomato would be ideal (but a little more effort to set up).



If you don't want the networks to communicate with each other, then it could be as simple as attaching the new router's WAN port to one of your main router's LAN ports.



Then you could have the children's internet access, or wifi network, or entire router (if it's not the main router) turned off after X o'clock, leaving yours on.






share|improve this answer


















  • 2





    I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

    – Monty Harder
    Mar 22 at 17:37











  • One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 22 at 21:10













15












15








15







If your current router does not support two wifi networks / passwords, then it might be cheaper & easier to just use a second router with a different password for it's wifi.



Sometimes old used routers are practically a dime a dozen, definitely much cheaper than buying an new one. An old router that supports OpenWRT / DD-WRT / Tomato would be ideal (but a little more effort to set up).



If you don't want the networks to communicate with each other, then it could be as simple as attaching the new router's WAN port to one of your main router's LAN ports.



Then you could have the children's internet access, or wifi network, or entire router (if it's not the main router) turned off after X o'clock, leaving yours on.






share|improve this answer













If your current router does not support two wifi networks / passwords, then it might be cheaper & easier to just use a second router with a different password for it's wifi.



Sometimes old used routers are practically a dime a dozen, definitely much cheaper than buying an new one. An old router that supports OpenWRT / DD-WRT / Tomato would be ideal (but a little more effort to set up).



If you don't want the networks to communicate with each other, then it could be as simple as attaching the new router's WAN port to one of your main router's LAN ports.



Then you could have the children's internet access, or wifi network, or entire router (if it's not the main router) turned off after X o'clock, leaving yours on.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Mar 20 at 21:14









Xen2050Xen2050

11.3k31637




11.3k31637







  • 2





    I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

    – Monty Harder
    Mar 22 at 17:37











  • One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 22 at 21:10












  • 2





    I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

    – Monty Harder
    Mar 22 at 17:37











  • One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

    – Daniel R Hicks
    Mar 22 at 21:10







2




2





I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

– Monty Harder
Mar 22 at 17:37





I love the simplicity of this, as well as the inherent security advantage of physically separate routers as opposed to a single router with multiple LANs. That you can simply power off the second router whenever you want to shut down the children's access makes it an easy solution to implement.

– Monty Harder
Mar 22 at 17:37













One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

– Daniel R Hicks
Mar 22 at 21:10





One advantage of this is that you can easily plug the second router into a timer clock, to turn it on and off at the appointed times.

– Daniel R Hicks
Mar 22 at 21:10











8














The other answers already cover the "multiple password" part of your question.



Let me give you an alternative, which still covers the problem you're facing:



Parental Control



Depending on your Wi-Fi access point or your router (which may both be the same device), either (or both) may support a feature known as "Parental Control". This can be used to set a schedule during which a specific device may access the internet, or even a maximum usage time (e.g. 3 hours), after which they will lose access to the internet, even if it's not 10pm yet.



If both devices support the feature, I suggest activating it only on one device, preferably the router. Children can get really creative when they want something, and find some way of bypassing the Access Point. There is no bypassing the router, however.



The only downside to Parental Control, is that you need to know either the names or MAC addresses of the devices your children use. If your children managed to purchase a new device in secret, you'd have to block that as well, which you can only do if you monitor your router regularly enough to notice the new device popping up. You can limit this as long as you keep the password secret, forcing your children to go through you whenever they need to connect to the Wi-Fi with a new device. You can use this opportunity to see which new device just connected to the router, and apply Parental Control to it. If your children already know the password, you can simply change it.






share|improve this answer























  • Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:43











  • Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

    – Razvan Socol
    Mar 21 at 9:32












  • @RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 21 at 9:50











  • I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

    – David
    Mar 21 at 14:39
















8














The other answers already cover the "multiple password" part of your question.



Let me give you an alternative, which still covers the problem you're facing:



Parental Control



Depending on your Wi-Fi access point or your router (which may both be the same device), either (or both) may support a feature known as "Parental Control". This can be used to set a schedule during which a specific device may access the internet, or even a maximum usage time (e.g. 3 hours), after which they will lose access to the internet, even if it's not 10pm yet.



If both devices support the feature, I suggest activating it only on one device, preferably the router. Children can get really creative when they want something, and find some way of bypassing the Access Point. There is no bypassing the router, however.



