How do I mess with someone on my wireless network?

[0x2620]

My brother-in-law lives in our garage and I can't kick him out (yet). He refuses to contribute anything to the household. All he does is sit in the garage and play games on the internet.

What can I do to ban his devices from our wireless network, throttle his connection, make his connection less reliable, and otherwise force him to leave the garage?

[z31fanatic]

Change the wifi password?

[richyrich]

Love him . . and love him some more. His conscience will do the rest.

[MtnDewManiac]

Love him . . and love him some more. His conscience will do the rest.

Yes, since that's working so well already.

My brother-in-law lives in our garage and I can't kick him out (yet).

As long as he knows this, do not expect his attitude to change. You can do things that would cause him to have to work to get back onto your WiFi - but with most consumer-level wireless routers, there won't be much work involved. Find a friend that he doesn't know and get the friend to come around to look at the garage apartment as if he was a prospective renter. When your freeloading in-law wants to know what's going on, tell him that since he's obviously made no effort to contribute to your household, you've placed an ad and are in the process of finding someone who will. If that doesn't cause him to rejoin the human race as a contributing member, then place an actual ad and rent the apartment.

What can I do to ban his devices from our wireless network, throttle his connection, make his connection less reliable, and otherwise force him to leave the garage?

A simple web search on securing your wireless router will give you all the information that you need. You'll learn about preventing physical access. Don't allow him free run of your home. You'll also learn about changing settings on your router. I assume that it's not an old one that uses WEP, but the newer modes of security aren't a great deal more robust. You should find information about configuring your router so that it does not advertise its presence to the neighborhood. And so on.

But really, you're looking at doing things to inconvenience someone who wants to use your WiFi - not prevent him from doing so. You're probably stuck until you address the greater issue.

If you're allowing him access, and he ends up doing something that is considered to be illegal in your area, you might be a party to it, legally speaking. While it is doubtful that this could lead to legal difficulties, it is something that you should be aware of.

Regards,
MDM

[majpooper]

Unless he is really network savvy - go into your router settings and, as someone has said, change the wifi password. You could also stop broadcasting the SSID so he will not even be able to see your wifi router. Last use the MAC filter on the router that only lets certain devices access your wifi router. Like I said,none of this will stop a real hard core computer hacker - but your bro-in-law - probably. Of course if his sister decides this is really too mean then you will have another set of problems - then again you could plead ignorance " gee everything was working fine, he must have tried to access some illegal sites and stuff and got banned from the inter-net and stuff, oh God I hope we don't get in trouble.

[MintBean]

It's a bit of effort, but you could turn his internet upside down, make it blurry etc.
Sounds like a very unfortunate situation where you're helping him out but he won't help you a little. I wish you all the best.

http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pete/upside-down-ternet.html

[coffee412]

See if you can block sites in your router. Start blocking things like google or just start blocking all the <violates forum rules> sites and such.

If he is free loading off you then I guess you have the right to filter what he is able to get on your internet connection.

You can also probably block him by his hardware ID.

[catweazel]

What can I do to ban his devices from our wireless network, throttle his connection, make his connection less reliable, and otherwise force him to leave the garage?

You should be talking to your wife about how to deal with it, not to faceless strangers on a linux forum.

[MintBean]

You should be talking to your wife about how to deal with it, not to faceless strangers on a linux forum.

Where does it even say he has a wife, let alone whether she's tech savvy enough to secure the router?

[catweazel]

Where does it even say he has a wife

In English it's called implication:

My brother-in-law...

Ok, spouse is as far as I'll retract to, and no more than that.

let alone whether she's tech savvy enough to secure the router?

Who said anything about technical stuff? That's a rhetorical question, not requiring a response

[Fred Barclay]

You should be talking to your wife about how to deal with it, not to faceless strangers on a linux forum.

This.

