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I have an internet connection that I'd like to be enabled only during the day. With multiple household internet devices, this would need to be something disabled at the level of the router.

I don't believe the router offers this sort of functionality, but I'm reasonably familiar with setting up web servers and the like, and I'm wondering if I can set up some sort of proxy server on the internet that the router must go through and have that proxy only active at certain times of day.

It's a bit vague I know, but is something like this even possible?

If not, are there other solutions to the problem?

izb
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7 Answers7

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There are low tech solutions also. You can use a light timer such as this. They also make digital ones that are more customizable.

Keltari
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If your router supports running DD-WRT, then you can quite happily disable certain features at certain times (or even restrict this to only include particular machines).

If your router doesn't support DD-WRT, then buy a router that does.

See the DD-WRT Website which has a compatibility list (Router Database).

Pang
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PhonicUK
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2

Some routers have telnet or SSH access. If yours does then you could create a script to log into the router and disable/enable the WAN connection (do a DHCP release/renew.) Run that on a schedule and you're all set. Restarting the router at night would re-enable the WAN in this case.

Chris Nava
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The OP has not responded to a request for his specific router's "make and model", so we don't know what features it has. However I have a 1 year old, high-end wireless router (dual band, guest network access, wireless on/off switch, USB port), and it does not have direct control of enabling/disabling the "internet access" or the WAN based on a timer.

However this wireless router can perform "content filtering" (aka "parental control") by blocking sites and/or services based on a schedule. The firewall is inspecting all packets traversing the WAN to LAN boundary, and is the natural place to install a simple "internet en/dis-able capability" (i.e. block all sites and services on a nightly schedule).

So the OP should be evaluating the firewall capabilities of his router (e.g. can rules be applied by a schedule), rather than looking for a "WAN disable" feature/capability.

sawdust
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The Apple Airport Extreme support that requirement. Using that functionnality since about 2 years. My teen was playing on the Internet rather than sleeping.

Michel
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It depends on why you want it off at night. Obviously to disable it completely, internet and network traffic you could just unplug it. That wouldn't work for me because the reason I want it off at night is to keep my teenage kids from staying up too late on their computers, and they could just plug the router back in. So I go into the settings on my router with the password and block all ports on a certain schedule. This would also depend though on if your router supports this feature.

user201969
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For a different reason (health concerns over EMF from wifi), I was able to have my computer automatically turn off my wifi at night, and back on in the morning. This method requires a computer that is always on (desktop or server most likely).

I used Selenium to create a script which used the router's web admin interface to disable the wifi, and another script which enabled it. Then I created a scheduled job in Windows that invoked those scripts at the proper times each day. Selenium apparently works in Mac OS X and Linux as well.

Michael Lucas
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