# I need to stop my brother from using all the bandwidth/downloads



## linkin

He is downloading all kinds of crap with torrents. and with only 25gb a month it hurts.

I've typed 10.0.0.138 into firefox which brings up my routers configuration page. from their i disable the wireless which is what he uses. problem is he can type 10.0.0.138 and re enable it, he also put a password on it which i removed. 

For now he is downloading whatever he wants, but there has to be some program or firewall or something i can use to stop it right? I also don't want him to go overboard as to get noticed by our ISP for pirating...

What can i do? He seriously does not listen. in one ear and out the other.


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## Candy

Can't you just disable the wireless and change the password on the router?
Or just block the sites he downloads from in the routers settings, although that could be a bit tedious.


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## linkin

If i change the password, he can just go look on the router for the default password and reset it to something of his own. thats how i disables his password.

Is there any way to block a specific programs or programs? i know that if i block one torrent program he will get another.


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## Candy

You can stop programs from accessing the internet with the firewall, but it would be easy for him to just change it back as its not password protected. I think if you gave his account limited access he can't change it back though? Not sure as I've never done it. There may be 3rd party firewalls you can get that are password protected.


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## schw32m

linkin93 said:


> If i change the password, he can just go look on the router for the default password and reset it to something of his own. thats how i disables his password.
> 
> Is there any way to block a specific programs or programs? i know that if i block one torrent program he will get another.



He should not be able to hack the admin password once you have changed it. You can also change the WPA key and keep him off that way. You should also be able to restrict time, duration, http, keywords, policy, services and so forth.

Don't know type of router you have, but on mine I can enable logging which will tell you where he is going. 

Essentially until you figure out how to keep him from hacking or changing the admin password once you have changed it yourself all of the above will be pointless..

The other way is to set a PC as a proxy or access controller.. IE, instead of having your setup go like this:

PCs ----> Router ----> Internet

You would need to change to:

PCs ----> Router ----> Proxy or access PC ----> Internet

So even though he may be able to get onto the router he still would have to go through a log on operation to get access to the net.


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## linkin

2 different computers, i just keep him out of my one...

He's really #$@^ing annoying me now.

Guess i'll change the WAP2 passkey.


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## linkin

no luck. stupid router lets you reset everything. is there any way i can change the default ip for the routers configuration? as in can i change it from 10.0.0.138 to something like 11.2.3.4.138


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## russb

What about giving him a belt round the ear.


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## linkin

Unfortunately i would get in trouble for that... but he damn well deserves one


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## WeatherMan

linkin93 said:


> no luck. stupid router lets you reset everything. is there any way i can change the default ip for the routers configuration? as in can i change it from 10.0.0.138 to something like 11.2.3.4.138



Pretty pointless..... If you did that he can still just manually reset the router like he usually does, which would again change the gateway back to default.

There are 3rd party firewalls out there that are password protected, but it'd have to be installed onto his computer for it to work, unless you're willing to pay for a suite that will let you do this remotely, I'm not clued up on that though..


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## linkin

I think i'll just end up practising some fist-to-face resuscitation.


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## WeatherMan

How old is your brother btw?

I'm not clued up on programs that will remotely block ports over the network, but I know there are a few around that will limit bandwidth to other computers.


Maybe you could do that?


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## linkin

he's 13. that should explain everything 

It's REALLY annoying now becuase he left 800mb of downloads to try and stay under, otherwise we get capped speeds. 64kbps each way which is kind of worse than dial up. in 9 days the usage will reset and i might just break his usb wifi stick.


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## diduknowthat

Maybe tell your parents? That would make a lot of sense.


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## Respital

How is he accessing it? (Wired or Wireless)

Does he have physical access to the router?


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## Aastii

make an anonymous report to the police about an internet pirate in your house, that will make him get rid of the stuff off his system AND teach him a good lesson about breaking the law 

Or, just tell your parents. If they don't know about computers, just say to them "it is illegal and if you don't stop him, I will use my moral goodness and tell the authorities"


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## tlarkin

A flying dragon kick to his head might clear things up.  Physically access trumps all security.  He can reset the router if he can get to it physically and there is no security you can put forth to stop that.  Unless you want to put the router in a booby trapped room, surrounded by spikes and traps over a snake pit filled with black mambas.

Even if you set up throttling or QoS a router reset would bypass all of that.


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## russb

How about you take the mouse with you,or can you lock it away.I know you said he needs to do his homework on it but let him do it when you are there.


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## Jet

Buy a safe and put the router in it. The main issue would be getting the cables out of the safe, but you should be able to do it somehow.


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## Zatharus

Alternate option: Move? 

The suggestion about reporting him is entertaining and a viable threat considering that your parents would be the ones fined or sent to prison if they are the account holders.  Or, are you the one paying for the service?

I second the physical access suggestion by Tlarkin.  The mamba guards are also an eloquent touch.  Can't go wrong with a snake pit.


