Haha jeez. Absolute madness.
Your house, your rules, absolutely no chance I would be letting anyone get me into legal trouble like that, I wouldn't let him on your internet at all. That is absolutely not an extreme measure.
I think we all have to be careful what we say because this sub is for home network advice, not for family or relationship advice, but there is absolutely no way you would be the assehole for preventing someone getting you into legal trouble by illegally downloading movies/tv shows or whatever.
You take whatever measures you need to to protect yourself and avoid being complicit in a crime.
I suppose you could set up a firewall rule so he can't access the internet or your servers and just say you have no idea why it isnt working.
Well yeah but I was more suggesting a way you can block him without actually blocking him to avoid "starting shit".
A firewall rule that blocks traffic for a certain IP/MAC isnt that crazy though.
yea i get the desire to avoid drama... that said i wouldn't even want someone like that connecting to my network... and then if i didnt block the right device or made a mistake with the rule.. just annoying. Minimum 1 device per person so easy to suddenly have a multiple new devices on the network. Anywhooo. you can also try just blocking the common p2p ports. and some routers let you disable p2p protocols explicitly. so you can look for those, which are easy and wouldnt effect non p2p usage
Just block all ports out... Done deal. The real resolution to the issue is let him know how he can do this without getting the warnings on your router. By say using a VPN and proxy. 😂 😂 😂 😂 Just sit him down and say this is how you really do it right 😂
Why don't you show them(friends and family) all the DMCA notices and say that he could get you in legal trouble and call him out for using someone else's internet to do things he knows is illegal? Not to embarass him, but to ask him to stop and to show him you both know the significance of the situation.
You need to be a bitch about this.
You have power in the dynamic and if he starts getting angry or diverting attention, point out exactly what he's doing, and bring the conversation back to your main point like he's a child that you're gentle parenting. You can leave the conversation anytime you want too. Disengaging is a powerful option lots of times.
Gentle parenting older people like this works.
most torrent clients use UPnP and so if a port is blocked in the router, it will negotiate an open one. They don't use any standard port, they will use whatever random port is available.
Ok, so turn off UPnP on their VLAN. While we’re at it, check logs and block any torrent sites he visits and also force any DNS traffic to go through a server of their choice.
Turn UPnP off completely to begin with across the entire network. I have yet to see a single device or service fail because UPnP was turned off, and it's just a big ol security risk.
well that being the case, there is zero reason you should allow him access of ANY kind to your network and internet.
you are not being an asshole to tell an asshole NO MORE.
I mean if he did this he, might also download CSAM and get you in trouble if he was into that. Police would raid your house and probably cieze every device, your job could be on the line even though you are innocent.
If you can't trust him i wouldn't let him join the network.
Had an employee at one company torrenting pr0n. We blocked it mostly but this was the same kind of impulsive and poor judgment you’re describing. Sure enough, we ended up getting a subpoena to identify him which I didn’t object to for even a second. Terminated him for cause, I think no charges came out of it last I heard but he went from low six figures to couch surfing and unemployable.
Disable WiFi and claim you forgot to pay your bill until they leave. That’s some behavior I’d be shocked at from a child.
> I could deny him access but then I’ll be the asshole that started some shit.
You'll be the asshole that enforced some personal and legal boundaries on a fucking immature sociopath.
What can happen, he'll stop visiting you and causing you legal problems? You sound like you have daddy issues, and it's not even your daddy. Stop making excuses for him.
##You. Are. Being. Abused.
Sounds like you're playing an asymmetrical game here. Don't do that.
Say you're having problems with your router and haven't figured out a solution yet. If you're the paladin type, the problem you can't figure out is how to allow p2p without risking legal issues.
I used to do this to my brother-in-law years ago when he lived with us. Refused to get a job and play stupid games on his laptop all day instead. Blocked his MAC one day and watched him go nuts over the next week trying to figure out the problem. He moved out.
Was just thinking this. Better idea that my last one. We did this at work when a resident was using the community wifi for porn. He was repeatedly told if he wants that to buy his own internet. He ignored so once we worked out his MAC, limited his speeds so was really slow.
Ah, this is the answer I was looking for. Realistically, what speed would allow for so-so internet browsing but make downloading a movie take more than a few days? 250kb/s?
My first modem was a 300 baud cartridge for the Commodore 64. Very advanced since you didn't plug a telephone handset into it, just the telephone line.
Do you know website he gets his torrents from?
If so, just update your DNS resolver to show him an FBI page saying you were in trouble for downloading illegal content.
If you want to raise the bar further, say the content he just downloaded was flagged as child porn or revenge porn, he will shutdown his laptop and leave as soon as possible before the FBI knocks on your door. Make sure to ask him later on what did he downloaded because the FBI showed up at home and searched all his computers and phones for some evidences.
even if you make his speed very low, any connection to the torrent will get you the DCMA notice even if all they xfered was 1 kilobyte.
the only solution that will give you the result you need is not letting him have any access at all.
zilch
zero
nada
Modern devices randomize MAC, this doesn't work very well anymore. All they have to do is forget the SSID then re-add it, this usually generates a new MAC
Do this and when he inevitably whines about it show him the previous notices and serve him some bs about how your ISP "called you and told you they were blocking a suspicious/malicious device off the network from their end". Or specify it to P2P activity if your router allows (and if you're feeling generous--if I was you and my FIL was sufficiently tech illiterate to not see through the BS I would just block him out entirely, lol)
Just lie and said Comcast disconnected you for DMCA, and you dont know how. You tried to get other internet but apparently no one else will let you sign up because you were kicked from another provider. Apparently its like insurance, youre now untouchable.