The only downside to Parental Control, is that you need to know either the names or MAC addresses of the devices your children use. If your children managed to purchase a new device in secret, you'd have to block that as well, which you can only do if you monitor your router regularly enough to notice the new device popping up. You can limit this as long as you keep the password secret, forcing your children to go through you whenever they need to connect to the Wi-Fi with a new device. You can use this opportunity to see which new device just connected to the router, and apply Parental Control to it. If your children already know the password, you can simply change it.






share|improve this answer























  • Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:43











  • Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

    – Razvan Socol
    Mar 21 at 9:32












  • @RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 21 at 9:50











  • I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

    – David
    Mar 21 at 14:39














8












8








8







The other answers already cover the "multiple password" part of your question.



Let me give you an alternative, which still covers the problem you're facing:



Parental Control



Depending on your Wi-Fi access point or your router (which may both be the same device), either (or both) may support a feature known as "Parental Control". This can be used to set a schedule during which a specific device may access the internet, or even a maximum usage time (e.g. 3 hours), after which they will lose access to the internet, even if it's not 10pm yet.



If both devices support the feature, I suggest activating it only on one device, preferably the router. Children can get really creative when they want something, and find some way of bypassing the Access Point. There is no bypassing the router, however.



The only downside to Parental Control, is that you need to know either the names or MAC addresses of the devices your children use. If your children managed to purchase a new device in secret, you'd have to block that as well, which you can only do if you monitor your router regularly enough to notice the new device popping up. You can limit this as long as you keep the password secret, forcing your children to go through you whenever they need to connect to the Wi-Fi with a new device. You can use this opportunity to see which new device just connected to the router, and apply Parental Control to it. If your children already know the password, you can simply change it.






share|improve this answer













The other answers already cover the "multiple password" part of your question.



Let me give you an alternative, which still covers the problem you're facing:



Parental Control



Depending on your Wi-Fi access point or your router (which may both be the same device), either (or both) may support a feature known as "Parental Control". This can be used to set a schedule during which a specific device may access the internet, or even a maximum usage time (e.g. 3 hours), after which they will lose access to the internet, even if it's not 10pm yet.



If both devices support the feature, I suggest activating it only on one device, preferably the router. Children can get really creative when they want something, and find some way of bypassing the Access Point. There is no bypassing the router, however.



The only downside to Parental Control, is that you need to know either the names or MAC addresses of the devices your children use. If your children managed to purchase a new device in secret, you'd have to block that as well, which you can only do if you monitor your router regularly enough to notice the new device popping up. You can limit this as long as you keep the password secret, forcing your children to go through you whenever they need to connect to the Wi-Fi with a new device. You can use this opportunity to see which new device just connected to the router, and apply Parental Control to it. If your children already know the password, you can simply change it.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Mar 20 at 22:07









NolonarNolonar

1,42711321




1,42711321












  • Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:43











  • Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

    – Razvan Socol
    Mar 21 at 9:32












  • @RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 21 at 9:50











  • I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

    – David
    Mar 21 at 14:39


















  • Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:43











  • Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

    – Razvan Socol
    Mar 21 at 9:32












  • @RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

    – Jörg W Mittag
    Mar 21 at 9:50











  • I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

    – David
    Mar 21 at 14:39

















Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

– sleske
Mar 21 at 8:43





Good answer, especially pointing out that you may be able to do this with a single router and MAC filtering - didn't think about that myself.

– sleske
Mar 21 at 8:43













Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

– Razvan Socol
Mar 21 at 9:32






Beware that some devices (such as computers with Windows) may allow the user to configure a different MAC address.

– Razvan Socol
Mar 21 at 9:32














@RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

– Jörg W Mittag
Mar 21 at 9:50





@RazvanSocol: All of them do. The MAC address is simply a piece of data that gets written into the frame by a piece of software. There is nothing magical about it. In fact, you must be able to change the MAC address, how else are you supposed to use LAAs otherwise?

– Jörg W Mittag
Mar 21 at 9:50













I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

– David
Mar 21 at 14:39






I would add a caution here: many "home" routers claim to support MAC filtering and scheduling, but my mid-range LinkSys router became unusable when I actually tried to set up MAC filtering and permitted hours for my kids' devices. This was with only a dozen or so (total) devices, not all of which were in use at any one time -- for example, the older kids had a Kindle and a Nintendo handheld, which obviously they wouldn't be using at the same time. YMMV (I should note this was ~ 5+ years ago).

