BT Access Control Nightmare please help

[misterfixer]

This is NOT solved at all.

The issue appears to be only with WiFi connections. If you have an existing connection (streaming, youtube, playstation etc) when Access Control kicks in, your connection continues. However, if you are on a wired connection, it will be terminated. Switching WiFi off/on will clear the connections and will not allow it to restart.

This is undoubtably a FAULT with the router software, as wired and WiFi connections should be handled in the same way.

It causes issues in my house, as Son1 loses his (Powerline connected) access at 9pm, but Son2 continues on his WiFi-connected device as long as he likes.

How can we get somebody to register this as a genuine issue?

[V_Meldrew]

I'm thinking that perhaps Son two's machine is registered on your router as both an ethernet device and a wifi device and you have applied access control to the ethernet connection

[misterfixer]

No it's not that. I tested it myself last night with my phone. I started a youtube video playing, applied access control to my phone and it continued to play (beyond any caching). If I reloaded the youtube video, it wouldn't connect. If I switched if WiiFi on the router, it failed after a few seconds. I actually have 2 connections defined for each PlayStation, one for wifi, one for cable. I can see which is connected.at any time.

[Keith_Beddoe]

You may be better using a different router which implements access control the way you want it.

Prices start at about £35.

The one I use has a configurable firewall controlled by a schedule, so you can restrict all access at specific times, or block access to certain sites. I use it when the grandchildren visit, so they do not spend all the time on the Internet.

[misterfixer]

Thanks Keith. That is one solution, but I have managed to get someone to look into it, so maybe I'll get a fix for this in the form of a software update.

[gg30340]

It has been a known problem for years that if you were connected before the Access Control time kicked in you would not be thrown off the connection so I would not hold your breath waiting for a software fix any time soon.

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@misterfixer wrote:
Thanks Keith. That is one solution, but I have managed to get someone to look into it, so maybe I'll get a fix for this in the form of a software update.

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Very unlikely, as the problem stems from the legacy software that forms the core of the home hub. Once a connection is established, the MAC address is cached within the home hub, and the connection remains.

All the access control does is to prevent a new connection being established from that MAC address.

Because the Ethernet MAC address of a device is different than the wireless card MAC address, the home hub sees that as a totally different device, and access controls do not work.

What you would need to do, would be look at both MAC address entries in the home hub, and apply access controls to both entries. You may like to try that, as it may help.

[ravitester]

I am wondering if the new BT smart bub 2 is any smarter than the previous hubs. I would like to use the new wifi mesh system to improve the coverage, but until BT sorts out access control, and makes it so I can do more than just create one stop and start time they do not fit my needs. The Fritzbox that Zen internet supply allows control of each device in 15 minute increments, so you can have it on from 7am to 8am, then off until 7pm to 8pm. They also have a ticket system, so that I can get my kids to do their jobs/homework in exchange for some extra internet time! 😉