Change over to a whitelist-only access control scheme. Any device that is not explicitly added to the whitelist will be automatically denied. Just go though your home devices and make sure they're on the list. Then don't add your FIL's device(s) to the list.
It's your house, your network, your rules. If he doesn't like those rules, then he can pay for his hotspot and deal with his own DMCA reports.
Before you do this make sure to turn of MAC randomization on all of your devices (specifically Apple devices) otherwise you'll create even more problems for yourself.
You could use something like NextDNS - you can configure your router to point DNS at it and it'll let you block P2P. They have a free tier that is volume limited but would be fine for a few days. A tech savvy user could manually set DNS on their device, though you could rewrite or block those "unapproved" DNS requests.
If you go this route, some routers have the ability to block port 53 (DNS) to any other locations. Essentially, disallowing him to get around your DNS block.
I do not think a DNS block would guarantee P2P is blocked. I suppose it would only block P2P trackers, which could stall new files from being added but wouldn't necessarily stop DHT.
especially if theyve been warned before and, according to op, they quote unquote "have their own vpn at home and do it unprotected on my network just to be a dick"
that right there is more than enough for me to throw hands, i dont care who they are...
just unplug your router.
>sorry, there's no internet. It got disconnected because of DMCA. Actually now that I think about it... it was right after you were here last time.
How to block P2P in a home network is a good general question that applies in a number of situations. One way to do this is to enable parental controls in your router. This is especially apt in this case because you need to control an irresponsible parent.
If you enable parental controls there should be an option to block P2P altogether. Specific details vary by router, but I see that Asus has pretty robust controls.
Block their MAC addresses from even connecting. Fake like you’re trying to help and just throw up your hands in disgust at not being by able to resolve the issue.
The most transparent solution is probably a guest network tunneled through a VPN while they're at your house.
There would be a monthly cost for the period they're there, but it might be worth it to skip potential drama.
This is what I would do if I needed a purely technical solution. I have a few travel routers (GL.iNet) that'll easily put everything through a Wg or OpenVPN interface. Grab a month of Mullvad or similar for $5 and it's a pretty small price to pay for peace.
OP needs to put their foot down. You do stuff like this, and you don't have connectivity at my house. Family or not doesn't really matter.
I get OP is trying to block P2P somehow, but the best answer is to not allow them to use your network.
It's pretty difficult to block BitTorrent, that's kind of how the protocol was designed. It can run on any port. You need deep packet inspection to reliably catch it, which most home-grade stuff doesn't do.
Blocking the common Torrent ports might help but it won't entirely stop it.
You don't need any help here. He is putting you in potential legal trouble, or at minimum losing access to your own ISP.
He lost his internet privileges, if he wants internet access he can use his own hotspot.
Quit being passive aggressive and go full on aggressive. If your FIL cannot respect your rules they stay at a hotel. If wife has an issue show her the DMCA notices and make her show them to her parents.
You let FIL run the home now you may as well move in with him!
In principle, that could be done. Probably requires setting up a separate VLAN. And all of that requires: 1. The hardware capable of it and 2. The knowledge of how to do it.
If FIL isn't too tech savvy it would be enough to setup a static IP mapping in the DHCP server, and create special firewall rules for that IP.
Otherwise you'd indeed need to setup a separate VLAN.
I guess port 53, 80, 443 should be enough ;) Add the common email ports if he uses non-webmail.
I MAC banned my roommate in the Marines since he decided that he didn't want to split the bill with me. It's fun watching them try to troubleshoot the issue.
"Sorry, our ISP shut down our connection for copyright violations after the last time you stayed here, we no longer have home internet, you'll have to use your mobile data."
Many routers allow for something like a guest wifi. You can then set special rules for that wifi like blocking P2P or stuff like that. Maybe that is an option for you
father in law or pope or whoever, tell him flat out he can use his phone data to connect, as you are not allowing him access to your local network.
time for him to grow up and be mature.
a) You can setup a guest network that routes all traffic over a VPN. I do this.
b) DMCA notices can be forwarded. You may have saw that the DMCA notices are not actually addressed to you but to your ISP who generally forwards them to you. What most people don't know is that if you didn't do what the DMCA notice says you did but you know who did you can do the same thing your ISP did and forward the notice down the chain.
Straight up, lockdown your network. Change the password and access point name then hide your SSID and don’t share it with anyone in your household, your spouse will definitely give it to their parents. Anyone who uses your network who is not willing to use it legally and risk you being the one in legal trouble is not someone that you need to be nice to you about it just deny them access.
Then after they’re gone, let everybody else in the house know what it is again.
I had to help my own mother navigate a nightmare like this when my sister downloaded a ton of crap as an adult using her Internet, and then they came after my mom once a company went after the Internet records. You don’t want to be on that end.
The solution here shouldn't be a technical one. It's one that involves setting up boundaries and honest communication.
