Locking the internet

[tydraestor]

Soooo, my brother is 21 and does nothing but play video games, he has no job and lives with my mom, she has looked to me to find a way to lock him out of the internet, she wants a physical lock, what would i go about using? Anything software he can get around. If you want more details feel free to ask. Yes we have tried yelling at him it doesnt work

[Eastman51]

You can change the admin password on the router and then block his MAC address. That should keep him out, even an Ethernet cable shouldn't let him connect. You would just have to make sure he can't get a hold of the new password. Some routers also let you set limits on connectivity, so you could allow certain allotments of time for him to be connected. There are also routers that can limit data use as well, so there's another option for you.

[Donut417]

6 minutes ago, tydraestor said:

Soooo, my brother is 21 and does nothing but play video games, he has no job and lives with my mom, she has looked to me to find a way to lock him out of the internet, she wants a physical lock, what would i go about using? Anything software he can get around. If you want more details feel free to ask. Yes we have tried yelling at him it doesnt work

A buddy of mine was in similar situation as your brother. His mom put a timer that stopped electricity from reaching the router. Though that means no one would be able to use the internet. Then you just put the router in a locked room that your mom is the only one with the key. Thats about as mechanical/physical you can get. 

 

Another option as well is to put the router in a locked room. Change the WiFi password to something your brother doesn't know. And make sure he has no Ethernet cable running to the router. 

 

A third way. Evict his ass. File paper work with the court if you legally have to and then throw his ass out when legally allowed to. If necessary see if the local police can help. 

[jakep0802]

Your best bet would be @Eastman51's answer. Just change the password to something he can't figure out, and block his MAC address in the router settings.

[DVA]

16 minutes ago, tydraestor said:

Yes we have tried yelling at him it doesnt work

lmao. 

 

Just as everyone else said. The lock the router in a room with no ethernet cable won't work because he'll be too persistent and probably knock the door down. He sounds like a bum so it's some shit he'd do. Throw a tantrum just to get the internet. 

 

I really like locking him out via password though. Some people are just bums, so maybe you guys ween him and have a meet in the middle king of thing. He start off part time so he gets more time, the more hours he works, the more he gets the net. 

 

OR, slap him with the "YOU DON'T PAY FOR IT, YOU DON'T GET TO USE IT"

[Sir Asvald]

If he has no job, how did he get a PC/laptop. Also how did he get all the games? 

 

 

[18358414]

If you block his MAC address he can just change his MAC address -- I've done it hundreds of times, and it's pretty easy to do (even a MAC address whitelist isn't good enough -- I once got around a local research institution's security by cloning one of the MAC addresses on the network).  If you cut off the electricity, he'd be inclined to get an extension cord or split power off of an 'essential' appliance in the house.  I've had to consider my options once, here's what I came up with:

 

1) physically remove the modem from the premesis (take it with you when you go shopping)

2) cancel internet service (on a temporary basis until the issue is resolved)

3) if it's DSL, you may be able to disconnect the internal home wiring at an outside demarcation box and lock it, though this would be very inconvenient

 

You want a physical lock, as mentioned in the post, so:

4) buy a safe with only holes to route wires through, unplug the modem and physically lock the safe (like a server rack, but with a lock and an inch thick steel shell)

5) if you don't mind paying for damaged hardware, send a 500V spike through the ethernet cable to the NIC (similar to how USB killers work)

6) stop stocking the house with food, and when he eventually leaves for snacks, lock the door.  If he doesn't leave, then ... hmm...

[beersykins]

10 hours ago, Donut417 said:

A third way. Evict his ass. File paper work with the court if you legally have to and then throw his ass out when legally allowed to. If necessary see if the local police can help. 

This is the real answer.  Restricting the internet is focusing on a symptom and not the underlying problem.

 

I'm a parent, giving someone a free ride without them doing anything to help or 'pull their weight' in the family will not resolve any of their dependency problems.

