How to restrict device access to router?

Question

Background: I rent out 2 rooms in my home and 1 of the tenants is constantly downloading from our cable internet connection. The network is setup in a way that the cable modem is connected to the router. I would like to setup some restrictions for the following:

1) Restrict the number of devices connected to the router (the tenant connects his laptop, desktop, smartphone and iTouch to the router wirelessly)
2) Limit bandwidth available to devices (ie. 10kb/s for the tenant's lapto/desktop/smartphone/iTouch)

I am familiar with some aftermarket software (dd-wrt), but I do not have technical expertise to master the settings. Please kindly let me know what your thoughts are.

Thank you

Answer 1

Check out M0n0wall ( http://m0n0.ch/wall/ )



I run a M0n0wall router in my home. Got an older computer that still works but you don't know what to do with it?

1) Pull out the hard drives and the CDROM/DVD drive(s) and set them aside.

2) Jump on eBay and buy an IDE to Compact Flash adapter.

3) Buy a cheap 16Mb or bigger Compact Flash memory card.

4) Download a copy of M0n0wall router software (free to download, free to use, Open Source)

5) Burn the M0n0wall software to your Compact Flash card.

6) Install the Compact Flash card into the IDE to Compact Flash adapter and plug it into the IDE interface on your older computer.

7) Boot the older computer off the Compact Flash card.

8) Configure the M0n0wall router.



M0n0wall has many of the features of the more expensive commercial routers that people pay thousands of dollars for. You can limit the number of devices; you can limit bandwidth to devices, etc. Check it out, and read up on it. If your old computer is a SATA connector, then buy the SATA to Compact Flash adapter.



http://m0n0.ch/wall/

Answer 2

Well, if your isp allows it ask for a detailed report on your usage. You could try a MAC list. Basically every computer or device that connects to the internet has an adapter or chip that performs that function. Each of these adapters has a physical address that the manufacturer assigns to them before they leave the factory. If you set up this list and add the addresses then only the devices that are on the list can connect. You could try your router's settings. It can show all sorts of things like which devices are connected, what the mac is, whether it's allowd to be there and even it's ip address. You could also try asking him to cover the cost of the internet that he uses and you should make sure your router is secure otherwise it could be someone else downloading. You'd be surprised how many people just drive around looking for unsecured internet to download from.

Just doing a google search will produce amazing results.

You could just block sites that could lead to downloading heaps of stuff like torrent sites using some of the settings.

Answer 3

See if your router has any QoS options. You should be able to at least give your network ports priority over the other users. Then, it matters a lot less how much they use it, as long as your PCs get priority over them.

If everyone (including you) is using wireless, that makes it more difficult, most QoS is set by port or perhaps IP address (give yourself a fixed IP address and give priority to that?)



To limit bandwidth, again it depends on what QoS your router has. Many don't have it at all, some have very basic versions of it, others have a lot more features....

Answer 4

there are setting in routher to limit the number of dhcp clients

you have to create pool of ip addresses that you want to issue in DHCP settings.

for exp

192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.100 (only one client can get the address)

192.16.1.100 to 192.168.1.104 (this would limit clients to 4)



2. I am not sure if there is setting to do this on router....if there is, you should assign static ips to all clients or you would have to get mac address and assign bandwidth to it.