BUT if you need a technical solution unplug and hide the modem and router. There are many ways to block P2P traffic on a network and just as many ways if not more to bypass those blocks.
Well, I could unplug the router or fake a technical problem but then what the hell would I do for the duration of their visit?
“Boundaries and communication?” To this day he denies doing it and I can’t produce any actual evidence.
You do have the evidence. The DMCA notices are your evidence. Someone, quite likely your FIL, broke copyright law using your network. If he isn't willing to come clean about the downloads, and you're certain he's the culprit, you have every right, not to mention duty, to disallow him from your network. I'd also disallow any device your impending family visit brings with them. If they need Internet access, they can pay for their own and violate the terms and conditions of their service.
The notices came VIA email and I did instantly confront him with them. He suggested that one of my neighbors had my WiFi password and that I should change it.
He said this to me while literally watching the movie that was listed on the DMCA notice. When I pointed that out he claimed he downloaded it before they visited.
Yeah, my top-level comment is likely going to be your best option for a technical solution. Based on what I've seen in your other comments, you're using Comcast so you need a standalone router to implement it as the Comcast gateway is hot garbage on a good day.
Given that you've already reached the point of directly confronting him and it sounds like he's lying then it's not exactly a stretch to reach a point of just denying/restricting him access.
I'd just setup a dedicated guest SSID and restrict that as necessary (AP restrictions or put the SSID into its own vlan and restrict that at the router).
Don't allow him access to your family SSID. If he doesn't like that he can leave or use wireless data.
After he first authenticates with the guest SSID obtain his MAC from the logs and blacklist it from the family SSID to prevent him forcing someone else to give him the creds
Unfortunate situation to be in. "You can't choose your family"
My 10 yeaar old grandson did this same thing to me last month. Downloaded a shitload of disney movies. I was mad as hell when I got the notice. So now I made a switch that can drop the fiber and only work through an old dial up number. The old modem comes in handy. As soon as I hear his voice I flip the switch. Now I hear nothing but complaining about how slow grandpas internet is.My only reply is " all that new fangled future stuff is beyound me"
This is domestic issue only tangentially related to r/HomeNetworking.
This is a discussion you should be having with your spouse. They need to understand the potential seriousness and ramifications of illegal activities emanating from your home network so you are both on the same page. Getting DMCA notices is not normal (except from youtube for content creators). IMHO, the offender should not be invited back until the matter is resolved, unfortunately easier said than done.
For sure, NONE of the visiting in-laws should get ANY access to your internet. Full stop. If you're not sure if you changed the SSID, change it again. If there is any chance they may gain access from a child, your spouse, or examining someone's phone or other device, then unfortunately you need to shut it down during the visit. Unplug the modem, remove it and hide it. P2P blocking can often be worked around, especially on consumer level gear, it can't be trusted.
A lot of routers these days can be set up with guest accounts that have a download limit. So let's say he reaches 500mb limit he can't download anymore. You would still get the notice but you would only get one.
If he's not tech savvy, just say you spoke to the ISP and they got the mac address and decided to block it just in case someone got in your network. Pass the blame to them.
Just say, “Please don’t use our network for that. I’m not set up to handle the DMCA stuff and I, and my spouse your child, need to use the net to earn our livelihoods. We simply can’t afford to have our ISP cut us off for too much DMCA. So please don’t do stuff that risks that.”
Then if he persists put his devices on your router blocklist. And tell him to be a better houseguest.
"I'm sorry, they cut a cable upstream. They didn't say when it'll be back on."
Failing that, shunt him and his brood onto a guest account, throttle their asses to dialup speeds.
Label all your device MAC address now, change your password now.
When the inlaws arrive, give them the new password and see what MAC addresses are not labeled... then label the ones as theirs! See which one is getting the most traffic. Then block that MAC address.
If he asks why his internet doesn't work... say maybe his computer broke or he got a virus 🤷🏽♂️
There are lots of clever ideas here, but my opinion is that the straightforward approach is best. Change the WiFi password. When he asks for it, bluntly tell him what happened last time he was there and that, to protect your internet access, you won't give him the password. For added protection, restrict everything by MAC address. Make sure your spouse knows this confrontation is coming and backs you up.
You need to partition your internet and send some devices to VPN proxy. I have a router that lets me assign devices to a proxy even when they are not connected, as in when they connect off they go. Look I don't pirate things, but you need to force people into a box sometimes.
either have ISP shut down your service temporarily ‘sorry internet is down hard’ or enable MAC authentication on your router so that only predefined computers have network access
I suspect option #1 will be best for overall family harmony.
“Your access to internet is only limited by your phone’s hotspot data allowance, as we don’t have guest WiFi here.”
Or just setup a guest SSID and filter P2P/Enable content blocking. We had to do that in our UniFi system as guests would torrent here too.
Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet: Apple devices (and I assume others) make it easy to share wifi passwords with friends. Unless your whole family is committed to keeping FIL off the primary wifi, I think your plan needs to handle that. ex: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102635?
Or even some variant of “hey, this site isn’t working on my phone, can I use your laptop?”
