Restrict Wireless to default signal?

[arobustus]

Hello all,
What I would like to be able to do is confine my daughter's laptop to
the default signal, with the ability to turn this restriction on and
off restricted by password. If I could do this, I could control
Internet access from the router. Is there some way to do this in
windows, using the registry or standard settings? In my case, if I
could use the registry I could get away without a password. Failing
that, is there third party software that does it?
Sometimes a temporary block on favorite and time consuming sites is
enough to speed completion of a school project. Sometimes an Internet
"grounding" is more in order. However, any savvy teenager can
circumvent such by linking to a different wireless signal.
I'm sure I am not the only parent who has run up against this. In fact,
I ran down a long thread on this issue in Broadband Reports. The best
anyone could come up with was to chase down all your neighbors who have
unprotected wireless outlets and prevail upon them to set up encryption.
However, this can be problematic, especially if the neighbor happens to
be Starbucks.
Thank You!

 

[peter]

Your Wireless Router should have the ability to be set so that access to it
can only be done from one machine....yours.
This would eliminate her changing the router settings.
You then need to configure the router for secure access ..by means of WEP
key which needs to be entered in the router as well as any computer trying
to access the router.By changing this her access would be terminated until
you enter the new one into her machine wireless settings.
Then go to the Access list page and add her computer using the Mac
Address(it will show up under attached devices)
Turn on access control..........take her off the list and no access
Some routers also let you block certain sites at certain periods of
time...and by entering the IP address of your machine you would still have
access.
You could then "disconnect" her at will
peter

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

The original poster was trying to prevent the user from changing wireless networks. For example, from my desk I can see my home network (secured) and 2 of the neighbor's wireless networks, 1 unsecured. There is nothing to prevent me from accessing my neighbor's unsecured network.

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

Log into the user's account and click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT Go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections

If any of the sub keys under Policies, Microsoft, Windows does not exist, right click in a blank area of the right pane and select New, Key and add the key. Continue until you have the Network Connection branch created.

Highlight the Network Connections branch. Right click in a blank area of the right pane and select New, DWord value. Name this new value NC_LanProperties. Leave this value set at 0. Now, repeat this step, but name the new DWord value NC_EnableAdminProhibits. Double click this new value and set it to 1.

If you don't have direct access to the user's account, see www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips, Advanced Registry Editing for information on how to change the Registry without logging into the user account.

Note: Non-administrators don't have access to LAN connection properties anyway. Consider downgrading them to a Limited User.

 

[peter]

Sorry.......just re-read the post and I mis understood the question
peter

--
"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."
The original poster was trying to prevent the user from changing wireless
networks. For example, from my desk I can see my home network (secured) and
2 of the neighbor's wireless networks, 1 unsecured. There is nothing to
prevent me from accessing my neighbor's unsecured network.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart
Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

No problem, I do it too

 

[arobustus]

Don,
Thank you so much for the information.
I am a newby with this stuff but I have worked with registry values a
little. I wonder if you could answer a few questions so that I can
understand what I am doing.
The user in question is running XPHome. (I am running XPPro). Is this
going to pose a problem?
By adding these registries, what is it that I am doing? I think I can
guess what NC_LanProperties does (adds a spot for the addition and
maintenance of such properties) but what does NC_EnableAdminProhibits
do when it is set to 1? If I want to disable it so that neighborhood
unsecured routings are again accessible, do I set it to 0?
Thank You!

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

Hi,

The NC_LanProperties value, set to 0 (False) prevents the user from accessing the properties of a LAN connection. No Properties, and they shouldn't be able to change the wireless network they're on.

The NC_EnableAdminProhibits makes any restriction of this type (Network Connections) apply, even if the user is an Adminstrator. By default, Administrators are exempted from the Network Connection restrictions. Since the changes go in HKEY_CURRENT_USER, the restriction only applies to that user. If the user is an Administrator level user, you would just change the NC_LanProperties value to 1 (True) to allow them access again. Or simply delete the NC_LanProperties value.

It shouldn't make any difference whether you're running XP Pro, or Home. XP Home observes the majority of the Registry restrictions that XP Pro does, it just doesn't have the Group Policy Editor to put them in place.