How to Control WiFi Access for Specific Devices

Today's TipsMake will show you how to control which devices (computers, phones, tablets, etc.) are allowed to connect to the Internet through your wireless access point. The process will vary depending on the manufacturer, but in general you can apply the Linksys and Netgear instructions below to interact with most other router interfaces.

With Linksys router

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Connect to the router using a web browser. You can access the router using the router's IP address similar to any website. Here's how to determine the address on Windows and macOS:

On Windows:

Open the Start menu and click Settings .

Click Network & Internet .

Click View your network properties . It's at the bottom of the main frame. The IP address will be listed under the ″Default gateway″ heading.

On macOS:

Open the Apple menu and click System Preferences .

Click Network .

Click Advanced . It's at the bottom of the right pane. You may need to click the connection in the left pane first to see this option.

Click the TCP/IP tab . The IP address is the series of numbers next to the ″Router″ header.

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Log in with admin username and password. Unless you've changed your login information, both the username and password are admin.

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Find the MAC address of the device you want to restrict. A quick way to determine this is to connect the device to the router immediately, then determine the device's entry in the DHCP table. First connect the device, next, you will proceed as follows:

Click the Status tab at the top of the page.

Click the Local Network subtab.

Click DHCP Client Table . A list of all devices connected to the router will appear. IP and MAC addresses are also shown next to each device.

Copy the MAC address of each device you want to control and paste it into a text editor.

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Click the Access Restrictions tab . This option is at the top of the page.

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Click OK .

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Create a new Access Policy list. This is a list that controls which devices on the network can access the Internet (or certain ports/websites) through this router.

Select the number in the ″Access Blocking Policy″ drop-down menu.

Enter a name for the list next to the ″Enter Policy Name″ line (for example, ″Block these devices,″ ″Allow these devices″).

Click Edit List .

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Enter the MAC address of the device you want to limit. Add each address to the corresponding device's line.

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Click Save Settings .

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Click Close . So you can choose to allow or block these devices.

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Select Allow or Deny .

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Choose when to allow or deny these devices. To block these devices at all times of the day, select Every Day and 24 Hours . Or you can also choose specific days and times to limit access.

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Limit access to certain websites (optional). If you want to block certain websites from this list, enter the URL (for example, www.wikihow.com) in the ″URL″ space.

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Limit access to certain applications (optional). To prevent these devices from using certain ports or applications, you can select the service from the ″Applications″ menu and click the arrow to add it to the ″Blocked List″ column. ).

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Click Save Settings . So the settings will be updated, and the restrictions (or permissions) you selected will begin to apply.

To add another list, select another number from the ″Access Blocking Policy″ menu, create a new list name and click Edit List to add the item.

With Netgear router

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Connect to your Wi-Fi router using a web browser. The easy way to connect to a Netgear router is to open a browser and visit Routerlogin.net.

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Log in with administrator rights. If you haven't changed it yourself, please enter adminyour username and password as password.

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Click the Advanced tab . This tag is usually located near the top left corner of the page.

Different Netgear router models will have slightly different administration website interfaces.

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Click Security . It's in the left column.

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Click Access Control. This is one of the options under the ″Security.″ heading.

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Check the box next to ″Turn on Access Control″. A list of all devices currently connected to the network will appear, and there will also be links to view devices that were previously connected but are currently offline.

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Select access rules. Choose one of the following two options:

Allow all new devices to connect: This option allows any device to connect to the network as long as the user enters the correct Wi-Fi password. This option is for you if you want to block specific devices, not all.

Block all new devices from connecting: This option does not allow any devices to connect to the Wi-Fi network (even if they have a password) unless you add the corresponding device's MAC address to the list.

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Find the device you want to block (or allow). If the device is not online right now, you can click View list of allowed devices not currently connected to the network to find it.

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