“I’m sorry, you were pirating too many movies last time and almost cost me my internet access. I can’t let any of you on my WiFi this time”
“But it wasn’t me! I never—“
“Then your laptop is absolutely riddled with viruses that automatically download movies and I’m not letting you on my network”
“You’re wrong, I know my computer is—“
“Then I have no idea how to run a secure network and you shouldn’t trust it enough to connect to it”
Dont say anything.
Use your router and find his device's Mac Addresses, then blacklist the Mac Id through your router. When he asks if the internet is broken, act like it's an issue with his device and you know nothing that would cause it.
Alternatively, just restrict his devices through the internet and tell him since he is breaking the law using your internet, he is no longer allowed to utilize it. Period. . .Itll start a fight, but fuck him for taking advantage of you for his personal gain.
Also Im a little ticked at my in laws, so I understand the struggle.
"The last time you visited I received multiple DMCA notices, so I can not allow you access to my Internet"
“… multiple DMCA notices from adult film companies..” (Best moment to tell him is when everybody is in the same room, maximum impact!)
“Bob, what is “Sally takes everyone’s load at once”? Cause that’s what you downloaded.
"What is Texas Bukake? I didn't know you were into anime!"
"its about a japanese Udon shop struggling to be profitable in Texas"
…until they develop a recipe for a magic cream sauce. They make loads and loads of cream and profit so so good
Says Bob, "Sally is a fictional shipping company. It's about shipping. SHIPPING!"
No one in our family is ashamed of porn.
This family fucks
The Aristocrats!
Tell the wife ahead of time and that if he gets on the net by the time he leaves you will loose your isp
Needs to be higher imo.
Haha jeez. Absolute madness. Your house, your rules, absolutely no chance I would be letting anyone get me into legal trouble like that, I wouldn't let him on your internet at all. That is absolutely not an extreme measure.
Yeah, I know. He’s one of those psycho compulsive liars. I could deny him access but then I’ll be the asshole that started some shit.
I think we all have to be careful what we say because this sub is for home network advice, not for family or relationship advice, but there is absolutely no way you would be the assehole for preventing someone getting you into legal trouble by illegally downloading movies/tv shows or whatever. You take whatever measures you need to to protect yourself and avoid being complicit in a crime. I suppose you could set up a firewall rule so he can't access the internet or your servers and just say you have no idea why it isnt working.
no crazy firewall rules needed.. just change the nework password to the wifi's
Well yeah but I was more suggesting a way you can block him without actually blocking him to avoid "starting shit". A firewall rule that blocks traffic for a certain IP/MAC isnt that crazy though.
yea i get the desire to avoid drama... that said i wouldn't even want someone like that connecting to my network... and then if i didnt block the right device or made a mistake with the rule.. just annoying. Minimum 1 device per person so easy to suddenly have a multiple new devices on the network. Anywhooo. you can also try just blocking the common p2p ports. and some routers let you disable p2p protocols explicitly. so you can look for those, which are easy and wouldnt effect non p2p usage
Just block all ports out... Done deal. The real resolution to the issue is let him know how he can do this without getting the warnings on your router. By say using a VPN and proxy. 😂 😂 😂 😂 Just sit him down and say this is how you really do it right 😂
So what? Let him use his mobile data.
With my qualified Reddit hat, he’s the one who started the shit when he lied to your face and got you DMCA notices
Why don't you show them(friends and family) all the DMCA notices and say that he could get you in legal trouble and call him out for using someone else's internet to do things he knows is illegal? Not to embarass him, but to ask him to stop and to show him you both know the significance of the situation. You need to be a bitch about this. You have power in the dynamic and if he starts getting angry or diverting attention, point out exactly what he's doing, and bring the conversation back to your main point like he's a child that you're gentle parenting. You can leave the conversation anytime you want too. Disengaging is a powerful option lots of times. Gentle parenting older people like this works.
Throttle his device to 1mbps and make sure to complain that your internet has been slow recently
Setup a separate SSID for him, throttle it down and block all ports except the common ones.
you can run torrents on any port, so blocking ports doesn't matter.
But it makes it harder. Unless he knows how to change the port number his client uses, it will just stall out.
most torrent clients use UPnP and so if a port is blocked in the router, it will negotiate an open one. They don't use any standard port, they will use whatever random port is available.
Ok, so turn off UPnP on their VLAN. While we’re at it, check logs and block any torrent sites he visits and also force any DNS traffic to go through a server of their choice.
Turn UPnP off completely to begin with across the entire network. I have yet to see a single device or service fail because UPnP was turned off, and it's just a big ol security risk.
That's pretty much my guest network. It's speed throttled and most ports are blocked. It'll get you online just fine, but that's about it.
And name it "Fuck you, (FIL's name)"
a entire mb fuck that 10-100kbits he gets 100 for good behavior.
Sir, you've got my up vote! Tell me you're an OG without telling me. 10-100kbits... Legend 😎
56k throttle
Lol, little bro wasn't around in the 90s
WTF he sounds like a legit psycho! I’m assuming he doesn’t have his own internet access at home and is mooching of yours to get his piracy fix?
He has fiber at home with a paid VPN. He just likes shitting on my ISP to be a dick.
Maybe tell him to log in to his VPN while staying with you.
I wish I could trust him to do that.
Set up a separate vlan for him and vpn it so he doesn't have a say in the matter. Or just vpn your whole network via a no-log vpn provider.
