Switching off my broadband connection remotely

robjames · 30-12-2005, 06:49 AM

Hi all,

I want to control use of my home broadband connection when I am work so that I can stop my children accessing the internet at certain times of the day when I'm not there (for example when they are supposed to be doing their homework!). I thought a neat solution would be to log on to my BT account from work and change the password at the server end when I wanted to "switch off" the internet connection. I assumed that the password stored in our router (at home) would no longer be correct which would therefore stop the router connecting. I could then change the password back again when I wanted to "enable" it again.

However, it seems that wont work because apparently BT Broadband doesn't actually require a password to connect to the internet (I guess if you're connecting via your home phone line that's secure enough already).

I'd like to be able to do this remotely so that I can control the times the connection is "enabled" when I'm at work. I'd also prefer that my children don't know I'm doing it so I don't want to put any parental control software on the computer or change any of the settings on the router (in any case, they are pretty computer savvy so they'd soon work that out).

Hope someone can offer some advice.

Thanks

DJNafey · 30-12-2005, 08:15 PM

BT Broadband DOES require a valid username and password. Seems like a lot of hassle to me though. Are you sure that you want to have to remember to change it at the same time every day and then remember to change it back at the same time every day? What happens if they phone the BT Broadband helpdesk and demand that they explain why your broadband keeps going down every afternoon when they get in from school?!

Would be easier just to take the keyboard to work with you.

Jaynee · 31-12-2005, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJNafey

Would be easier just to take the keyboard to work with you.

Or the router.

robjames · 31-12-2005, 12:37 AM

Haha. Good idea – except that I don't want to stop them using it ALL the time I'm not there. I just want to be able to stop them using it from time to time. (I wont bore you all with the details of why.)

If BT does require a password to connect to broadband (and BT helpdesk claim that they don't) then how do I change it? At the moment the password to connect to broadband (ie the password stored in the router) is the same as the password for the master email account. Are they one and the same? If I change the password for the master email account (at the WAN side of things, ie by logging on to the BT website) will that also change the password for connecting?

**brain_damage** · 31-12-2005, 12:59 AM

I've tried all ways to stop my daughter using the internet when she should be doing homework....it dont work....they need the internet to do homework nowadays.

do you not trust your children?

DJNafey · 31-12-2005, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjames

At the moment the password to connect to broadband (ie the password stored in the router) is the same as the password for the master email account. Are they one and the same?

Yes, that's right

It's true that a router doesn't use a phone number (it will "dial" 0,38 to connect to BT's servers) but, once your router has connected to the right servers, it still has to pass on your username and password to confirm that you've got permission to use BT's services. Otherwise, we'd never pay for broadband!

robjames · 15-01-2006, 10:38 AM

Thanks so much for your help. You are of course absolutely right. It DOES require a password (despite what BT told me time and time again) and changing the master email account password (at the BT side of things) did the trick.

(Your comment made me LOL Brain_Damage! You're right, they do need it for homework. Actually, the situation is more complicated than my original post made out. I didn't want to bore you all with the details what with this being a computer site not a family mediation one! Haha. I was just trying to present the question in as lucid a form as possible. Sorry if I sounded like Captain Von Trapp!)

DJNafey · 15-01-2006, 02:01 PM

Glad we could help

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