1y ago

Bypassing "wifi pausing"

I'm currently stuck in a used bedroom infested with flies at the time of writing this.

My parents have decided to block internet whenever I try to move my PC back upstairs. Asking them wouldn't work out because it usually falls on deaf ears.

A few days ago, they moved it without my knowledge, and I noticed that my folding table was gone from my bedroom.

I'm planning to set it back up again, but they might turn my internet off when they catch me. I'm trying to get a few ideas and create a plan to move my PC back upstairs.

I found a few tutorials on getting through parental controls, but the tutorials are done on Windows and parental controls are set up using TP-Link.

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Depending on the type of flies, an open container with apple cider vinegar (not white vinegar) and a drop or so of dish soap will lure flies in and they will drown. It helps with smaller flies.
As for the Internet, that's tough, no idea.

You might have to just jack it to lingerie catalogues like I did at your age.
- Ah yes, Ye Olde Searse Cataloge

So, you can work around these things but you're going to run into problems if you do:
-If you reset the router, you need to restore the original password else they'll know
-if they notice you using these devices when you wouldn't have access, they'll remove them further from your reach. Possibly permanently.
-If detected, a larger conflict is likely to be escalated. This includes a loss of the benefit of the doubt in the future.
I'd suggest that this is not the battle to fight. They're likely fighting your apparent obsession with tech. Let them have this battle and continue your fun later.
Try the Stormlight Archive, wheel of time, or mistborn books. Maybe the redwall books if you're younger. Fun and focus can still be had without a computer!
- I give you an upvote, because you are right on all counts. However, I feel the need to post this video response for grins.
  asdf internet vs book

there's two possibilities for this wifi blocking:
it's setup to only allow whitelisted devices, in this case you're fucked, only option is to pretend to be some whitelisted device
it's a blacklist, in this case changing your mac address will make you appear to be a new device, anyone monitoring the device list could see the unknown device appear
- I know nobody likes a know-it-all. But FYI: The current suggestion is to call these allowlist and blocklist. I'm not sure how they're called on the router. The terms have been out there for a few years already.
  
  One question that I have though is where does it end? The word blacklist from an etymology standpoint has got bothing to do with race. So where do we disregard the historical context of the meaning of words because people take it out of context and it makes them feel uneasy?
  I am not saying that I am against using blocklist instead of blacklist. I am just asking. Where does the history anfd usage behind the term supercede the out of context hurt feelings?
  
  Are people really trying to make blacklist and whitelist a race thing? Good Lord.
  Are we going to start referring to cables as having female-identifying ends and male-identifying ends? Are USB-C cables non-binary?
  
  Wow. Just wow. I'm deliberately not replying to any single comment. I didn't know this is such an emotionally charged topic. And I don't like it.
  I know the relation to 'race' and that being the cause for people arguing about it a few years ago. But isn't it a better term? If I want to block something with my firewall... I'm putting it on the blocklist (or deny-list). If I want to allow something... It's on the allowlist. Forgive me, maybe I'm a nerd and I don't care so much about the etymology. Why bring in (random) colors? Can I please use the term because I think it fits better?
  And the discussion immediately shifting to connector genders... Well. Yeah I get it, it's a funny subject. And comparing something with protruding parts to a penis is funny. Also for me... But you people immediately having trouble with the terms, (rightfully) bringing in hermaphroditic connectors. And there being several disctinct/binary ones but with ambiguities so that it's more convention than protruding bits in case of electronics... It just shows naming connector sides that way is a stupid idea. It get's you most of the way but after that, it just confuses people and stops describing anything useful. I'm a bit unsure about this. Because it's one of the few accepted penis jokes you can make at work or a conference (at least innuendo). And I don't want to lose all of them. But it has never been a good 'analogy' in the sense that it is a good descriptive way to name connectors.

Even if you did, what would you do when your parents saw you using the internet after they've cut you out? There's no special orogram for that.

Clean the room that your computer is now in, and use the computer in that room. You don't need the computer to be in your bedroom.

That is a weird whinge. Good on your parents for putting their foot down. If you show them some responsibility they will show you some trust.
What on earth is a used bedroom? Do you not know how to clean your room?

Why are they stopping you move your PC upstairs? This doesn't make much sense. They allow you to use it downstairs?
- I had strict parents growing up, they probably want the computer in a visible location so they can make sure OP isn’t watching porn or something
  
  Or online all night instead of getting some sleep.
- As a parent myself I often have to pause my kids internet because modern games and social media are addictive. I tell my kids it’s time to get off (because bed time, family activity, meals, etc etc) and they’re stuck in that “just one more” mind set. They can’t see that they’re addicted and we need some way to break the connection. We give them 30 minute warnings and remind them all the way down to zero and they still won’t shut down. If the parents are enforcing public usage it’s likely because the kid has been caught behaving inappropriately in private.
  To the OP, maybe instead of trying to get around your parents rules, listen to them and understand why. Show some responsibility and they might start to trust you.
  
