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You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Networking > Apple Base Station-Blocking websites

Apple Base Station-Blocking websites
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markw10
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Aug 2006
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Apr 6, 2011, 03:08 AM
 
I have a home network that consists of two routers. First I have my cable modem that is connected to an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. I tend to use that as the 'n' network for my computers so any devices using n networking connect to that.
I then have a cable that goes from my Apple Airport Extreme Base Station to a Linksys E3000 router. I tend to use that as my g router and connect many devices that only have g wi-fi to it.
Here is the problem:
Because of a couple children that have iPod Touches and Macbooks I like to have them connect to the E3000 since it has great website blocking. I wish the Apple Base Station had website blocking but as far as I see it doesn't. Also, this website blocking has worked great since I installed the router but here is the problem. They frequently have to print items and they're unable to print since it won't find the printer.
The printer that I have is connected by Ethernet cable to the Apple Base Station. It appears I have two ways of connecting the E3000 router to my Base Station. The way I currently have it connected is the E3000 is connected to the Apple router through the Internet port on the back. By doing this I get full internet and website blocking but I am unable to print through it. Yet if I connect it to the Apple router through one of it's numbered (1-4) ports, I still get internet, I'm able to print, but yet the website blocking does not work.
Since the Apple base station doesn't have website blocking as far as I know the only way I can think of getting around this is to replace my Apple Base Station with another E3000 but I don't want to do this unless I have to.
Is there any way I can either hook up the E3000 to the Apple router or configure the router so that I can have everything I need, internet access, website blocking, but also be able to print through it? Because of the location of the printer I cannot hook up the printer to the E3000.
Thank you for your help.
     
ibook_steve
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Jose, CA
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Apr 6, 2011, 09:38 AM
 
I'm not quite understanding your setup:

cable modem -> AEBS -> E3000

You say in one configuration that the E3000 is connected to the AEBS through the "Internet" port. Do you mean the WAN port? I don't understand how this could work because the cable modem has to be connected to that. How are you getting on the Internet in this setup?

The second configuration you mention makes more sense. Are you sure that your kids are connecting to the E3000 wireless and not the AEBS wireless? It's possible they're connecting to the wrong wifi which would explain why the blocking is not working. The AEBS can do n or g, so maybe the wrong SSID has been selected or your kids have figured out how to get past the filter!

You could also, of course, set up parental controls directly on their devices.

Steve
Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
     
sfederman
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
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Apr 12, 2011, 06:24 AM
 
It sounds like the E3000 is connected via either its Internet port (or WAN port) in your method 1, or a numbered LAN port (method 2). The printer is hooked up via ethernet to the Airport Extreme Base Station, so using method 1, it is inaccessible to anything hooked up to the LAN ports of the E3000. This is a double NAT setup, and while it can be used to isolate networks in order to provide filtering as you have done, it does not allow the 2 NAT'd networks to easily see each other - which is why users connected to the E3000 cannot print.

Your second method flattens the network into one, which allows printing, but does not allow you to filter the web.

There are several ways to fix this:

1. Replace the Airport Extreme (which does not have built in parental controls) and use the E3000 as your primary router. It is a dual band router, and has b,g, and n built-in. It also has the capability of setting parental controls on a per-user basis, so you can set up the controls on the machines you want. You can add back the Airport in order to expand the WiFi signal if you'd like - you'll want to switch it to bridge mode in order to avoid the same issue of not seeing the printer when connected to it.

2. Set up your network so everyone can print, then, as Steve mentioned - you could run your parental controls on the devices - this may or may not be feasible with your setup.

3. You can offload your website blocking to something like OpenDNS, which would also let you set up these blocks on a per-computer basis.

Hope this helps,

-Scot
( Last edited by sfederman; Apr 12, 2011 at 06:45 AM. )
     
   
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