parental controls

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ed
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#1 parental controls

Post by ed »

I am struggling to work out how to block access to certain online games at certain times...

At present I use the parental controls built into the router. This allows specific mac addresses to access the internet subject to a schedule. This is fine except it obviously blocks online learning as well. It (the router) does have a facility to block URLs but this is total, no scheduling. I have to use this otherwise he's on roblox or whatever whenever we're not looking...I have lost control, referential power no longer exists in my house.

I thought there might be a control program that blocks URLs to a schedule but doesn't block absolute internet access. Anybody heard of such a thing as I can't seem to find anything suitable....I have found one but that requires monthly payments, which is a total nono for me.

I had thought of writing one, but LAN monitoring is a swamp full of alligators
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#2 Re: parental controls

Post by jack »

Several issues with this - specific URL blocking by schedule via DNS is easily circumvented by just using the IP address & port rather than the URL, or by using a different DNS server.

If the kid is computer literate or has friends who are useful at that sort of stuff, it can be tricky to completely lock down.

My own kids bought in the "school hacker" to get round my firewall scheduling (but that was 10 years ago)... he failed

You shouldn't block URLs - go for IP address & port ranges - far more effective.

It needs to be done at the firewall/router level - there are "parental control" routers available but I have no experience of them - my own setup used an industrial content filter appliance from work and was in the days before 'phone data...

Nowadays, if they have decent data on their 'phones, they can just hotspot off those instead...

What game are we talking about here?
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#3 Re: parental controls

Post by Ant »

The game is roblox
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#4 Re: parental controls

Post by jack »

Circle from Disney?

Does your ISP, DNS provider or router manufacturer offer anything?

There maybe some DIY options depending on your router...
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#5 Re: parental controls

Post by ed »

jack wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:53 pm Circle from Disney?

Does your ISP or router manufacturer offer anything?

There maybe some DIY options depending on your router...
first post outlines what the router offers, and I use that.....

instead of stopping internet at certain times I want to stop roblox(or other games) at certain times.....I apologise, I thought first post explained but as usual I'm not very good at explaining...
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#6 Re: parental controls

Post by jack »

ed wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:17 pm
jack wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:53 pm Circle from Disney?

Does your ISP or router manufacturer offer anything?

There maybe some DIY options depending on your router...
first post outlines what the router offers, and I use that.....

instead of stopping internet at certain times I want to stop roblox(or other games) at certain times.....I apologise, I thought first post explained but as usual I'm not very good at explaining...
Nope, I got that - your explanation was fine. Depending on the router, there may be a RESTful interface. If so, it could be controlled by a phone app or script running on a PC, using ip/port blocking in the firewall rather than just turning on/off the network as a whole.

The main domains appear to be listed at https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/art ... n-Networks - if you can set up rules to block these, then enable/disable the rules using REST via a scheduled job, that could be an approach (as long as you don't let on how it's done!).

Because the system is massive and they use CDNs, each domain name can resolve into any number of IP addresses, so it looks like IP address blocking is unlikely to work. You need to block the name lookups and then use a REST interface to control those rules.

Pi-hole could do it... most likely... though windows goes through a lot of hoops to resolve DNS lookups and it can be tough to get right.
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#7 Re: parental controls

Post by Nick »

though windows goes through a lot of hoops to resolve DNS lookups
May not be relevant, but I found the way to avoid that is not to fail the DNS lookup which will make Windows try harder, but to make it succeed and to route to a local server that returns empty responses.

I had a phone interview a couple of years ago for a company selling blocking software for schools (wasn't looking, but doesn't hurt to practice). I was shocked just how primitive their product was, its was little more than a bunch of perl scripts talking to a linux firewall. I was expecting something much more self aware parsing requests and responses and working as a proxy, they said they were looking into doing that but didn't have the staff yet with the skill set.
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#8 Re: parental controls

Post by ed »

thanks Nick
but I fear your solution is far too complicated..

I put the question to linksys support and the reply verbatim
Unfortunately for this model, it can only do as you have exactly described. It can only block specific URLs without any specific times and only complete internet block for specific times.
I will continue to search out a free/cheap net nanny that has the functionality...

oh the joys of computers/networks/children.....pick any one, you're bound to start swearing sooner or later.
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#9 Re: parental controls

Post by Nick »

Is your router one that can be flashed with OpenWRT, that may give you more options.
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#10 Re: parental controls

Post by jack »

Nick wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:54 pm Is your router one that can be flashed with OpenWRT, that may give you more options.
That is probably a good shout:

https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/fir ... t_controls
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#11 Re: parental controls

Post by ed »

thanks chaps...
edit deleted ....I was saying my model is not compatible but on further reading it is.....the linksys models in the compatibility list are not in order....

It would have been helpful if the support chap had mentioned this

I am now digging...
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