Stop IP address changes on PCs

[Kari]

All they'd need to do is mimic the mac address of say an adult's computer that may not have restrictions on the router.

Which causes a MAC address conflict and an immediate loss of connection...

But I get your point, so OP please read this:

As my my esteemed fellow geek have proven, there's nothing you can do. Everything can be cracked or broken. Every measure you take have counter measures that makes your efforts useless.

Let the kids surf!

10-7,

Kari

 

[WebMattR]

I have a different question to ask, OP. What's your ultimate goal? Is your aim to stop IP address changes, or effectively limit monitor your children's use? These are two very different questions, with two very different answers. I'll happily help you find a solution to either, but the problem is that I think what the real goal is has gotten confused in the multiple solutions and such that have been put forth.

 

[Johnathan Lyman]

I have a different question to ask, OP. What's your ultimate goal? Is your aim to stop IP address changes, or effectively limit monitor your children's use? These are two very different questions, with two very different answers. I'll happily help you find a solution to either, but the problem is that I think what the real goal is has gotten confused in the multiple solutions and such that have been put forth.

There's always software methods. I haven't found a fool proof one but there are some that are crazy hard to break.

 

[TanyaC]

I have a different question to ask, OP. What's your ultimate goal? Is your aim to stop IP address changes, or effectively limit monitor your children's use? These are two very different questions, with two very different answers. I'll happily help you find a solution to either, but the problem is that I think what the real goal is has gotten confused in the multiple solutions and such that have been put forth.

Stop IP address changes that kids use to get around ACLs in the router to block access to undesirable sites, like porn and so on, and as a consequence to bad behaviour. Yes, I use OpenDNS.

Well, it seems I am going to have to make everyone suffer for one person;s bad behaviour. Unplug the router and leave it it off a few days, so no one gets internet, and the kids will have to do homework the old way..

 

[GeneO]

Seriously - What!?

Using MAC addresses your kids can change the IP as often as they want to. If they can not change your router settings i.e. they don't have credentials to router, they can not change MAC filtering rules.

Kari

Then it just comes down to if the kids are smart enough to spoof their MAC addresses or borrow USB wireless adapters from friends or get their own.

I expect there is probably an option in the router to only allow specific MAC addresses.

 

[Kari]

Using MAC addresses your kids can change the IP as often as they want to. If they can not change your router settings i.e. they don't have credentials to router, they can not change MAC filtering rules.

Kari

Then it just comes down to if the kids are smart enough to spoof their MAC addresses or borrow USB wireless adapters from friends or get their own.

I expect there is probably an option in the router to only allow specific MAC addresses.

Anyway, "stealing" an accepted MAC address would do nothing in this case because it would only cause an address conflict, which would not let the kid surf anyway, disconnecting conflicting devices, so I'm still saying the MAC address filtering is the best alternative.

Kari

 

[Johnathan Lyman]

Then it just comes down to if the kids are smart enough to spoof their MAC addresses or borrow USB wireless adapters from friends or get their own.

I expect there is probably an option in the router to only allow specific MAC addresses.

Anyway, "stealing" an accepted MAC address would do nothing in this case because it would only cause an address conflict, which would not let the kid surf anyway, disconnecting conflicting devices, so I'm still saying the MAC address filtering is the best alternative.

Kari

Until they discover how to reset the router to wipe the settings.

Just thinking as if I was a teenager again. I was a cheeky little *******.

 

[Kari]

Until they discover how to reset the router to wipe the settings.

Just thinking as if I was a teenager again. I was a cheeky little *******.

Please, give me a break!

After reading the original question, post #1 again, I even more and more certain that using MAC address filtering is the best available solution.

You seem to really concentrate to try to find all possible arguments, to show the OP that solutions offered do not work. I have basically nothing new to add, just this:

• Although MAC address can be hacked and changed, kids can not surf (what is / was the goal) if they find the way to use an allowed MAC address, because in case of the address conflict, the NIC is disconnected from the network
• If the kids then reset the router, they would need to know the ISP credentials to be able to reconnect and surf again. If they find them, the parents can only blame themselves. Those credentials should not be available to kids

You need to go back to Google and try to find new counter arguments. The last one was lame. Happy hunting!

Kari

EDIT:
A clarification is needed here: I understood that the post I quoted meant resetting the router to the factory defaults, which as far as I know means you have to re-enter ISP credentials. This is of course not needed if router is just reseted, rebooted. Rebooting the router keeps the ISP credentials but it also keeps the MAC address as well as other settings. Only factory reset removes all settings.

 

[Johnathan Lyman]

Until they discover how to reset the router to wipe the settings.

Just thinking as if I was a teenager again. I was a cheeky little *******.

Please, give me a break!

After reading the original question, post #1 again, I even more and more certain that using MAC address filtering is the best available solution.

You seem to really concentrate to try to find all possible arguments, to show the OP that solutions offered do not work. I have basically nothing new to add, just this:

• Although MAC address can be hacked and changed, kids can not surf (what is / was the goal) if they find the way to use an allowed MAC address, because in case of the address conflict, the NIC is disconnected from the network
• If the kids then reset the router, they would need to know the ISP credentials to be able to reconnect and surf again. If they find them, the parents can only blame themselves. Those credentials should not be available to kids

You need to go back to Google and try to find new counter arguments. The last one was lame. Happy hunting!

Kari

You may be right. But here in America most of our ISPs are nice enough to not require special settings. At least mine is.

Just trying to play devil's advocate, is all.

 

[Kari]

But here in America most of our ISPs are nice enough to not require special settings. At least mine is.

Please notice the below is very sincere, without a hint of sarcasm. I really want to know this!

This is very interesting, completely new information to me.

