How to disable an ethernet connection

[Jenkins453]

So I currently live in an APT with 4 roommates. All of us use the same modem to hardline (ethernet) our PC's to get Internet. One of said roommates has ceased paying for the Internet, leaving me and the other 2 to cover his slack. This has become a regular occurrence and thus far he has just been getting a free ride on it. Recently, the other 2 and myself came together and are now trying to figure out a way to restrict him from using the Internet until he can pay us back, and cover himself once again. Is there a way that we can block him from using the Internet for a time that won't also block the rest of us? If it helps, we have Mediacom and their modem, so the tools provided on the modems actual web page aren't very comprehensive. We're looking for any answers here, as we feel someone shouldn't just get a free pass continually when they know they are in the wrong.

Thanks in advance for any help offered!

 

[Ryarwood99]

If it's wired, why don't you just take his Ethernet cord?

 

[USAFRet]

 

[Jenkins453]

Because that is actually his property. The modem and all bills go through me, with (originally) all 3 roommates giving me money each month to pay for it

 

[USAFRet]

Because that is actually his property. The modem and all bills go through me, with (originally) all 3 roommates giving me money each month to pay for it

If he is not paying his fair share, unplug his cable.

 

[Jenkins453]

Before just resorting to that, was there any other methods available to us? Unfortunately with where the jack is the modem is right next to his room, so he'd just walk over and plug it back in all the time. Sadly I feel it'd just be wasted time and effort on our end :/ again, sorry for being somewhat difficult in this... it's just frustrating as I'm sure you can understand

 

[ezskills]

Why not just go into your modem settings and block his IP address

 

[USAFRet]

Before just resorting to that, was there any other methods available to us? Unfortunately with where the jack is the modem is right next to his room, so he'd just walk over and plug it back in all the time. Sadly I feel it'd just be wasted time and effort on our end :/ again, sorry for being somewhat difficult in this... it's just frustrating as I'm sure you can understand

Not really, no. If he has physical access, that trumps all.

Restrict by MAC address at the router? Trivally spoofed.

 

[mjslakeridge]

You might be able to go into the routers settings and set up a range of IP addresses that contains only 3 addresses, excluding his computer's IP address. Then set each of the other 3 computers to a static IP address within the range you set up. That way even if he plugged into a different port on the router, his computer wouldn't connect. This is assuming he can't log in to the router to change the settings.

But disputes over money between roommates generally don't end well. You may be better off talking to him and ask him whether he ever intends to pay the other's back, and set a date for him to do so. If he refuses, it may be time for a new roommate.

 

[USAFRet]

You might be able to go into the routers settings and set up a range of IP addresses that contains only 3 addresses, excluding his computer's IP address. Then set each of the other 3 computers to a static IP address within the range you set up. That way even if he plugged into a different port on the router, his computer wouldn't connect. This is assuming he can't log in to the router to change the settings.

Unfortunately, that also assumes no other devices. Phone, tablet, console.

 

[mjslakeridge]

Even if there are other devices, you could assign static IP address to them also and just expand the range accordingly. When I got a new router from AT&T recently, I was surprised to find that the range of IP addresses was set to be about half the maximum, so I changed it to 254. I have a mix of dynamic and static IP devices connected, so I think my suggestion is worth a try.

 

[Jenkins453]

Thanks for all of the answers and in a very quick manner guys. It's really appreciated! I'll try some of these and see if that solves our problem. As for the roommate, we already had a talk with him about it but we're unable to actually figure out on our modem how to restrict access. So we resorted to looking for other methods. Thankfully, he only has 4 more months and then this problem will vanish into thin air.

EDIT: also I forgot I should have mentioned, the offending roommate isn't very computer savvy. So I'm not overly concerned with any spoofing attempts or anything of that nature.

 

[USAFRet]

Here's another ewasy thing.

The router has 4 LAN ports, there are 4 of you.
You and the other two are no problem.

Unplug the non-payer, and just plug another ethernet cable in.
So...all 4 LAN ports are used. For him to access, he must actively unplug someone elses cable.

One more little speedbump in his path.