Is this a case of constantly being glued to their gadgets due to the free Wi-Fi at home with the kids? Of course, we know how irritating that can be when they tend not to be guided by your advice. Don’t worry, we are here to assist you with some handy tips on how you disable Wi-Fi to certain devices so that it can not only give your kids some much needed downtime but also protect your Wi-Fi from hackers in the future. How about making your home Wi-Fi experience more easy to handle and safer?
You can adopt several methods to disable Wi-Fi for specific devices in your network, and the following are explained in an easily understandable format for your convenience. Here are some of the most common and practical approaches:
Method 1: Change Wi-Fi Password
If your kid doesn’t know much about technology, using the option to change the Wi-Fi password is rather effective. Here’s a simple guide to changing your Wi-Fi password:
1. If you want to modify settings such as SSID and password of your Wi-Fi router then you need to include your router’s IP address in the web search bar of your simulated web browser.
2. To access your routers, sign in with your Username and Password, which is a common login type.
3. From the menu, click the Wireless on the configuration page.
4. Go over Wireless Settings, enter the new password, and click Save to proceed.
Method 2: Hide Your Wi-Fi Network
If changing your password doesn’t resolve the issue, another option is hiding your Wi-Fi. By using this trick, your WIFi name will not appear when a person tries to search for the network. At least the computer can only be connected to the Wi-Fi by using the Wi-Fi name and password. Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process:
1. Go to your router’s configuration page as illustrated in the previous heading.
2. Then, click on Wireless from the menu.
3. In the SSID settings make sure that the Hide SSID checkbox is checked then press Save.
Once you complete these steps, go back to the settings. Your router will turn off automatically, and you will successfully hide your Wi-Fi.
Method 3: MAC Filtering to Restrict Specific Device
This means that each device is always fitted with its MAC Address through which it can access Wi-Fi networks. For the more localized control, putting the MAC address of a specific device on the blacklist does not allow that device to access the Wi-Fi. However, if you are not sure of the MAC address of the particular device, you can block the MAC addresses of unknown devices out of your network by adding your device’s MAC address to the MAC whitelist. Let’s go through the steps together:
1. You can log into the configuration page of the router.
2. Access the parameter using Settings > Security > Access Control.
3. Flip the toggle on for Access Control.
4. It is also essential to set Access Mode to Blacklist or Whitelist. Here, we have chosen Blacklist.
5. Perform an identification of the MAC Address of the target machine.
6. In the Source MAC Address box, enter your device’s MAC Address and click OK.
How to Restrict Wi-Fi Access at Certain Times
Your router is capable of disallowing Wi-Fi connections at specific hours for your kid or anyone else. To limit wireless access at a particular period of time, you would usually apply some of the options given by the router. As can be seen, the procedure may differ slightly from router to router, but generally, all processes are the same. Here’s a user-friendly guide to help you through it:
1. First, you need to access your router’s custom web interface by entering its IP address in your web browser.
2. Go to the menu bar then click on System Tools.
3. Now, input the time you want and select Get from PC or Internet.
4. Click on Save.
5. Next, move down to the bottom of the page and click on Parental Control.
6. Go through and activate the toggle of Parental Control.
7. Key in the device’s name and IP Address and click on the devices menu.
Are There Any Apps to Restrict Wi-Fi Access to Specific Apps?
Absolutely. If you have a number of applications that you use frequently, you can search the internet for numerous apps that can help you limit the usage of Wi-Fi or cellular data. However, assuming you know when your kids are mostly on the phone and which apps they spend hours on, these apps are useful.
1. NetGuard: This open-source and free application is compatible only with Android-based smart devices. It enables you to prevent applications from using an internet connection using Wi-Fi and mobile data.
2. GlassWire: This is a freemium app for Android, iOS, PC, Windows, and Mac. It contains ads and offers in-app purchases. However, it offers more features than NetGuard, including the ability to monitor traffic usage and identify which applications are using too much traffic.
3. Family Link by Google: That way, Family Link enables you to set up rules for using technology by your family, and you can use the tool to choose what apps your child can use. Read more about how Google Family Link works in our dedicated post.
