In previous portions of this series we spoke about basic ways to control access to a computer from a minor child. Limiting playing time through the use of Windows Parental Controls and also through game specific or console specific parental control options was also discussed. This article completes the series and focuses on more advanced techniques for filtering and limiting online access.
The Final Lines of Defense- The Internet Router and DNS Server
If a computer cannot see the Internet most games or social media usage simply cannot take place. Other than unplugging or hiding the home's Internet router or modem there are easier ways to limit Internet access from a specific computer. The majority of homes with high speed Internet connections now have a wired or wireless router that allows the single Internet connection to be shared among multiple computers. These routers also serve as hardware based firewalls, protecting the internal home network from hacking attempts coming in from the Internet. This same hardware firewall also can be used to block outbound traffic as well, and if a computer cannot communicate with the Internet, a growing majority of computer based activities such as video games and access to MySpace or Facebook will no longer work. This is by far the most drastic way that a computer owner can limit access, but it is also the most difficult to work around for all but the most tech savvy of young computer users.
Many of the best known network routers come with settings that allow a user to do something called MAC address filtering. This has nothing to do with the Macintosh line of computers, instead a MAC address in this context is a unique identifying number that each networked device has. To block a computer's access the Internet a user would set up the router to deny access from that computer's MAC address. Many routers also allow this filtering to be limited to specific times of the day or specific days of the week. While this method requires a bit more technological knowledge to set up it is by far the most effective method for limiting Internet access from a computer.
Using OpenDNS To Prevent Wireless Internet Access
One potential way around the Internet router trick mentioned above is to use an open wireless hotspot that can be connected to from the computer's location. In other words, if your neighbor has an open wireless access point a user could simply connect to that access point and avoid using the locked down home router completely. One final line of defense in this case would be to set the computer's DNS servers to use the OpenDNS service. This free service allows for content filtering at the DNS level, meaning that the filtering is done before the information even reaches the local computer. Think of DNS as being the phone book for the Internet. If a web site is requested the computer checks the DNS registry for the direct numerical IP address of the site.
OpenDNS allows a user to restrict or even deny access to sites, preventing the unique IP address from being sent to the requesting computer and thus restricting it from reaching the site at all. This is the type of filtering that many schools are beginning to use due to the ease of use and the ability to restrict access to dozens or hundreds of computers at the same time. To use the OpenDNS service visit the OpenDNS parental controls page on their web site.