  Add in the modern problem of having the kids use up all our bandwidth downloading games
  My wife and I WFH and could run simultaneous web calls no problem. As soon as a kid started downloading a new game or update, our meetings lagged
  We have fibre now so it isn't an issue, but these are things my parents never had to deal with
- op definitely got caught crangling the hoagie

What is a "used" bedroom? As for flies, buy a pack of fly strips for a couple bucks. That should handle your introductory list of "oppression".
All you are going to do is prove that your parents are right to not trust you. Consider why they don't want you to have it in your room? What happened that they won't allow it? Or maybe you need to prove you can be trusted with it first?
If this was one of my children acting in open defiance like this, the next step would be locking the PC in a closet for a month, and then trying again with it downstairs. To allow them to earn trust back.
This is not the way.
- The points you raise about trust are good and I agree but "Acting in open defience"? What kind of authority do you have at home
  
  If the parents took the computer out of the room, told OP that they could not put the computer back in the bedroom, and used parental controls to limit internet access, I would consider moving it back into the bedroom anyway and bypassing the limits as "open defiance".

It sorta depends on exactly how the blocking works but it’s most likely by MAC address. You can spoof this address through windows I believe, which will make the network view you as a different system.
This article provided a few ways to do this: https://www.digitalcitizen.life/change-mac-address-windows/
That would be your path of least resistance to dodge network blocking, assuming it’s being filtered via MAC address
- Could it be Mac filtering though? Sounds like they're implying that only when the computer goes upstairs it would be blocked.
  
  My interpretation is that the parents are manually putting blocks in place after the device is moved. Of course if that’s the case and they’re actively managing this, you can get around it but they’ll notice eventually either way.
  Without knowing more specifics it’s hard to say. If it’s over a wireless network, using consumer grade equipment, Mac filtering is the option most people have out of the box. They can enable/disable it from a phone if they’re using TP-Links app.
  Anything else involves VLANs and firewall rules, and if that’s the case OP is out of their depth

This is what we in the business call a "skill issue."
There are ways around it, yes. But none of them are plug-and-play unless you're lucky, and a reliable solution will require a combination of technical ability, stealth and social engineering.
Just read a book my man.

What I would personally do is buy a device that can connected to wifi and hotspot at the same time. This can be a raspberry pi or a wifi router range extender.
I would set the name and MAC address to match a device that is constantly connected, a smart TV or Alexa maybe.
Then I would use this device connect to the internet.
Everything works as usual and for those who monitor the network via Router settings, nothing looks different.
Have fun pulling risky moves and maybe also learn something out of it.
- One of these is $40 USD, and can be configured to provide a VPN for all through-traffic. They're small, portable, discrete, and cheap. I love these devices. The slightly more expensive model gives you WiFi 6. They were designed as portable bridges for insecure locations, creating a private LAN; they are powered by USB-C, so could be run off a laptop.
  This would be the first thing I'd try.
- Deliberately duplicate a mac address, and worse, deliberately pick a device that's definitely going to be online in the same network segment?
  At first I thought you were either trolling or profoundly ignorant.
  Then I remembered that wifi is CSMA, and thought, hang on... is this actually a genius idea? Has this user come up with a hack that no-one else knows about? So I tried it.
  It doesn't work. I couldn't even join.
  So no, you are either trolling or ignorant.
  Hers some discussion and links, for anyone interested: https://superuser.com/questions/1132935/duplicate-mac-on-a-wifi-network-problems
  
  I think you are missing my point. The "pretending" device connects to router, while the "original" device connects to the pretending device. The 2 interfaces that share the same MAC don't connect to the same network.
  The user also conncets to the pretending device. to hide their access to the router.

Check if the password and user name is the default for the model. Google the model or see if there is a sticker on it.
There is usually a factory reset button. Again Google how to do that for your model. Then you can log in with the default password. It will also reset every other setting too so if you lack the knowledge to reconfigure everything else they will notice.
If either of your parents is better than you at IT I advise against trying. They will notice.

Bummer?

How are you posting this? Just tether your phone and use that instead

Get a shitty laptop or tablet and access this pic remotely.
For games use Steam’s streaming app.

Spoof your MAC address, but it will appear as a new device on the wi-fi which could arouse suspicion. Ideally you could spoof a familiar device that's not currently or often in use (i.e., parents' or siblings' old phone or laptop), but of course you would need to acquire the MAC and it wouldn't work while the actual device is connected.

I don't know how old you are or how much money you have to spend on this.
I don't know shit about tech. If I had to find a workaround, I'd buy my own portable modem and keep it secret.
Caveats of this method: you may need to be of a certain age to purchase one. (Perhaps second hand....? You will still need a card for it though). Second issue with this is, how much data are you going to use? This may not work if you are planning on gaming. But if you just need to browse the web discreetly, it will be good enough.

49 comments