[1.618]

1) Change wifi password
2) change router admin password
3)blacklist his device via mac filter within router if you have one
4)blacklist websites that ony he uses
5) get his device mac address and then run mdk3 to jam his wifi access point, you have 3 options within mdk3

create fake networks that overload his wifi card with too many networks
ddos his access point with multiple access requests
a deauth attack which should disconnect him and ask him to re-authorise his connection

Make sure you use the option to target a specific device otherwise you will jam the entire neighbourhood, which is always fun when you have annoying neighbours but not so good when other family members are trying to get online

6) put the enitre household on cabled connections and switch wifi off completely
7)change the locks to the garage door and disconnect the power
8 ) pay some shady people to burgle the garage and remove his consoles and pc's (bit rude this one)
9)sit down and have it out with him, tell him to pay up or clear off

Family feuds are never good, hope it works itself out for you

[MintBean]

Where does it even say he has a wife

In English it's called implication:

My brother-in-law...

Sister's husband would also fit the definition.

let alone whether she's tech savvy enough to secure the router?

Who said anything about technical stuff? That's a rhetorical question, not requiring a response

Haha... is it?

[catweazel]

Sister's husband would also fit the definition.

As would brother's husband.

[majpooper]

You should be talking to your wife about how to deal with it, not to faceless strangers on a linux forum.

This.

Oh you guys are no fun and probably can't relate - hey, I have a bro-n-law that doesn't live in my garage but if he did . . . . .

[NessM]

Asking for help about how to damage someone... So is this help now or what it is?

Why can't you have just a chat about the situation, and clarify you might take action if nothing changes? Not a chat between just the two of you, but among at least three or more people.

You might mess with his internet, he might mess with your car or worse. Just saying. You wouldn't be the first. Spare yourself the aggro. Try first the nice way, if it doesn't work then you've got other (legal) ways. Ask your lawyer. Ask other forums providing support on personal topics. Just ask around how to solve a problem, instead of creating new ones for yourself and your family.

In case things scalate further between you both, in which forum will you ask? 'Home cyberwar for everybody'?
It's just not worth it...

[samriggs]

If possible only allow 3 sites he can access
1: job bank site
2: apartment rentals
3: freeloaders and how to deal with them

Although I agree with richy there about love sometimes you have to deal a hard hand to move someone's butt.
To many folks use family because they work off of and use the heart strings to have someone else pay their way through life.

In the past I had a best friend try this on me once, he did not want to work with his hands after I offered him a good job and he was living off of me, I wrote the number for the local homeless shelter and showed him the door, he said you wouldn't kick a friend out, I just replied, a friend wouldn't try to put this kind of burden on someone he says is his friend and shut the door with him on the other side of it, I also asked him if he didn't want to work with his hands if he was going to use his feet instead

My situation was easy but then I can be a hammer when needed, you sound like you have a spouse to contend with in this one which can lead to a choice that might not be nice.
I feel for you, not nice to have a freeloader put you in this position.
Got to love outlaws (err I mean inlaws).

If you can't parent control the sites through the router, then I would just jam the mac altogether from any access at all, change the password and make it a hidden connection.
Lure a skunk into the garage.

Either way your going to have to make the choice with the spouse on what you both are going to do about it.
Me I'm more upfront about these kind of things and very blunt, but that way is not for everyone.

[MintBean]

I'm totally with Sam here. People are asking the OP to be the good samaritan but it looks to me like he has been and it's now turned into exploitation. In my experience this only occurs in one set of circumstances - decoupling of action and repercussion. In this case, if the BIL sits on his backside all the repercussion is on the OP- he has to continue supporting the lazy BIL, BIL gets rewarded with continuing cheap or free board and free services, and most likely the OP gets it in the neck from his wife for even considering not supporting the freeloader.

There's a fine line between a saint and a doormat. Let's not expect the OP to become the latter.

[majpooper]

Bean is right - the OP is basically asking how he can make sponging off him not quite as comfortable for his bother-in-law. Living in his garage for free and not having Inter-net access is hardly inhumane and maybe if his living situation was a bit more austere he would be motivated to do something about being self sufficient.

[samriggs]

To be honest if it was me and the freeloader refused to move I would cut off the internet and tell him to go get a job to pay for his own, I would also give a moving date to urge him along and if it goes past this I would have a discussion how it's cruel to use a family member, if that did not work, I would lure the skunk into the garage, heck i would move a whole family of skunks in there and just tell him they needed a place to stay also, since they are all living off of me it's my choice who moves in, and the skunks have just as much right as he does, they can share the bed covers.