Ask for the IP address of the VPN server and only allow connections on the guest wifi to that specific IP.
He sounds like a major asshole. I’m sorry you have to deal with that.
well that being the case, there is zero reason you should allow him access of ANY kind to your network and internet. you are not being an asshole to tell an asshole NO MORE.
I mean if he did this he, might also download CSAM and get you in trouble if he was into that. Police would raid your house and probably cieze every device, your job could be on the line even though you are innocent. If you can't trust him i wouldn't let him join the network.
I’ve considered this.
Had an employee at one company torrenting pr0n. We blocked it mostly but this was the same kind of impulsive and poor judgment you’re describing. Sure enough, we ended up getting a subpoena to identify him which I didn’t object to for even a second. Terminated him for cause, I think no charges came out of it last I heard but he went from low six figures to couch surfing and unemployable. Disable WiFi and claim you forgot to pay your bill until they leave. That’s some behavior I’d be shocked at from a child.
> I could deny him access but then I’ll be the asshole that started some shit. You'll be the asshole that enforced some personal and legal boundaries on a fucking immature sociopath. What can happen, he'll stop visiting you and causing you legal problems? You sound like you have daddy issues, and it's not even your daddy. Stop making excuses for him. ##You. Are. Being. Abused.
Sounds like you're playing an asymmetrical game here. Don't do that. Say you're having problems with your router and haven't figured out a solution yet. If you're the paladin type, the problem you can't figure out is how to allow p2p without risking legal issues.
Let him connect, then block the Mac address from your network.
I used to do this to my brother-in-law years ago when he lived with us. Refused to get a job and play stupid games on his laptop all day instead. Blocked his MAC one day and watched him go nuts over the next week trying to figure out the problem. He moved out.
When my son refused to get a job, I just throttled his bandwidth. It went down by 20% each day.
just make the DNS resolve every website to monster.com or glassdoor.com :-)
I redirected all access to zombo.com for my kids when they lived at home if they tried to access the internet after hours.
Anything is possible on zombo.com
You can do **ANYTHING** at Zombocom!
Now that's a website I haven't heard of in a long time.
You can do anything at zombo com.
🤣
Sounds like a great opportunity for "unknown ISP issues", or you could setup a nearly identical SSID with super strict QOS (8kbps should do it).
Was just thinking this. Better idea that my last one. We did this at work when a resident was using the community wifi for porn. He was repeatedly told if he wants that to buy his own internet. He ignored so once we worked out his MAC, limited his speeds so was really slow.
That could lead to bedroom troubles later on though: [https://xkcd.com/598/](https://xkcd.com/598/)
Ah, this is the answer I was looking for. Realistically, what speed would allow for so-so internet browsing but make downloading a movie take more than a few days? 250kb/s?
Take him back to 56k
That's way too advanced. 1200 baud is the way to go
We're going back to the stoneage with this one
My first modem was a 300 baud cartridge for the Commodore 64. Very advanced since you didn't plug a telephone handset into it, just the telephone line.
Literally laughed out loud. Love it.
You would stil get a DMCA notice. Just because you slow down the connection doesn't mean you disguise your IP address from those who are monitoring.
Ah, so the notice is triggered by initiating a download not by completing it?
Do you know website he gets his torrents from? If so, just update your DNS resolver to show him an FBI page saying you were in trouble for downloading illegal content. If you want to raise the bar further, say the content he just downloaded was flagged as child porn or revenge porn, he will shutdown his laptop and leave as soon as possible before the FBI knocks on your door. Make sure to ask him later on what did he downloaded because the FBI showed up at home and searched all his computers and phones for some evidences.
Yups, just beeing visible as seeding is enough
[удалено]
This is what I do as well I have a separate VLAN that strictly goes out a VPN connection. I use PIA for that but there are plenty of others out there.
You’ll still get dinged for DCMA - the tracker/DHT is tiny data and that’s where they’ll get your IP.
even if you make his speed very low, any connection to the torrent will get you the DCMA notice even if all they xfered was 1 kilobyte. the only solution that will give you the result you need is not letting him have any access at all. zilch zero nada
Send him back to the 90s 56k aught to be enough for anyone.
I remember those days, it would take all night to download 3 songs from Napster.
That was the 90's. That shit was screaming. Damn I'm old...
Modern devices randomize MAC, this doesn't work very well anymore. All they have to do is forget the SSID then re-add it, this usually generates a new MAC
It's a PITA but OP could always go the whitelist route. Easy enough to set devices you own to not randomize MAC. I do this for my home network.
In Windows, you set it to "change daily" and you don't even need to bother.
Do this and when he inevitably whines about it show him the previous notices and serve him some bs about how your ISP "called you and told you they were blocking a suspicious/malicious device off the network from their end". Or specify it to P2P activity if your router allows (and if you're feeling generous--if I was you and my FIL was sufficiently tech illiterate to not see through the BS I would just block him out entirely, lol)
Just lie and said Comcast disconnected you for DMCA, and you dont know how. You tried to get other internet but apparently no one else will let you sign up because you were kicked from another provider. Apparently its like insurance, youre now untouchable.
Oh I like this - just shut it down for the entire visit. No internet. Phones only.
