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Firewall installation in our office network

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    101

    Firewall installation in our office network

    Hi guys.

    Here's what we are trying to do:

    1. To be able to block certain websites for certain computers. We have around 13 computers here. We want to assign each of the PCs a static IP and choose what websites are blocked for each computer.


    2. We want around 2 admins who can control all of the websites for different computers in (1)


    I think a simple firewall would do? I am not sure what to buy or how to configure it. Is it easy to do so?


    Thanks!


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
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    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by scumbag:
    Hi guys.

    Here's what we are trying to do:

    1. To be able to block certain websites for certain computers. We have around 13 computers here. We want to assign each of the PCs a static IP and choose what websites are blocked for each computer.


    2. We want around 2 admins who can control all of the websites for different computers in (1)


    I think a simple firewall would do? I am not sure what to buy or how to configure it. Is it easy to do so?


    Thanks!
    Can't you just block it using your router settings?

    https://kb.netgear.com/24053/How-do-...user-interface

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    11,884
    Quote Originally Posted by scumbag:
    Hi guys.

    Here's what we are trying to do:

    1. To be able to block certain websites for certain computers. We have around 13 computers here. We want to assign each of the PCs a static IP and choose what websites are blocked for each computer.


    2. We want around 2 admins who can control all of the websites for different computers in (1)


    I think a simple firewall would do? I am not sure what to buy or how to configure it. Is it easy to do so?


    Thanks!
    Doable... Easy? Not impossibly difficult, but from the picture I am constructing from your post, you don't have anyone who is experienced with this (these "admins" meaning administrative office staff and not systems admins".

    Couple of suggestions... look at a home router that can take individual firewall rules and see if you can build a list one by one (primitive and tedious).

    Or download something like the Untangle demo and see if you can figure out the GUI. It'll probably do what you want it to but I haven't tried that limit.

    Another thought: Maybe the "parental controls" settings available on many SOHO routers could be wrangled into blocking specific sites instead of taking pre-prepared blocklists... I don't know as I have never looked at parental controls.

    Or lastly, is it really a computer problem or is it something that you could manage from a human behaviour/training angle.

    @East_coast that Netgear article is only half the solution, the key bit is setting up different user groups. I would be well surprised if Netgear would allow for user groups.
    scumbag likes this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    6,714

    You can outsource the whole thing to this local company:

    Small & Medium Business | NETWORK BOX

    They make their own hardware and provide round the clock monitoring.

    scumbag likes this.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    猴山
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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    @East_coast that Netgear article is only half the solution, the key bit is setting up different user groups. I would be well surprised if Netgear would allow for user groups.
    I suspect there are just 2 User group

    The managers
    The workers

    Just daisy chain some Home routers making sure the right level of minion get restricted access.

    It will annoy the and force them to get unlimited data plans so they can gawp at the internet all day on their phones instead
    dentarthurdent and scumbag like this.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    457

    You're looking for a router with "parental control".

    TP-Link has this functionality for most of their routers.

    How to use Parental Control function on Wireless router? - TP-Link

    Configuring it may not be that easy if you're configuring different access for different computers.

    scumbag likes this.