Section 55. Block Access to Websites


55. Block Access to Websites

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Access Router Configuration

About Content Filtering and Opening Ports


You can block access to websites from computers in the workgroup (through the router to the Internet) either by web address (domain name) or using a keyword list. The number of entries you can have in your list depends on the WiFi router you have purchased. For example, the Netgear WGR614 WiFi router allows you to create a keyword/domain name list that can contain 255 entries.

If you own a Netgear WGR614 router, you could enter 255 domain names in the keyword list, which would block 255 websites. However, if you use keywords to block sites, you could conceivably build a list of keywords that could potentially block thousands of bad or inappropriate sites. If you know of particular websites you want to block, by all means enter the domain name for those sites in the list. However, the keywords you enter in the list provide the farthest-reaching possibilities for blocking the most sites.

To build a keyword list for blocking access, consider the following:

  • What types of websites do I want to block?

  • What keywords typically appear in the domain names for these websites?

  • Which websites might my keyword list block that I do not want to be blocked?

When you've started to block websites using a list of domain names or keywords, you will have to monitor your router's log to determine whether the block-access feature is actually performing as you want. For information about viewing the router's log, see View Router Log. You might have to edit your keyword list over time to get the results you seek.

Block Access to websites


Open Router Configuration Web Page

Open your router's configuration web page (enter the web address that was designated for your router when you installed it, and then type the administrator logon name and password for the router).

Note

If you forgot the web address or the URL for your router, take a look at the documentation included with the WiFi router. This documentation also provides the logon name and default password for your router. All this information is specified by the router manufacturer and is typically the same for all the routers manufactured by a particular vendor. For example, my Netgear router uses the URL http://www.routerlogin.net/start.htm. The logon name is admin and the default password is password.


Open Block Sites Page

Select the router command that opens the Block Site configuration page for the router. For example, on the Netgear WGR614 router configuration page, you click the Block Sites link on the left side of the router's main configuration page.

Select Blocking Option

Select an option button for blocking either Per Schedule or Always (the actual option names vary from router to router). If you select the Per Schedule option, you will also need to set up a filter schedule; see Set Up a Filter Schedule.

Enter a Keyword or Domain Name

Type a keyword or domain name in the appropriate text box and click the Add Keyword button (the method of entering the keyword varies from router to router). The keyword or domain name you type is added to the list of entries your router will block.

Repeat this step to enter other keyword and domain names as needed.

Tip

To remove a keyword or domain name from the list, select the item in the list and then click Delete Keyword (or a similar command on your router's configuration page). Most routers also allow you to completely clear the list and start over if necessary.


Enter Trusted IP Address

If you want to allow a particular computer to access blocked sites, select the Allow Trusted IP Address to Visit Block Sites check box. Enter the last number of the IP address for the computer you want to be trusted (in this example, you would change the 0 supplied to the actual ending number of the IP address).

Tip

To determine the IP address of your computer (the address assigned by the WiFi router acting as a DHCP server), you can use the ipconfig command, which shows you the IP address and subnet mask of your computer (and other information). On the computer you want to be trusted, click the Start button and then choose Run. In the Run dialog box, type command and press Enter. At the command prompt, type ipconfig/all. This command returns the IP address, the subnet mask, and other information about the computer, such as the IP address of your default gateway and DHCP server (which is the WiFi router). To close the command dialog box, type exit and press Enter. For more about the ipconfig command see About Command-Line Tools and Use Command-Line Tools.


Apply New Settings

After entering the various parameters for the blocked content feature, you must apply the settings to the router's configuration. Click the Apply button (or the button that applies and saves the settings for your router). The new settings will take effect immediately; access to websites from the computers on your network will be blocked according to the domain name and keyword list you created.

When a user attempts to open a website that is blocked by the router (using a web browser such as Internet Explorer), a screen opens in the web browser letting the user know that the site is blocked. For example, the Netgear router I use displays a black and red page in the Internet Explorer window that reads, Web Site Blocked by NETGEAR Firewall.



Home Wireless Networking in a Snap
Home Wireless Networking in a Snap
ISBN: 0672327023
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 158
Authors: Joe Habraken

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net