AIProtection Parental Controls Time Scheduling issue

[redvers]

I've been using the AIProtection Parental Controls Time Scheduling for managing whether or not the kids consoles can access the internet, and it works great.

For Christmas our daughter received a tablet, and I configured this in the same way as her console. However, although the console stopped working online, the tablet continued to have access...

On further analysis, I believe that this is because the tablet had connected to my WiFi repeater rather than directly to the main router. As such, it was being seen by the router (and thus AIProtection) under the MAC address for the repeater rather than its own MAC address.

I strongly suspect that the answer is going to boil down to "unplug the repeater" but is there anything that can be done to ensure that the tablet gets disconnected from the network at the appropriate time?

The main router is an RT-AC86U on 384.8_2 and the repeater is an RT-AC66U on 380.70 and configured in repeater mode.

 

[CaptainSTX]

I've been using the AIProtection Parental Controls Time Scheduling for managing whether or not the kids consoles can access the internet, and it works great.

For Christmas our daughter received a tablet, and I configured this in the same way as her console. However, although the console stopped working online, the tablet continued to have access...

On further analysis, I believe that this is because the tablet had connected to my WiFi repeater rather than directly to the main router. As such, it was being seen by the router (and thus AIProtection) under the MAC address for the repeater rather than its own MAC address.

I strongly suspect that the answer is going to boil down to "unplug the repeater" but is there anything that can be done to ensure that the tablet gets disconnected from the network at the appropriate time?

The main router is an RT-AC86U on 384.8_2 and the repeater is an RT-AC66U on 380.70 and configured in repeater mode.

If you are using a repeater there probably isn't a good solution unless it will allow you to set parental controls on it also. A slightly less drastic solution would be if the repeater will allow you to block certain MAC addresses from connecting to it and then block your daughter's tablet and force her to use WiFi from the main router.

If instead of a repeater you repurpose a router as an AP then you will have more settings available and possibly some other options.

Finally if you can get by in the evening after your daughter's bedtime you could plug your repeater into a timer or into a smart plug that will shut the repeater off at a selected time or if it is a smart plug from an app when ever you feel like it. This solution will work even after your daughter figures out how to spoof either her IP and/or her MAC address on the tablet to circumvent any controls you think you have in place.

 

[redvers]

I've repurposed a router as a repeater. I thought for it to work in AP mode, it would need to be hardlinked to the router (and therefore isn't possible given where everything is located).

I don't want to spend as much again on a new router as the AC86U has cost, to get a second set of parental controls. While the AC66U had access controls available in router mode, these don't appear to be an option in repeater mode; something that I can affect using JFFS scripts, maybe?

The repeater has been set up to help push the WiFi signal further into the garden. Switching it off with a smart plug would defeat the objective of having it set up. As it's the middle of winter, I've switched it off manually for now

 

[RMerlin]

I don't remember if it's still available in Repeater mode, but if it is, try blacklisting the tablet's MAC on the repeater, to force it to use the primary router.

 

[redvers]

I don't remember if it's still available in Repeater mode, but if it is, try blacklisting the tablet's MAC on the repeater, to force it to use the primary router.

Cannot find anything in the UI for this; is it something that could be scripted in JFFS?

 

[CaptainSTX]

Cannot find anything in the UI for this; is it something that could be scripted in JFFS?

I have an TM AC1900 running stock firmware. I am using it as an AP and the setting is under wireless, wireless MAC filter. Not sure if the feature is available when running as a repeater but you can check.

 

[Robin]

The solution I've implemented is a bit different, and may not work in your household (depending on who needs to do what on the repeater) - since the traffic presents as coming from the MAC of the repeater router, I apply the parental controls to that MAC address as a separate "device". That way your daughter can either connect to the main wifi network (where her tablet will be covered by the parental controls applied to the tablet) or to the repeater network (where her tablet will be covered by the parental controls applied to the repeater router).

