How to set up a home network???

[Uturn]

My teenagers are chewing up our internet at an amazing rate. Living in the country, we are limited to 60GB a month, which is usually used up by the 15th. Rest of month spent on throttled internet. Short of blocking them totally, I need to figure out a better system.

I would like to be able to assign them a % of the 60GB for the month, and when they have used it up they are done for the month. I would also like to be able to set up a guest account. Currently have 8 clients on router list so grouping them by user would be necessary.

Currently running ASUS NT56U and a DLink range extender. Willing to upgrade hardware or add software if necessary, just don't know where to start. I have entry level skills when working with setting in the router, so please no fancy geek speak.

Lets hear your ideas!!!

 

[TylerG]

it'll be tough to limit by usage for sure Dean. There are probably ways to do it but I've never successfully done so.

if they are downloading a lot of movies etc we can set it up so that it blocks those ports easily and then they can't do it at all though.

streaming video (netflix, globaltv, hulu, projectfreetv) is really what chews the chit out of bandwidth, maybe have to chat with them about that?

I can do some googling and see what I can find for you, but I'm not sure there is a simple option.

 

[whoDEANie]

I had a look at the manual for your router and it doesn't look like it supports upload/download limits. It might be available through QoS settings, but I doubt it.

Here's an article on the exact topic you describe: Limit Bandwidth on a Netgear Wireless Router

 

[TylerG]

Leave it to Dean to out geek me

 

[Uturn]

Talking to them about usage actually shortened the amount of days until we were throttled!!! I think that streaming video and skype are the biggest culprets.

What about setting up another computer to use as a server?

 

[whoDEANie]

Your best bet is to use a router like that Netgear one that supports usage limits. You could set up another computer as an internet cop but you will be in for a world of hurt trying to set it up, especially if you use free software to do it.

However, if you have a lot of cloud based storage, you may want to consider setting up a file share on one of your computers that syncs with the cloud based storage. Then you can access your files through the makeshift server instead of hitting the cloud every time. Caching appliances kind of do this automatically for you but the only ones I'm currently aware of are pretty spendy. Neither of these two solutions will do anything to help you with streaming or skype - you'll need to revisit the router option for that.

A good geek at Futureshop or London drugs should be able to recommend the right router for you.

 

[meierjn]

Have a look at these APs. Cisco bought Meraki awhile ago. It is a subscription service but I received a free AP for taking one of their online courses. I have a few wireless LANs (WLANS) at home setup for various applications and users. One of them is setup for the kids with time limitations. I'm not sure if you can assign a percentage of your monthly allotted bandwidth but it may be worth looking into. We have a LARGE Cisco WLAN at the municipality that I work at and the Meraki APs offer almost everything that we can provide. These include quality of service (QOS), multiple VLANS and WLANS, advanced reporting, wireless heat mapping, and lots of other "stuff". They are great alternative for small to large organizations that require more advanced networking capabilities. I'd give tem a call or have a look at the URL below. The free AP offer may still be available if you have a business that you can register for the course under.

https://meraki.cisco.com/

 

[camoJoe]

there is network access control software, for control of time of day etc, which ports and ip addresses to block..... google it and take your pick, I expect the learning curve to be a little tough, but it is available. example = extremenetworks.com