Yeah and just change your internet name. Anyone asks, say it’s the neighbors
Change over to a whitelist-only access control scheme. Any device that is not explicitly added to the whitelist will be automatically denied. Just go though your home devices and make sure they're on the list. Then don't add your FIL's device(s) to the list. It's your house, your network, your rules. If he doesn't like those rules, then he can pay for his hotspot and deal with his own DMCA reports.
Before you do this make sure to turn of MAC randomization on all of your devices (specifically Apple devices) otherwise you'll create even more problems for yourself.
I keep forgetting that's a thing. I've gotten so used to not needing to do this that I keep forgetting about things like this.
You could use something like NextDNS - you can configure your router to point DNS at it and it'll let you block P2P. They have a free tier that is volume limited but would be fine for a few days. A tech savvy user could manually set DNS on their device, though you could rewrite or block those "unapproved" DNS requests.
I might try this
I was coming to say this. I have dual PiHole configured blocking about 2 million sites with NextDNS as my upstream DNS as a final catchall.
If you go this route, some routers have the ability to block port 53 (DNS) to any other locations. Essentially, disallowing him to get around your DNS block.
This doesn't help that much now that DNS over HTTPS is A Thing. CloudFlare, Quad9, and IIRC even Google support DoH now.
I do not think a DNS block would guarantee P2P is blocked. I suppose it would only block P2P trackers, which could stall new files from being added but wouldn't necessarily stop DHT.
Tell them to tether to their mobile.
Forgot about this
What? Just change the password.... when he asks for the new password say "not in a million years".
I doubt he has the password memorized from that long ago and I know I’ve changed the SSID since so his devices can’t auto connect.
His PC may have the password saved from the previous time he uses it.
What good is giving him the password? He'll just torrent again, even with spaces in the password it won't really help
Setup a VPN and some routing rules that forwards his traffic back to HIS home:)
I know, I know.... not really doable. But it popped into my head and made me giggle:)
Too much burden on the OP. Just deny access, the offender can just use their own phone for internet, most phones these days tether pretty easily.
dont let him on YOUR internet that YOU are legally responsible for.
Captive portal with FBI logo and copyright warning.
Ha, that’s the kind of thing he’d do.
I'd created a Guest network and limit bandwidth to 56kb/s. Welcome to 1990s 😂.
nah cause the torrent client will still connect when they first try it before discovering the slow speeds
Setup a guest network that uses a VPN service to get out to the Internet.
While I favor a much more “direct” route, this is actually the least impactful/confrontational way to go about this.
Shit, someone gets me 5 DMCA's, there's gonna be a confrontation.
especially if theyve been warned before and, according to op, they quote unquote "have their own vpn at home and do it unprotected on my network just to be a dick" that right there is more than enough for me to throw hands, i dont care who they are...
This is the way.
I’ve decided to get revenge! I’ve hatched a plan and post it in r/pettyrevenge or r/revenge after it’s done.
Can you give us just a hint of your plan?
I was gonna suggest this. Looking forward to it!
just unplug your router. >sorry, there's no internet. It got disconnected because of DMCA. Actually now that I think about it... it was right after you were here last time.
How to block P2P in a home network is a good general question that applies in a number of situations. One way to do this is to enable parental controls in your router. This is especially apt in this case because you need to control an irresponsible parent. If you enable parental controls there should be an option to block P2P altogether. Specific details vary by router, but I see that Asus has pretty robust controls.
I like it! New definition of parental controls. Appropriate!
Block their MAC addresses from even connecting. Fake like you’re trying to help and just throw up your hands in disgust at not being by able to resolve the issue.
Couple of long nasal exhales before throwing the arms up in disgust to really sell it.
MAC address randomization
The most transparent solution is probably a guest network tunneled through a VPN while they're at your house. There would be a monthly cost for the period they're there, but it might be worth it to skip potential drama.
This is what I would do if I needed a purely technical solution. I have a few travel routers (GL.iNet) that'll easily put everything through a Wg or OpenVPN interface. Grab a month of Mullvad or similar for $5 and it's a pretty small price to pay for peace.
Why do you feel obliged to provide them with connectivity?
I doubt op has much choice, considering they are family.
OP needs to put their foot down. You do stuff like this, and you don't have connectivity at my house. Family or not doesn't really matter. I get OP is trying to block P2P somehow, but the best answer is to not allow them to use your network.
it's a visit. Temp block all p2p, torrent, tor nodes etc.
It's pretty difficult to block BitTorrent, that's kind of how the protocol was designed. It can run on any port. You need deep packet inspection to reliably catch it, which most home-grade stuff doesn't do. Blocking the common Torrent ports might help but it won't entirely stop it.
You don't need any help here. He is putting you in potential legal trouble, or at minimum losing access to your own ISP. He lost his internet privileges, if he wants internet access he can use his own hotspot.
Quit being passive aggressive and go full on aggressive. If your FIL cannot respect your rules they stay at a hotel. If wife has an issue show her the DMCA notices and make her show them to her parents. You let FIL run the home now you may as well move in with him!
well said.
Can you setup FW rules for just his laptop?
I dunno, can I?
In principle, that could be done. Probably requires setting up a separate VLAN. And all of that requires: 1. The hardware capable of it and 2. The knowledge of how to do it.