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## Sean89

limit his internet time to 5 minute intervals in the router, that will piss him off for sure.


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## Gooberman

uhh xD smash his comp  and 64kbps digital owns <56 kbps analog xD i could live with your cap lol


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## Aastii

ooh ooh, I have one, every time he starts downloading from a torrent, unplug the router, he will get pissed after a short space of time I would imagine. Or, you could play hide and seek with his components...now where did his memory go


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## russb

He did say at the beginning of his post that his bro does not have a computer of his own.Gooberman please read all post's.
 Linkin93 your 16yrs he is 13yrs and you are afraid to give him a good thump what are you a whimp,stop moaning about him and take him outside and thump him.


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## Zatharus

Good point...  Since he doesn't have his own computer, you can change his user account to a restricted one and take away his ability to use the torrent software and install anything new.


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## tlarkin

To be honest, if it is that big of a problem either 1) talk to your brother and explain to him the problem or 2) just have your parents deal with it.  For the record, and I am sure most of you know, I was kidding about the snake pit of black mambas.  

I don't think we should really advocate using violence to solve problems here, joking about it is one thing, but someone could take that as a serious suggestion.


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## Laquer Head

tlarkin said:


> .. For the record, and I am sure most of you know, I was kidding about the snake pit of black mambas.
> 
> I don't think we should really advocate using violence to solve problems here, joking about it is one thing, but someone could take that as a serious suggestion.




CRAP!


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## Zatharus

Laquer Head said:


> CRAP!



Well, if you already bought the snakes, I know a guy that could use them in his own pit...


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## linkin

clearing some stuff up:

He DOES have his own computer.
I DO thump him (when he deserves it! this isn't really something i'll get that angry at.. it's more of an irritant)
I HAVE really annoyed him while screwing with the router settings

We have changed to ADSL2+, and have gone over our download limit. But because we are changing plans we get unmonitored downloads and not-capped-to-64kbps internet for about a week, or until the ADSL2+ is connected.

[OT]I also wondered why my gigabit ethernet was only going at 100mbps... turns out or router can only do 10/100mbps. It's a 2wire 2701HGV-W Gateway. (It's OEM and you can't really get too advanced with it) It has an extremely strong wireless signal. even without an antenna.. the power level is only set t 4/10 by default... it uses WPA2-PSK 128bit and all other regular security methods, but i heard WPA2 has not been cracked yet so i configured it to use that.[/OT]

For now, he doesn't know that our internet is un-capped. I'm going to keep it that way otherwise he will start downloading again. I swear his HDD is going to run out of space soon.

As to what you guys said on page 2: he is using wireless, which can be disabled but easily turned back on even with a password. He has physical access to the router as do i. that's how i was able to reset the password because all the info is on the sticker.

Since my last post the parents have complained to him about the capped speed so he's in line now, I also told them about most torrents being illegal and the various consequences of pirating stuff. Not happy chappies.

lol @ spikes and snake pit full of black mambas 

If i could afford a safe, yes i would put the router in there...

The worst i could do to his wireless is make the router limit all wireless access to 1mbps


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## Zatharus

linkin93 said:


> ... it uses WPA2-PSK 128bit and all other regular security methods, but i heard WPA2 has not been cracked yet so i configured it to use that.



Hate to break it to you, but WPA2 is not invulnerable.  This is old news.  It isn't easy or quick, but it is possible.

Glad to hear the situation is settling down a bit though.  Knocking down the WiFi default transmission speed isn't a bad idea.  ...and safer than snakes.


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## russb

To Gooberman my apologies i miss understood Linkin93,i thought he had only the one computer.No hard feelings i hope.


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## linkin

none at all


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## bilbus

just lock your router in a box, he cant gain physical access that way.

Or you could try beating his ass ... option 2 is free


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## aviation_man

I think this was already suggested, but you could always lease his connection period to time out every x amount of hours/minutes. That may help, but only indirectly stops him from downloading.


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## PohTayToez

What type of router is it?  You should look into DD-WRT.  It's a third party firmware that can be installed on certain routers.  You can use it to configure your router in all sorts of ways that the stock firmware wouldn't let you.  Notably, you would be able to disable the reset button on the back of the router, so he would not be able to reset the login and password on the router.  Of course, if you ever forget the password you're never getting back in.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index


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## linkin

no, to reset the password there is a code printed on the router that you have to type into in 10.0.0.138. resetting the power on the router doesn't reset passwords.


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## PohTayToez

I didn't say anything about resetting the power, I was speaking of the master reset button located on the back of every router that I've ever seen.  It resets all setting to the defaults, which could be used by your brother if you were to change the router's IP address.


Regardless, DD-WRT wouldn't work because I'm now guessing that you don't have just a router, but a combination DSL modem and router.  Likely one given to you by your ISP, which means that it's doubtful that anyone here has any experience with it unless they are also subscribed to BigPond ADSL.

Because your brother connects to the modem directly, there are absolutely no settings you could change that your brother wouldn't be able to undo by simply master resetting the modem.


