Hey guys, i need advice. I need to block a pc and a ps3 from my network from a certain time at night to a certain time next day. My router is an older cisco one and doesnt give enough scope to do what i want even on access policy tab, ive already tried the router approach, so no go on that one. What software can i use to block these devices when i want and have it done automatically? This is probably better for my long term well being than going into my sons room at midnight to find him STILL playing minecraft when i sent him to bed at ten and beating him around the head with a keyboard/ps3 controller. Suggestions please good folks, how do i do this? Thanks C-W
You need a router with Parental Control. Your router may already have that function. Give us more information about your router (model,revision...) and we can probably help you...
Its a cisco e2500. The access control part is crap, if the pc is named, it doesnt always pick that up, and doesnt understand anything non-pc, just shows as a network device. i have many, plus several pc's and you can only set 5 devices on the access control tab...like i said, its crap. hence why i want to look at a bit of software if something like that exists
The router should be the device enabling/denying access to your entire network. You need a hardware based solution. Software based solutions for PC: antivirus with parental control
from what I read at Cisco, you cannot even setup a guest network with a throttle. You can setup a guest network since the router is dual band, and limit the amount of users to 1 lol. But I don't see that as being of use either. With that router, I can only see the option to manually do it by blocking the main network to your son, forcing him to use the guest network, and then disabling the guest network when you send him to bed.
Yup, thats the router. cisco linksys, sorry, just said cisco on the router. Couldnt be ten years old, didnt have wireless n ten years ago in the access policy tab theres parental controls to limit time before router blocks you, however, it relies on network name to do so, it cant be set by ip adddress, if it could be, my troubles would be over, just give his machine a static and im golden. Unfortunately it dont work that way, and it only shows a name for a pc, not anything else...phones/games consoles show up as network device, to which theres a few i have, and am limeted to blocking 5 devices...ive tried giving ps3 a static address but that seems to confuse the router as when it tries to refresh, any static ip'd "network device" dissapears from the list, so i cant block what i cant see. Get my dilemma??
You should block access to your network by using MAC addresses. Do some research and get a new router.
In Smoothwall you could use the Mac address instead of an fixed/static Machine IP. So that would solve your problem. Why not take a close look at Smoothwall? And if you'd an old machine stand around or an unused one, whole things would be for free! By the way, the Cisco Linksys Router is an "Desktop" Router while the Cisco Router is an 19" Rack mounted Router
A friend of mine from Germany bought an old 486 at a Flea Market for €30.00 and use that for smoothwall which just works well!
looked at smoothwall, downloaded it, looks good for what im going to need when we move to the new house anyways, and i love the web based way of doing stuff, and ya dont need to be a network admin guru to know what does what, kinda like that (<---nooooob) will check out the firmware mod, thanks for that find, didnt know it could be done. IF, and i mean if, during the firmware install something goes wrong am i right in thinking i now have a brick? or can i do a factory reset and have old firmware back on? thanks guys
Normally in most routers a Reset will works without problems. Before you go ahead with an firmware flash, if possible save the old one and also export the actual settings so you could easy revert to the old stage.