– David
Mar 21 at 14:39












4














EDIT: Re-reading the question, you do not specifically mean wi-fi, but I had assumed this was implied. You may only need a managed switch.



Yes.



  • Method 1. Use a separate physical access point (AP), on a different channel.

  • Method 2. Create (if router permits) a separate SSID from the same router.

  • Method 3. Block their computers by MAC address from your router at scheduled times.

  • Method 4. Shape their speed with QOS (quality of service) from your router.

etc.



But. (and, being as nice as I can, this is not Quora)



Your children are capable of using a computer. They will almost certainly work around these measures by tethering to a mobile phone or router. One they may keep secret from you. These are hard to lawfully block (jam). They may even be able to spoof another MAC address to circumvent filtering (or use a "bridge"). They may run a cable from your router, or have their own access point.



So, you needed to have (exclusive) Administration rights to their devices, and restrict their user account logons. This needs to be done at a device level, as your network will not be sophisticated enough to control their accounts.






share|improve this answer

























  • "you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:45











  • Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

    – carlin.scott
    Mar 21 at 17:36















4














EDIT: Re-reading the question, you do not specifically mean wi-fi, but I had assumed this was implied. You may only need a managed switch.



Yes.



  • Method 1. Use a separate physical access point (AP), on a different channel.

  • Method 2. Create (if router permits) a separate SSID from the same router.

  • Method 3. Block their computers by MAC address from your router at scheduled times.

  • Method 4. Shape their speed with QOS (quality of service) from your router.

etc.



But. (and, being as nice as I can, this is not Quora)



Your children are capable of using a computer. They will almost certainly work around these measures by tethering to a mobile phone or router. One they may keep secret from you. These are hard to lawfully block (jam). They may even be able to spoof another MAC address to circumvent filtering (or use a "bridge"). They may run a cable from your router, or have their own access point.



So, you needed to have (exclusive) Administration rights to their devices, and restrict their user account logons. This needs to be done at a device level, as your network will not be sophisticated enough to control their accounts.






share|improve this answer

























  • "you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:45











  • Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

    – carlin.scott
    Mar 21 at 17:36













4












4








4







EDIT: Re-reading the question, you do not specifically mean wi-fi, but I had assumed this was implied. You may only need a managed switch.



Yes.



  • Method 1. Use a separate physical access point (AP), on a different channel.

  • Method 2. Create (if router permits) a separate SSID from the same router.

  • Method 3. Block their computers by MAC address from your router at scheduled times.

  • Method 4. Shape their speed with QOS (quality of service) from your router.

etc.



But. (and, being as nice as I can, this is not Quora)



Your children are capable of using a computer. They will almost certainly work around these measures by tethering to a mobile phone or router. One they may keep secret from you. These are hard to lawfully block (jam). They may even be able to spoof another MAC address to circumvent filtering (or use a "bridge"). They may run a cable from your router, or have their own access point.



So, you needed to have (exclusive) Administration rights to their devices, and restrict their user account logons. This needs to be done at a device level, as your network will not be sophisticated enough to control their accounts.






share|improve this answer















EDIT: Re-reading the question, you do not specifically mean wi-fi, but I had assumed this was implied. You may only need a managed switch.



Yes.



  • Method 1. Use a separate physical access point (AP), on a different channel.

  • Method 2. Create (if router permits) a separate SSID from the same router.

  • Method 3. Block their computers by MAC address from your router at scheduled times.

  • Method 4. Shape their speed with QOS (quality of service) from your router.

etc.



But. (and, being as nice as I can, this is not Quora)



Your children are capable of using a computer. They will almost certainly work around these measures by tethering to a mobile phone or router. One they may keep secret from you. These are hard to lawfully block (jam). They may even be able to spoof another MAC address to circumvent filtering (or use a "bridge"). They may run a cable from your router, or have their own access point.