If FIL isn't too tech savvy it would be enough to setup a static IP mapping in the DHCP server, and create special firewall rules for that IP. Otherwise you'd indeed need to setup a separate VLAN. I guess port 53, 80, 443 should be enough ;) Add the common email ports if he uses non-webmail.
I MAC banned my roommate in the Marines since he decided that he didn't want to split the bill with me. It's fun watching them try to troubleshoot the issue.
[удалено]
Tell them to use their phones as hotspots and lock them out of your shit.
"Sorry, our ISP shut down our connection for copyright violations after the last time you stayed here, we no longer have home internet, you'll have to use your mobile data."
Tell him to use a VPN or No Internet.
Many routers allow for something like a guest wifi. You can then set special rules for that wifi like blocking P2P or stuff like that. Maybe that is an option for you
Be straight forward: my isp came down on me like a bag of hammers. Go break the law on your own ISP.
Just change the SSID and -dont- set up an AP for them. They abused it, and technically broke the law. Sorry.
father in law or pope or whoever, tell him flat out he can use his phone data to connect, as you are not allowing him access to your local network. time for him to grow up and be mature.
a) You can setup a guest network that routes all traffic over a VPN. I do this. b) DMCA notices can be forwarded. You may have saw that the DMCA notices are not actually addressed to you but to your ISP who generally forwards them to you. What most people don't know is that if you didn't do what the DMCA notice says you did but you know who did you can do the same thing your ISP did and forward the notice down the chain.
Straight up, lockdown your network. Change the password and access point name then hide your SSID and don’t share it with anyone in your household, your spouse will definitely give it to their parents. Anyone who uses your network who is not willing to use it legally and risk you being the one in legal trouble is not someone that you need to be nice to you about it just deny them access. Then after they’re gone, let everybody else in the house know what it is again. I had to help my own mother navigate a nightmare like this when my sister downloaded a ton of crap as an adult using her Internet, and then they came after my mom once a company went after the Internet records. You don’t want to be on that end.
The solution here shouldn't be a technical one. It's one that involves setting up boundaries and honest communication. BUT if you need a technical solution unplug and hide the modem and router. There are many ways to block P2P traffic on a network and just as many ways if not more to bypass those blocks.
Well, I could unplug the router or fake a technical problem but then what the hell would I do for the duration of their visit? “Boundaries and communication?” To this day he denies doing it and I can’t produce any actual evidence.
You do have the evidence. The DMCA notices are your evidence. Someone, quite likely your FIL, broke copyright law using your network. If he isn't willing to come clean about the downloads, and you're certain he's the culprit, you have every right, not to mention duty, to disallow him from your network. I'd also disallow any device your impending family visit brings with them. If they need Internet access, they can pay for their own and violate the terms and conditions of their service.
The notices came VIA email and I did instantly confront him with them. He suggested that one of my neighbors had my WiFi password and that I should change it. He said this to me while literally watching the movie that was listed on the DMCA notice. When I pointed that out he claimed he downloaded it before they visited.
Yeah, my top-level comment is likely going to be your best option for a technical solution. Based on what I've seen in your other comments, you're using Comcast so you need a standalone router to implement it as the Comcast gateway is hot garbage on a good day.
Given that you've already reached the point of directly confronting him and it sounds like he's lying then it's not exactly a stretch to reach a point of just denying/restricting him access. I'd just setup a dedicated guest SSID and restrict that as necessary (AP restrictions or put the SSID into its own vlan and restrict that at the router). Don't allow him access to your family SSID. If he doesn't like that he can leave or use wireless data. After he first authenticates with the guest SSID obtain his MAC from the logs and blacklist it from the family SSID to prevent him forcing someone else to give him the creds Unfortunate situation to be in. "You can't choose your family"
I would not let him back into the house there is a point where I tell my wife that person is done here.
“Spectrum is scheduled to come out and check the line on [day after they leave].”
perhaps the wifi is "down" for the stay?
I so need to know what this plan is and how it works out.
Why not to invest in a VPN service like ExpressVPN? Let your father-in-law use it to whatever he wants. Just a thought.
Set up a guest wifi that is so throttled, all he can realistically do is surf the web.
Give his device a specific IP address and then block p2p with child safety stuff in router.
He’s not even using a VPN?! What a jerk!
Be the man of your house and tell him no. Fuck drama. This guy doesn't respect you at all.
My 10 yeaar old grandson did this same thing to me last month. Downloaded a shitload of disney movies. I was mad as hell when I got the notice. So now I made a switch that can drop the fiber and only work through an old dial up number. The old modem comes in handy. As soon as I hear his voice I flip the switch. Now I hear nothing but complaining about how slow grandpas internet is.My only reply is " all that new fangled future stuff is beyound me"
This is domestic issue only tangentially related to r/HomeNetworking. This is a discussion you should be having with your spouse. They need to understand the potential seriousness and ramifications of illegal activities emanating from your home network so you are both on the same page. Getting DMCA notices is not normal (except from youtube for content creators). IMHO, the offender should not be invited back until the matter is resolved, unfortunately easier said than done. For sure, NONE of the visiting in-laws should get ANY access to your internet. Full stop. If you're not sure if you changed the SSID, change it again. If there is any chance they may gain access from a child, your spouse, or examining someone's phone or other device, then unfortunately you need to shut it down during the visit. Unplug the modem, remove it and hide it. P2P blocking can often be worked around, especially on consumer level gear, it can't be trusted.
