Trilight Zone

[digital8]

I have 4 kids that love to browse the internet, but I work all day and can’t manage their time and the content they view. There are dozens of blockers you can install, but you have to manage it and I simply don’t have the time. Most of you are running Windows 2000 or XP and for those that are, here a quick fix to block the Internet while you are not home. This will stop the Internet connection completely and then start the connection at a time you specify.

My first child comes home at 2:30 pm and either my wife or I get home around 6:00 pm. I want to stop the Internet before 2:30 pm and turn it on when I get home. Create a batch file and save it as Stop.bat. Inside the batch file, copy and paste the line below.

ipconfig /release

Create another batch file and save it as Start.bat and add the line below.

ipconfig /renew

Save both batch files to the C:\Windows directory. Click on Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools and click on Scheduled Tasks. Click on Add Scheduled Task and a wizard will appear. Go through the wizard and add the batch file called Stop.bat. Select the schedule you want to stop the Internet connection and finish the wizard. Open the wizard again to add the Start.bat schedule. Follow the same directions as above, but schedule a time of day for the batch file to start the Internet connection again.

Note: While in the wizard, you must add a password to the account you specify. If the password is blank, the task will not run.

One good way to keep your kids from looking at inappropriate material is to keep the computer in a family room. Having a computer in their bedroom may lead them to think they won't get caught, or even worse, that it's ok.