Specify Allowed Time Range for Extenders

[xdaze]

I have a Win7 WMC with several XBOX 360 extenders. I want to be able to put time of day limits on some of the extenders. For example, I want the extender to be able to have access to the WMC from 8am to 10pm (bedtime). I thought about giving the extenders static or reserved IP addresses and then blocking the IP address(es) using a script/scheduled tasks on the WMC box. Is there a better way, or a 3rd party app that already exist to accomplish this?

[NWW]

Most routers have that option using the MAC address of a machine.

It'd be easier than a script inside the WMC machine.

[foxwood]

I think that sort of option in a router is for traffic through the router - traffic on the LAN side wouldn't normally be controlled that way.

[foxwood]

I have no idea if this will work for the Extender accounts, but you could try to enable Parental Controls, and set time limits for the MCE-xxxx accounts:

http://www.ghacks.net/2011/03/18/how-to ... windows-7/

[xdaze]

You are correct, my router only lets me filter traffic headed to the public interface, not the LAN. I'm using a managed switch that allows me to configure time ranges on a specific port, so I went ahead and set that up for now. I forgot about the Win7 parental controls with time limits.....I will play around with those settings and see if they work with extender accounts!

[barnabas1969]

I am doing this currently, but I'm not using Parental Controls. If memory serves me, Parental Controls will not allow you to specify the MCX users.

The method that I'm using requires you to have Professional or Ultimate editions. It won't work on Home Premium. Which do you have, xdaze?

[xdaze]

I am currently running Win7 Ultimate.

[barnabas1969]

I am using the following script:

Code: Select all

@rem Schedule this to run at 11pm Su-Th, and at 1am Sa-Su.
@rem
@rem the 1st parameter should be the user name.  e.g. "Mcx1-HTPC"
@rem The command below will set the allowed logon hours.
net user %1 /times:M,6-23;T,6-23;W,6-23;Th,6-23;F,6-24;Sa,0-1;Sa,6-24;Su,0-1;Su,6-23
@rem
@rem The commands below will logoff the user.  %%j becomes the session ID.
set x=0
for /F "usebackq tokens=2,3" %%i in (`qwinsta %1`) do @set x=%%j
if %x% == 0 (@echo %1 is not logged on.) else logoff %x%

Then, in the task scheduler, I have it scheduled to run once for each MCX user (for example, the first MCX user will be Mcx1-<YOUR-COMPUTER-NAME>). The only parameter accepted by the script is the user name.

As you can see, the "net user" command sets the allowed logon hours to 6am-11pm Mon-Thurs, and 6am-12am Fri, and 12am-1am Sat-Sun, and 6am-11pm Sun. You'll have to set it to your liking.

This prevents the user from logging ON outside these hours. But, it won't force them to log OFF if they are already logged on prior to the end of their allowed hours. So... the script must be scheduled to run at the end of their allowed logon hours each day because the last two lines force them to logoff if they are already logged on.

[xdaze]

Awesome....thank you! I will give it a whirl! Just curious though, what does the person watching the extender experience when they are forced to logoff? Guess I'll find out soon enough during my testing.

[barnabas1969]

Awesome....thank you! I will give it a whirl! Just curious though, what does the person watching the extender experience when they are forced to logoff? Guess I'll find out soon enough during my testing.

On my HP and Linksys extenders, it tells them that the connection has been lost to the Media Center PC. The HP continues to try to reconnect for a while and then gives up. the Linksys asks the user if they want to reconnect.

In either case, it won't reconnect because they are outside the allowed logon hours.

The problem though, is that the extender continues to display video to the TV... so the TV doesn't turn off automatically.

I was hoping that the Ceton Echo would work well (it didn't) and that it would have the promised HDMI-CEC (it didn't) and that it would also have the promised ability to be controlled over Ethernet (it didn't). My plan was to send a message over Ethernet to the Echo to turn it off, which should have also turned off the TV via HDMI-CEC. But, that was a pipe dream.