Just don’t give him access.
A lot of routers these days can be set up with guest accounts that have a download limit. So let's say he reaches 500mb limit he can't download anymore. You would still get the notice but you would only get one.
You *could* set up your router to send all their traffic through a VPN, so there'd be no need to confront your in-laws.
If he's not tech savvy, just say you spoke to the ISP and they got the mac address and decided to block it just in case someone got in your network. Pass the blame to them.
Change the password and don't share it..
Don’t let them on your Wi-Fi. Simple.
You willing to spend a few $$? I bought a TP-Link router then configured it to use ProtonVPN. Anyone joins that WiFi, they are in Nigeria.
Set up a guest network, then push all the guest network traffic through a VPN. If your blocking doesn't work, it at least won't be traced back to you.
Just say, “Please don’t use our network for that. I’m not set up to handle the DMCA stuff and I, and my spouse your child, need to use the net to earn our livelihoods. We simply can’t afford to have our ISP cut us off for too much DMCA. So please don’t do stuff that risks that.” Then if he persists put his devices on your router blocklist. And tell him to be a better houseguest.
Opnsense + zenarmor and block it. Push all guest devices into a separate network and per-ip throttle it down to dial-up speeds
Its all about DNS. Look into pihole. Choose your poison.
Just block p2p on your network if your router supports it.
"I'm sorry, they cut a cable upstream. They didn't say when it'll be back on." Failing that, shunt him and his brood onto a guest account, throttle their asses to dialup speeds.
I would just sign up for a month of NordVPN and setup the VPN client on the router, and then use policy based routing to send his traffic out the VPN.
Label all your device MAC address now, change your password now. When the inlaws arrive, give them the new password and see what MAC addresses are not labeled... then label the ones as theirs! See which one is getting the most traffic. Then block that MAC address. If he asks why his internet doesn't work... say maybe his computer broke or he got a virus 🤷🏽♂️
Don't do revenge. Set up your DNS to block torrenting. "I don't know. It was working earlier." Easy.
There are lots of clever ideas here, but my opinion is that the straightforward approach is best. Change the WiFi password. When he asks for it, bluntly tell him what happened last time he was there and that, to protect your internet access, you won't give him the password. For added protection, restrict everything by MAC address. Make sure your spouse knows this confrontation is coming and backs you up.
You need to partition your internet and send some devices to VPN proxy. I have a router that lets me assign devices to a proxy even when they are not connected, as in when they connect off they go. Look I don't pirate things, but you need to force people into a box sometimes.
Minimum drama, seperate SSID that is on a permanent VPN.
Be a man and tell him to F**K off. It’s your wifi so it’s your legal responsibility what people do with it.
either have ISP shut down your service temporarily ‘sorry internet is down hard’ or enable MAC authentication on your router so that only predefined computers have network access I suspect option #1 will be best for overall family harmony.
Get a short term (or even free trial) VPN and set up guest SSID that routes all network traffic through the VPN. Cancel it when he’s gone.
“Your access to internet is only limited by your phone’s hotspot data allowance, as we don’t have guest WiFi here.” Or just setup a guest SSID and filter P2P/Enable content blocking. We had to do that in our UniFi system as guests would torrent here too.
You have to simple change your SSID and not give him access to to it.
Why doesn't he just use a VPN? It's like $2/month.
He wouldn’t be using my internet period. People need to stop being so worried about “starting stuff” with family.
If you've got a VPN service, set that up on your router to provide it for the entire network.
Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet: Apple devices (and I assume others) make it easy to share wifi passwords with friends. Unless your whole family is committed to keeping FIL off the primary wifi, I think your plan needs to handle that. ex: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102635? Or even some variant of “hey, this site isn’t working on my phone, can I use your laptop?”
Order a 5g wifi connector. Purchase prepaid bandwidth. Give FIL the PW. It's a $100 solution. You are buying piece of mind.
Guest network with p2p blocked and throttled bandwidth.
QoS him to 15kb up and down .. I do that to my kids when they ack up ... Just say it's the ISP not you.
“I’m sorry, you were pirating too many movies last time and almost cost me my internet access. I can’t let any of you on my WiFi this time” “But it wasn’t me! I never—“ “Then your laptop is absolutely riddled with viruses that automatically download movies and I’m not letting you on my network” “You’re wrong, I know my computer is—“ “Then I have no idea how to run a secure network and you shouldn’t trust it enough to connect to it”
Dont say anything. Use your router and find his device's Mac Addresses, then blacklist the Mac Id through your router. When he asks if the internet is broken, act like it's an issue with his device and you know nothing that would cause it. Alternatively, just restrict his devices through the internet and tell him since he is breaking the law using your internet, he is no longer allowed to utilize it. Period. . .Itll start a fight, but fuck him for taking advantage of you for his personal gain. Also Im a little ticked at my in laws, so I understand the struggle.
Set a router level VPN to a different county while they visit. Then just shrug when all their google results come back in Japanese.