This topic

Turn of wifi at night

FrustratedUser2024 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 12:18:16 GMT

I've read elsewhere here and on the web that the "solution" is to manage access, is by device in Access Control, the problem is that the teens know to switch IP addresses etc and- the internet if full of guidance on how to bypass this solution, what might have worked when they were 5 (and wasn't needed) doesn't work when they're 15 and being teens.

I am happy to KILL the entire wifi network in the small hours, so how can I do that other than physically hitting the power switch. I have kids devices plugged in to ethernet as well as wifi and there appears no solution.

Would it be an idea to buy another router that allows this, and replacing the BT SmartHub2 that I am using? Does anyone think that would present a new problem?

Re: Turn of wifi at night

c64z86 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 13:11:47 GMT

Do you have Digital Voice/ or the landline service from BT?

If so it might present a problem as only the BT Hub will work with digital voice, if you are on it now or will get upgraded to it in the future.

Re: Turn of wifi at night

Crimliar — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 13:26:59 GMT

As 15yo and being teens, frankly, the only means to prevent access would be to have the ISP turn off access at the servers - which I don't believe any ISP does for such requests. ANY other solution, I can think of ways around it! Maybe trust and respect....

Re: Turn of wifi at night

countrypaul — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 13:28:54 GMT

I know some routers allow 2 sorts of MAC address filtering:

Allow all but block specified addresses

Block all but allow specified addresses

Most home routers such as BT's seem to only implement the former, but some ( Cisco?) allow the choice I don't know whether time constraints can be applied though.

Turning everything off may cause problems with things like Alexa if you rely on those, or for example ASHPs that log performance.

You could try adding another AP and ethernet switch that are on a smart switch which the teenagers are then connected to with every thing else connected to the BT hub - but you would want to change the SSID & pwd on the BT hub - maybe put the originals on your new AP so the teenagers don't realise for a while?

Re: Turn of wifi at night

gg30340 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:30:09 GMT

The best way is, assuming you can find all the devices they have access to, is to remove your teenagers devices until they learn the house rules. This will of course undoubtedly cause tantrums and melt downs, on both sides.

You will never control Internet access with technology. There will always be a way around it which most computer savy kids will find and most of which are relatively simple to implement.

MAC address filtering can be problematic with a lot of devices because they use MAC Randomisation and it will require a lot more effort to block the device which can be overcome with a factory reset of the hub.

Turning off Wifi as you are aware still leaves Ethernet access. This can be circumvented by using an Ethernet connected device such as a PC to become a wireless hotspot which will then allow wireless devices to connect to the Internet.

Changing router or adding wireless access points with a different SSid /name will not solve the problem either because there will be ways around what ever it offers.

Turning off the wireless signal

See link

How do I turn wi-fi on and off on the BT Hub? | BT Help

may work for as long as your hubs Admin password is not known to the kids and as long as your MyBT username and password is not known because they can use that to access the hub and reset it which will turn the wifi back on and of course you need to guard the Smarthub to prevent it being reset.

Good luck. Please keep us updated because if you do find a solution I am sure there are millions of parents who want to know how it was done.

Re: Turn of wifi at night

Crimliar — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:42:32 GMT

The problem with restricting devices by MAC address, and this gets extreme is: There are already examples of teens buying cheap routers and swapping them in at night to defeat MAC filtering. On top of which MAC "allow only authorised devices" is a pain to administer!

Re: Turn of wifi at night

countrypaul — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:50:53 GMT

If they have unlimited Data on their phones, then making them into hotspots would circumvent the household Internet access completely.

Re: Turn of wifi at night

FrustratedUser2024 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:53:41 GMT

Nope, don't use or have a landline.

Re: Turn of wifi at night

FrustratedUser2024 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:55:24 GMT

Yes I have a couple of routers sitting around, I could make those the AP but the problem remains that one boy (to be honest, the least difficult of the three) is hardwired in.

Re: Turn of wifi at night

FrustratedUser2024 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 14:57:07 GMT

Yeah but not at the speed their gaming requires (DEMANDS I TELL YOU DEMANDS)

Re: Turn of wifi at night

countrypaul — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 15:30:35 GMT

I know, I have two of them, both hardwired into ethernet (desktops, xbox) and Wifi (Laptops, phones etc). Phones are not yet on 5G though.

Re: Turn of wifi at night

DazzlerB — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 22:55:52 GMT

I feel your pain. Blocking via the BT app is infective, devices like XBox allow custom Mac address so they just sidestep the blocking. I tried the secondary router approach, it didn't work with BT TV and the extra hop/NAT messed with lad-o's ping time so he wasn't happy there either. You could try the new EE Smart Hub Plus (if available to buy) and put the kids on the Guest WiFi. Then turn that off at night, leaving the grown ups WiFi intact! Also, you can schedule specific websites to be blocked to a schedule, via Parental Controls in MyBT. Might be another option for you. Good luck!

Re: Turn of wifi at night

Edinburgh-wg — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:38:37 GMT

There are some good routers out there that successfully manage access. Examples include Draytek and Fritzbox. I use the latter and there is WiFi control, but also WiFi for guests that limits access to the device itself rather than the entire network, therefore preventing any modifications to the setup etc (I use it for a couple of dubious IoT devices like my govee thermometer which i use to monitor my freezer's temperature.) So, you could have two WiFi networks: one for you and the other (guest) for your children. Fritzbox also allows lan port 4 to be used for guests.

There are other measures that you could take which are outlined here: https://en.avm.de/service/knowledge-base/dok/FRITZ-Box-7490/8_Restricting-internet-use-with-parental-controls/

I suppose this wouldn't stop your kids from changing active lan connections (swapping cables), but if you're very determined and want to show your kids that, then you could always lock the router in some kind of enclosure to prevent that. That's going to extremes, obviously, so my advice is also educating your kids about why you'd want to limit access to the internet but also trying to treat them like adults by teaching them to be more responsible for their own learning and managing access. How are you going to stop the kids from using 4g, though?

With Draytek you can go further by setting up a time limited access to the internet. Something similar to airport WiFi access where you need to log in and then you can only access the internet for a specified amount of time, usually an hour. Then you can either apply for more time or would have to wait. Set up possibilities are endless, but I'd encourage you to research before you commit to buying a new router as this kind of equipment can be very dear. Plus, when you're fast asleep, would your kids not swap routers round, without your knowledge? https://www.draytek.co.uk/information/our-technology/hotspot-portal

Both Draytek and Fritzbox also offer to block specific apps or pages (for example Insta), but if you want to go even one step further, you could also use blocking at DNS level to stop your kids from researching stuff on forums.