[AbsoluteFool]

There are one big problem with most answer here. Let's say i lived with my parents and was like this guy. I got ALOT more knowledge about networking than they do. There is nothing that can keep me away form getting a connection of their router other than removing it completely.

Althought going as far as pulling down doors is pathetic for a man in the 20's. I belive what Beersykins said is the better option. While the once who haven't done anything also have to suffer from it. which is not fair at all. The big question is. Is he using WiFi or Cable?

 

If Wifi, delete his drivers or remove the wireless adapter from his pc.

If cable. Just cut the cable each time he acts up and doesen't do as his told. (This is extremely effective as it's been done in my family) Luckily i was the cable cutter

[beyonddc]

Couple questions

• What is your router's brand and model?
• Is your brother connected to the Internet via WiFi or physical cable?

If it is connected to WiFi, if your router supports guest mode then maybe you can move him to guest network and then throttle his bandwidth to a point that it is too slow to play game on the Internet.  This option would depend if your router supports it or not.

 

 

[AngryBeaver]

What is he playing games on? PC? Console? Either way blocking the mac address as suggested would work, but honestly... just take away the machine he is playing on and tell him he can have it back once he is working.

 

The problem is too many parents want to do something passive aggressive like block the internet. What you should be doing is taking away the offending device and telling him face to face why it is being taken away and what he needs to do to get it back.

[Tristerin]

57 minutes ago, AngryBeaver said:

What is he playing games on? PC? Console? Either way blocking the mac address as suggested would work, but honestly... just take away the machine he is playing on and tell him he can have it back once he is working.

 

The problem is too many parents want to do something passive aggressive like block the internet. What you should be doing is taking away the offending device and telling him face to face why it is being taken away and what he needs to do to get it back.

Agreed (since they are still treating this 21yo like a child lol)

 

Let me guess...he has a cellphone paid for by parents too?  Cause Id tether next (if I was a POS, fortunately I was emancipated at 15 from foster care lol)

[Tristerin]

Why hasn't your mother, father, or yourself on behalf of your mother (my brother try to pull this shit - if I had parents - on my mother, Id boot him in the ass for it) taken his rig from him and hid it at a minimum?  I mean, it cant be HIS rig lol from the sounds of it, it must be your parents ownership of the PC.

 

 

[LinusOnLine]

Tell him to start streaming and you might earn some money out of him.

[intertan]

like others have stated you and your parents need to do 2 things

1st is get your brother to put on the big boy pants and get a job, not any job a full time job that he has to go to. once he gets a job he can pay for the internet

2nd is block his internet. Mac filtering and changing wifi info. Make sure to change the admin password. You will also need to lock the router somewhere so he can not factory reset it.

 

I'm a millennial, have a full time job, own a house and pay for everything myself. Why do I see more and more people in my generation act like a bunch of entitled brats. Guess we can't blame your parents as it sounds like you came out good.

 

Last resort is kick him out of the house. Sisters boyfriend had this happen to him. In the end he agreed it was the best thing his parents did for him.

[Nonpossible]

On 10/29/2018 at 10:35 AM, Eastman51 said:

You can change the admin password on the router and then block his MAC address. That should keep him out, even an Ethernet cable shouldn't let him connect. You would just have to make sure he can't get a hold of the new password. Some routers also let you set limits on connectivity, so you could allow certain allotments of time for him to be connected. There are also routers that can limit data use as well, so there's another option for you.

Just have to remember to block the MAC address for his wireless NIC as well. Even then he could just go buy a USB one that would have a different address, BUT he doesn't have a job sooo. haha

[Nonpossible]

Sounds like your Mom needs to use some tough love beyond just disconnecting his internet. There's a lot of people on this forum who make a living off of computer technology, IT etc, but none of us got there by sitting in our rooms all day. It may be hard to know what you want to do in life, even at 21 yrs old, but he'll get a lot more satisfaction being productive. Even if being productive means just getting up and cleaning the house every day for Mom.