So, you needed to have (exclusive) Administration rights to their devices, and restrict their user account logons. This needs to be done at a device level, as your network will not be sophisticated enough to control their accounts.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Mar 21 at 5:23

























answered Mar 21 at 4:39









mckenzmmckenzm

79338




79338












  • "you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:45











  • Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

    – carlin.scott
    Mar 21 at 17:36

















  • "you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

    – sleske
    Mar 21 at 8:45











  • Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

    – carlin.scott
    Mar 21 at 17:36
















"you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

– sleske
Mar 21 at 8:45





"you do not specifically mean wi-fi" - well, OP did add the "wireless-networking" tag, so they probably did mean it. Also, the only two common home networking solutions are (wired) Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 / WiFi WLANs, and Ethernet usually does not use passwords.

– sleske
Mar 21 at 8:45













Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

– carlin.scott
Mar 21 at 17:36





Instead of blocking the kid's MACs, they could allow the parent's MACs, and if the kids clone the parent's MAC address they'll know very quickly because their computer will complain.

– carlin.scott
Mar 21 at 17:36











1














You can have as many users/passwords as you want by using a radius server and a normal WiFi router (lots of them should support it). This also increases security in general. How to configure this depends on your router. For example if you use openwrt on your router, then it would be explained there.






share|improve this answer




















  • 1





    Enterprise != Home

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 21:32











  • @HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

    – Nobody
    Mar 20 at 21:55







  • 4





    In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 22:57











  • There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

    – Tomek
    Mar 21 at 7:23












  • @Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

    – zakinster
    Mar 21 at 16:17















1














You can have as many users/passwords as you want by using a radius server and a normal WiFi router (lots of them should support it). This also increases security in general. How to configure this depends on your router. For example if you use openwrt on your router, then it would be explained there.






share|improve this answer




















  • 1





    Enterprise != Home

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 21:32











  • @HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

    – Nobody
    Mar 20 at 21:55







  • 4





    In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 22:57











  • There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

    – Tomek
    Mar 21 at 7:23












  • @Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

    – zakinster
    Mar 21 at 16:17













1












1








1







You can have as many users/passwords as you want by using a radius server and a normal WiFi router (lots of them should support it). This also increases security in general. How to configure this depends on your router. For example if you use openwrt on your router, then it would be explained there.






share|improve this answer















You can have as many users/passwords as you want by using a radius server and a normal WiFi router (lots of them should support it). This also increases security in general. How to configure this depends on your router. For example if you use openwrt on your router, then it would be explained there.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Mar 20 at 21:54

























answered Mar 20 at 21:24









NobodyNobody

1788




1788







  • 1





    Enterprise != Home

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 21:32











  • @HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

    – Nobody
    Mar 20 at 21:55







  • 4





    In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 22:57











  • There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

    – Tomek
    Mar 21 at 7:23












  • @Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

    – zakinster
    Mar 21 at 16:17












  • 1





    Enterprise != Home

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 21:32











  • @HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

    – Nobody
    Mar 20 at 21:55







  • 4





    In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

    – HackSlash
    Mar 20 at 22:57











  • There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

    – Tomek
    Mar 21 at 7:23












  • @Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

    – zakinster
    Mar 21 at 16:17







1




1





Enterprise != Home

– HackSlash
Mar 20 at 21:32





Enterprise != Home

– HackSlash
Mar 20 at 21:32













@HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

– Nobody
Mar 20 at 21:55






@HackSlash That's just a name, the same way they sell cheap battery powered drills labelled "professional". I replaced WPA2-Enterprice with "normal WiFi router" because they can often do that protocol.

– Nobody
Mar 20 at 21:55





4




4





In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

– HackSlash
Mar 20 at 22:57





In this case it requires setting up a RADIUS server which is not something a home user can easily do. The person asking the question likely doesn't have a domain controller to use which means they would be using something like FreeRADIUS which requires Linux. The answer is good but it's not good for normal humans.

– HackSlash
Mar 20 at 22:57













There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

– Tomek
Mar 21 at 7:23






There are companies which offer DaaS (Directory/LDAP as a Service) along with Radius with handful of users for free. Setting up two users (one for home, the other for guests) is as easy as it gets. The downside for the providers I know is that they may heavily rely on having static IP address.

– Tomek
Mar 21 at 7:23














@Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

– zakinster
Mar 21 at 16:17





@Tomek Using a dedicated server or an external provider to do something you can easily achieve using only standard features (multiple SSID or MAC filtering in conjunction with an activation schedule) available on most commonly sold wifi router/AP seems very counter-productive.

– zakinster
Mar 21 at 16:17

















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