Time Quota per day - kids

[ripmyundies]

Hi all, new guy asking start up questions;

Is there a way to create Time Quotas per day/week, or, is there a simple way for a (wife) to hit a 'button' and toggle access based on IP/Mac

We have kids who are on the net 24hrs if we let them, so want to cut off access after a time quota per day/week/whatever is reached. Either automatically (ideal) or by simple intervention.

Web Nazi parents
We have a good system using OpenDNS to stop bad site/content, and use DNSMASQ to assign that OpenDNS address only to their computers. And, we have Refog monitoring loaded on their machines....Now I just want to be able to limit access so they actual have time to be kids climbing trees, breaking bones and kissing frogs.

[vex8tion]

No issues for Gargoyle....

Just get together all the MAC's for each childs devices.
In my house that equals about 5- 6 devices each by the time you include PC's, XBoxes, IPad, IPhones, etc.

Then create an access restriction based on time stipulating the MAC's devices to be restricted. Perform for each child as times require.

To allow for extended internet usage on weekends I have a couple of time restrictions that combined create the required disconnect coverages.

E.G Child 1 Restricted the following:
Child 1 - 2230 - 2359 - Sun - Thurs
Child 1 - 0000 - 0159 - Mon - Fri
Child 1 - 0200 - 0600 - Every Day

I also have a "Study Restriction" which instead of blocking ALL it allows only connection to school websites. But that is only enabled during exam run ups.....

Works well and as my wife doesnt know how to manipulate the router the kids cant harass her when I'm not around to open internet

HTH Vex...

[ripmyundies]

Hi thank you.

I really want to be able to limit connections for so many hours in a day.
so they could have free access anytime they want, but only say 3hrs a day max.

The access restrictions are very time specific e.g on after 8am off after 9om.

I'd like them to have free access, but cap time at 3hrs in a day


Not sure I can do this....

[fidjit]

I'd like this sort of per day access too but I'm pretty sure Gargoyle doesn't have it though

Thanks to another post here somewhere I'm managing the kids internet as well as I can ,

The hint here is to use IP ranges for each child and their devices:
e.g.
Kid 1 192.168.1.60-192.168.1.69
Kid 2 192.168.1.70-192.168.1.79
Kid 3 192.168.1.80-192.168.1.89

Then for each child create a static IP address for each of the kids devices in that range:
e.g.
Kid 1 Ipod .61 Notebook .62 phone .63
Kid 2 Ipod .71 Notebook .72 phone .73
Kid 3 Ipod .81 Notebook .82 phone .83

So I currently have time restriction on kids 1 and 2 so they only get internet till 10pm and Kid 3 ( younger ) till 9pm just be using the ranges.

Additionally each of the kids get 8GB per month and by using quotas they get 8GB across ALL their different devices before they are shaped ( you could just completely cut them off ) . Kid's 1 and 2 tend to use their notebooks more, kid 3 tends to use his Ipod more.

You can also block sites (e.g. at exam time ) for just one of the kids for all their devices.

Maybe you need to restrict them by quote per day e.g. 1gb per day ?

p.s. is there anyway that the kids can get access to see their own quote usage in gargoyle ????

Hope this helps.

[1an]

p.s. is there anyway that the kids can get access to see their own quote usage in gargoyle ????

Yes. If they point their browser to the gargoyle router's ip_address (typically 192.168.1.1), they will get a login page, (no need to actually log in) this page also lists current quota usage (in the context of MAC address based quota restrictions already set as outlined elsewhere in your post). The only problem is if they try to do this at a time when they have no internet access (based on time restrictions already set), when the browser will time out with no page displayed.

FWIW, I also would like to see in future gargoyle versions
1) time quotas (eg 60min for stated ip_address_range /day) as suggested. My work IT dept does this, (almost certainly NOT using gargoyle!!), but I have no idea how complicated or difficult it would be to implement such a feature.
2) status page display in event of access restriction being triggered, eg "No internet access allowed because your quota of xxMb/day was exceeded at hh:mm on yy/mm/dd" or similar message

Ian

[drnorton]

Hi...

I like to have a time quota per day too.
I wrote a threat too. But no answer if this will be.

[tals]

Probably best to place the request in the feature request thread, at the moment gargoyle doesn't do it. You could set up a quota is once they hit x of bandwidth per day then they lose Internet, personally I think that would catch it as so much of today's Internet is streaming. I use the time restrictions IMHO children (or mine) prefer rules so you can't access here but you can here and at bedtime you can't

Regarding the time the trouble is knowing whether the device is hitting the Internet or not. Drno and I discussed possibly a time on the Internet tracking and then timing out after set idle time however personally my issue is as much with say chat packages which are always on and have possibly more distraction capability. Also some web pages do finally refresh or have active content. Go into connections monitoring and you get an idea how much a pc has connected to the Internet. You could go to ports maybe but then it becomes a matter of the children finding ways round it which is fairly forward

If it's really an issue there maybe packages that can be installed on the pcs but I'm personally not convinced that it will do what you want (because of the issue of defining when are you on the Internet)

[drnorton]

Hi...

Yes i know the problem is really to manage the reason to start and
stop the time. But I like to know how avm do it by fritzbox parental control.
They do it in this firmware too. So must be chance to do it.

So i wait for a good idea. .... and then my son is old enough to leave the house. hahahaha...

thanks for all your message and help.

greetings

drnorton

[tals]

I'd be interested what the Fritz box does rather than how it does it

So what does it actually track against - internet time per sec or purely time the web browser is over a certain bandwidth and when it locks down how good is it - i.e is it only web traffic or all the other traffic. Dependant on that could be a spec for a system in Gargoyle

[tals]

Interestingly

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1848299

A Gargoyle recommendation in the Fritz forums

The gargoyle interface allows you to set QoS, Quota per day.. and throttling. Nothing else comes close.. Just do a search on whirlpool as there are lots of posts and info.

So I guess the Fritz solution for the extra money isn't that great....