For anyone who’s been around for a while, it’s easy to recall when the internet was an unknown entity. These days, most people know how to turn off the internet in their home – be it to unplug the router or change passwords on your device. Here are nine ways you can make sure your house is locked down to anyone trying to use it as a WiFi hotspot.
How to turn off the internet in your house
9 ways to turn off the internet in your home
There are many ways to turn off the internet. You can turn off the router or unplug the Ethernet cable, but you can also try one of the more convenient and practical ways:
- Change WiFi password
- Forget the WiFi network on the paired devices
- Using an app on your phone to disable connectivity
- Change/hide Wi-Fi SSID
- MAC address filtering
- Using parental control apps
If you have a smart hub in your house (e.g. Amazon Echo or Google Home ), it might even be possible for someone who knows how to use their voice to talk to that hub (and if not, then they can maybe just yell at him) with instructions like „Turn off my internet connection!“
What is a router?
Before explaining the different ways you can turn off the internet in your home, you need to know what a router is. A router, also called a modem, is a device that connects your computer to the Internet. You can use a WiFi router to connect multiple devices to the internet that share a connection (and save money).
Turn off the router
People who have a router in their homes can use it to turn off the internet. You can press a button on your router that will disconnect all connected devices. This can be done by pressing „WPS“ or „Reset“ – these buttons may be labeled differently depending on the router brand.
Disconnecting the Ethernet cable
Instead of turning off the router, you can disconnect the Ethernet cable. If you have a wired Ethernet router (meaning it plugs directly into an outlet), locate the blocky power cord coming out of the back of the router and gently tug until it comes out of the outlet.
Disconnecting or turning off the router is easy, but not foolproof. While unplugging your router may temporarily stop people from using the internet, it won’t stop them from getting back online later.
One way around this problem is to use a power strip with a switch that you can flick if you want to disable access for everyone in the house (or just yourself). If you’re worried about someone else turning on the power and getting back online without your knowledge, you should try one of the following methods.
WiFi blocking apps
Some apps allow you to turn off the internet on your phone or tablet . Some routers come with a companion app to manage WiFi access. To check if you are lucky enough to have such a router, visit the manufacturer’s website and look for a software update option. If available, download and install it. If it’s not available, don’t lose hope. You can use a WiFi blocking app like WiFi Blocker. With this app you can kick out users who you don’t want to connect to your wifi. For more information on how to use this app, see this article on our blog: Can you block a device from WWiFiNetworks? | A Guide for Parents.
Change WiFi password
You can also easily change the password on your router, which will keep most people off your WiFi. It’s a great way to limit access, but it’s also important to share passwords with family members and babysitters who watch your kids while you’re at work. Read my instruction on how to change wifi password .
Don’t save the WiFi network anymore
If you no longer save the WiFi network, you must unpair the devices already connected to your WiFi network. This method can be a good way to cut off children’s access to the Internet. But I doubt your neighbor using your internet discreetly would unpair their devices just by asking! So, maybe it’s better to try other methods.
Change/Hide WiFi SSID & MAC Address Filtering
Every device connected to your WiFi has a unique code called MAC address. You can go into your router’s configurations and block the MAC addresses that you want to disconnect from your WiFi. Likewise, you can change and hide the name of your WiFi network – better known as SSID – to prevent all devices connected to your WiFi network from connecting to the internet. After changing and hiding the SSID, everyone should enter the WiFi name and password whenever they want to join.
Accessing the router’s configurations to adjust the SSID and MAC addresses is a little tricky and requires computer skills. While there are easier and more practical ways to turn off the internet on certain devices , there should be no reason for you to try them. However, I have already explained how to do it in this article: Can you block a device from WiFi networks? | A Guide for Parents.
Parental Control Apps
If you intend to turn off the internet of your house to prevent your kids from spending too much time on the internet or accessing inappropriate content online, I suggest a more efficient alternative to the above solutions. Instead of shutting down the internet to everyone, including yourself, you can install a parental control app like Safes on your child’s phone, tablet, or computer. This allows you to control how much time they spend on their devices and which apps and websites they can use
If you want to learn more about how Safes works, check out the features page on our website. Download Safes and benefit from a 14-day free trial with premium features. We will not ask you for your credit card information.
conclusion
There are many ways to turn off the internet, but these methods are not foolproof. If you’re looking for a way to ensure that nobody can access your internet connection, you need to use apps like WiFi Blocker. If you’re trying to turn off the internet to control how your kids use the internet, using parental control apps like Safes is a more logical and efficient solution.
Conclusion
There are many ways to turn off the internet, but these methods are not foolproof. If you’re looking for a way to ensure that no one can access your internet connection, then you will have to use apps like WiFi Blocker. If you’re trying to turn off the internet to control how your kids use the internet, a more logical and efficient solution is using parental control apps such as Safes.