 

[redvers]

The solution I've implemented is a bit different, and may not work in your household (depending on who needs to do what on the repeater) - since the traffic presents as coming from the MAC of the repeater router, I apply the parental controls to that MAC address as a separate "device". That way your daughter can either connect to the main wifi network (where her tablet will be covered by the parental controls applied to the tablet) or to the repeater network (where her tablet will be covered by the parental controls applied to the repeater router).

But then the parental controls will apply to everyone who connects to the repeater. There does not appear to be anything in the repeater mode (in v380.70) that allows me to configure/block access to the repeater, or to apply controls directly therein. It seems as though the only way to do anything is to have the tablet on a guest network instead of on the main (repeated) SSID.

Which is what I was doing before, I would reset the wifi password on the guest network at bedtime so that all devices are forcibly disconnected. But it becomes a pain when everything goes off due to the restart_wireless.

So when I upgraded my router, I was looking to keep everything on the main SSID and use the parental controls to determine access times, and it was working okay until I had the bright idea of drilling holes in the walls and setting the older router as a repeater, which started giving the kids a loophole around the parental controls

I then thought about putting the devices back on the guest network, but instead of having the password reset, using the bandwidth limiter functionality. But this doesn't appear to be configurable on a schedule (unless there's a way to do so using scripts, e.g. at 10pm set allowable bandwidth to 0).

 

[FTC]

Hi, I've faced this problem before in the past also. My suggestion is to keep the solution as simple as possible, so if your daughter has enough signal from the main router where she normally uses the tablet, then it is usually the easier thing to just disable her access to the repeater somehow, being it setting a different SSID/password for the repeater, or disallowing her connection in the repeater by MAC (in the wireless submenu or by forcing it through NVRAM settings).. so that you can set a schedule that applies for her real MAC in the main router.

There may be also a way to set the scheduling for her MAC in the repeater by setting the appropriate NVRAM variables, but you will have to find your way to do it by looking at the web pages appropriate asp source code (/www path in the repeater).

 

[redvers]

Hi, I've faced this problem before in the past also. My suggestion is to keep the solution as simple as possible, so if your daughter has enough signal from the main router where she normally uses the tablet, then it is usually the easier thing to just disable her access to the repeater somehow, being it setting a different SSID/password for the repeater, or disallowing her connection in the repeater by MAC (in the wireless submenu or by forcing it through NVRAM settings).. so that you can set a schedule that applies for her real MAC in the main router.

There may be also a way to set the scheduling for her MAC in the repeater by setting the appropriate NVRAM variables, but you will have to find your way to do it by looking at the web pages appropriate asp source code (/www path in the repeater).

Having a different SSID negates the use case for the repeater, I don’t want to have to keep changing which network I am connected to on my phone

If there was an option in the GUI to prevent access to the tablet I would have done so. I’m not sure what the specific NVRAM options / commands are to block access based on MAC address. For now, I’ve switched the repeater off while I look to get it all sorted. I might use AP mode (which I believe has for access control) although that means trying to hard wire a cable to where the device is currently located (or look at moving it somewhere else).

 

[Grisu]

Why dont you make a different SSID for your devices on both routers and a guest SSID with your recent credentials only on main router for your daughter?

 

[FTC]

Having a different SSID negates the use case for the repeater, I don’t want to have to keep changing which network I am connected to on my phone

If there was an option in the GUI to prevent access to the tablet I would have done so. I’m not sure what the specific NVRAM options / commands are to block access based on MAC address. For now, I’ve switched the repeater off while I look to get it all sorted. I might use AP mode (which I believe has for access control) although that means trying to hard wire a cable to where the device is currently located (or look at moving it somewhere else).

You are right but note that if you define 2 different SSIDs, once you have connected to both SSIDs the first time with your smartphone you will not require to 'keep changing' networks. The phone will do itself (connect to the second network if it looses connection with the first one). It will be your daughter's tablet who will not have memorized the SSID/password of the repeater as a known network...