Just to check I understand you correctly: Lets say your router breaks down. You order a new one from Newegg, open the box and connect it to the line, connect your PC to it and start surfing? Without entering any credentials whatsoever? Factory settings, no ISP info, nothing?

If so it's something totally new to me! Really.

Kari

 

[profdlp]

...Just to check I understand you correctly: Lets say your router breaks down. You order a new one from Newegg, open the box and connect it to the line, connect your PC to it and start surfing? Without entering any credentials whatsoever? Factory settings, no ISP info, nothing?...

That's it.

Most knowledgeable people tweak all sorts of things, often including tying their router to specific MAC Addresses, but you typically don't have to. As for entering a lot of domain this and security key that, generally not necessary.

 

[Kari]

Really? Please geeks have patience with me now. This concept is absolutely, completely new to me. You are saying you do not need to go through setup, either using a program / CD provided by the ISP or the router configuration GUI?



Honestly, I have never heard of such an easy Internet connection. It means that let's say if you move and you have for instance terminated your contract from the next day, to assure you can use the net until you move out, anyone who could enter the house straight after you have finally driven away with your U-Haul trailer could come there with his own modem and a router, hook them up and start surfing. If you had a volume based connection, you would get the bill, and if a crime is done, the IP would point to you.

DSL, cable or older systems, I have never seen a connection where you do not need credentials to connect to ISP's WAN. I'm amazed of hearing this. Really.

Kari

EDIT:

I read a few of the last posts again, and noticed a post of mine needed some more information. To maintain logics of this discussion (if it's possible any more ), here's the post this last branch of this discussion started, and at the end of it the added information under the title EDIT:

Until they discover how to reset the router to wipe the settings.

Just thinking as if I was a teenager again. I was a cheeky little *******.

Please, give me a break!

After reading the original question, post #1 again, I even more and more certain that using MAC address filtering is the best available solution.

You seem to really concentrate to try to find all possible arguments, to show the OP that solutions offered do not work. I have basically nothing new to add, just this:

• Although MAC address can be hacked and changed, kids can not surf (what is / was the goal) if they find the way to use an allowed MAC address, because in case of the address conflict, the NIC is disconnected from the network
• If the kids then reset the router, they would need to know the ISP credentials to be able to reconnect and surf again. If they find them, the parents can only blame themselves. Those credentials should not be available to kids

You need to go back to Google and try to find new counter arguments. The last one was lame. Happy hunting!

Kari

EDIT:
A clarification is needed here: I understood that the post I quoted meant resetting the router to the factory defaults, which as far as I know means you have to re-enter ISP credentials. This is of course not needed if router is just reseted, rebooted. Rebooting the router keeps the ISP credentials but it also keeps the MAC address as well as other settings. Only factory reset removes all settings.

 

[profdlp]

For the router, really, truly, most sincerely.

Some ISPs are picky about the modem you use. If your hypothetical burglar phoned the ISP and gave them a story about not being able to synch their new modem they would probably do it for him, assuming there were no compatibility issues.

As for cable modems in general, I've always used the one provided by the ISP and never had any setting at all that I could change on my own. Plug it in, wait a few minutes, and away you go.

 

[logicearth]

...DSL, cable or older systems, I have never seen a connection where you do not need credentials to connect to ISP's WAN. I'm amazed of hearing this. Really.

I'm here in California with RoadRunner, using an off-the-shelf cable modem since we first got cable with Comcast. What I believe they do here is use the cable modem's ID which doubles as its MAC address as well. Our connection is tied to the ID. If we replace the modem we must call the ISP.

Its been a while now, but from what I remember when Comcast came around to install the required cables, they took the MAC address from out modem and used that, to tie our account to that modem.

 

[SledgeDG]

logicearth is right ! At least for road runner they have to enter your modems MAC into their system before you can use it.
There is your #1 example for MAC filtering and white lists.
Typically The tech comes out and "installs" the modem (in my case he even installed a NIC...it's been a few years since I switched from dial up to cable
If you rent the modem from them they just call it in again when you get the replacement.
Or if you decide to buy your own modem, you call them an give them the MAC before you can successfully connect.

-DG

 

[pricetech]

I can only say from personal experience what comcrap and charter do (cable) and what att does (DSL).

Charter and comcrap identify the customer according to the MAC address in the cable modem. My charter account at home requires information that only I would (should) know if I want to change that MAC, so nobody should be able to steal my connection even from my house. Here at work I deal with comcrap who for the most part seem to have a similar mechanism to make sure "we are who we say we are" before they make changes as well.

When I had DSL with att, they used a username and password. They sucked so bad in every way that they didn't stay in my house for very long though, so it's hard to say how solid their authentication mechanism was, especially in terms of someone calling and claiming to be me with a forgotten password.

I've not used any form of cell modem, so I'm totally unfamiliar with how they do things.

As to the original issue, my kids always knew, and my grandkids know, that if I have to take anything other than casual measures to insure they use the computer according to our rules, it goes away and will be a long time returning.

But then, I'm just a mean old *******.

Joe

 

[SledgeDG]

+1 for the mean old ******:roflmao::roflmao:

That's the whole point I think. My kids know where it changes from a sportive challenge to plain old circumventing measures that are in place for a reason and they surely don't want to get caught crossing that line

-DG

 

[WebMattR]

Well, it seems I am going to have to make everyone suffer for one person;s bad behaviour. Unplug the router and leave it it off a few days, so no one gets internet, and the kids will have to do homework the old way..

Have you checked to see if your Router allows MAC Filtering? I would set it up for an allow list, and see how things go. If they manage to get around it, then take more durastic measures, but I think a list that allows only specific MAC addresses would be the best route.