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## Aastii

PohTayToez said:


> I didn't say anything about resetting the power, I was speaking of the master reset button located on the back of every router that I've ever seen.  It resets all setting to the defaults, which could be used by your brother if you were to change the router's IP address.
> 
> 
> Regardless, DD-WRT wouldn't work because I'm now guessing that you don't have just a router, but a combination DSL modem and router.  Likely one given to you by your ISP, which means that it's doubtful that anyone here has any experience with it unless they are also subscribed to BigPond ADSL.
> 
> Because your brother connects to the modem directly, there are absolutely no settings you could change that your brother wouldn't be able to undo by simply master resetting the modem.



could always put some glue in that there hole, would like to see him press it then, especially if you were to shove a little bit of paper in there with the glue, or better yet, jam a toothpick in there that only barely fit in the hole and maybe even needs a little persuasion


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## PohTayToez

Aastii said:


> could always put some glue in that there hole, would like to see him press it then, especially if you were to shove a little bit of paper in there with the glue, or better yet, jam a toothpick in there that only barely fit in the hole and maybe even needs a little persuasion




I though about suggesting something like that, but I'm betting that the router belongs to the ISP, so he'd have to pay for it.  My idea was to pop it open and just desolder the button from the board.


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## Hass

when I used to live at my parents house, my brother (older) would do the same thing.
However, after if I asked him to stop, he usually would... Since it hampers online games quiittteee a bit.

So he eventually just would cap the speeds to about 5-10% of our max bandwith... then let it run 100% when I'm at work or sleeping (he input all the times and such)

So he could still download, and i could still play.
winwin.
but we weren't capped.


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## gamerman4

Look for a setting in the router than says "10.0.0.138" this is apparently the routers local IP (which is kindof an odd local IP). Look in any network settings for "local IP" or something like that, this would change the IP of the router.


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## Gooberman

Get on his computer and rig his utorrent shortcut or w/e he's using to shutdown his computer every time he clicks on it lol


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## dznutz

tell your mom to clean his computer


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## tlarkin

gamerman4 said:


> Look for a setting in the router than says "10.0.0.138" this is apparently the routers local IP (which is kindof an odd local IP). Look in any network settings for "local IP" or something like that, this would change the IP of the router.



Hitting the reset button on the router will change it back to the default IP.  Physically access = no security on anything including computers, routers, switches, and so forth.


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## Flaring Afro

Unscrew your router and physically make you unable to reset it from the button? He might not think to unscrew it and try from inside, if he cant tell the button is disconnected from the outside.

You could also look into some kind of program that would close the torrent program automatically. I think I might have saw something on a carputer site you might be able to use....

EDIT: Couldn't find it, but i'd try the button thing.

EDIT2: Wait, when the f**k did they start limiting monthly bandwidth? I've heard of it for cell phones but not for home. Just switch to fios.


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## Zatharus

Flaring Afro said:


> EDIT2: Wait, when the f**k did they start limiting monthly bandwidth? I've heard of it for cell phones but not for home. Just switch to fios.



This is not uncommon and will vary widely by carrier.  Just take a look at any satellite based IP.

Also, OP is in Australia.


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## linkin

Yeah, Australia sucks for internet. we have no FIOS, we are still on copper lines, we have tiny data limits, and telstra actually owns all the telephone lines and is forced to rent them out to other companies... and the worst part of all: telstra has about 50% of the market but they are the worst ISP ever.

I complained to the about my upload problems (progress bar says finished instantly but file not uploaded) and they told me to reset Internet Explorer which i don't even use... I told them i used Firefox. I have had the same problem across 3 operating systems... Their "Tech Support" is absolutely horrible.

/Rant

I'm on ADSL2+ now, but i'm still capped til the 13th  We went over our inital download limit of 25gb (again, telstra FTL), then our new plan was applied, we got un-capped so i let my brother download whatever. Turns out all they did was give us another 6gb of downloads... which was eaten up in less than a day, so yeah. 64kbps sucks

Anyway i talked with my brother to arrange that when i'm gaming or using the net he won't download anything. Score 1 for me.

At least i learned that torrents can make your ping go higher than 1000 in CS:S. I was warping all over the place.


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## Black6

Get rid of your router and install Smoothwall on an old computer lying around (PIIs are fine).  The software is free and allows much more in the way of configuration options including QOS.  He can also reboot the computer as often as he wants but it won't reset anything.  Another benefit is you can track sites visited by local IP so if he looks at porn, when his pisses you off you can print a list of the sites and give it to your mom.


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## linkin

It's okay, everything has been sorted. apart from my braindead ISP.


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## Drenlin

I do have a another thought, for future reference. Virtualbox allows for the creation of virtual hard disks, right? There's a setting on there which allows you to pick the total volume, rather than having it dynamically expand. Make one big enough that it only leaves a couple hundred megs on his HD, and hide it in some obscure folder. Problem solved.


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