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?
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.
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....
I know some routers allow 2 sorts of MAC address filtering:
Allow all but block specified addresses
OR
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?
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.
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!
If they have unlimited Data on their phones, then making them into hotspots would circumvent the household Internet access completely.
Nope, don't use or have a landline.
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.
Yeah but not at the speed their gaming requires (DEMANDS I TELL YOU DEMANDS)