I have a Belkin wireless router and I have 2 daughters with computers and I would like to stop them from chatting on MSN Messenger at certain times. When I use the IP client filter option it stops them from accessing web pages but they are still able to use MSN Messenger. If I use MAC address filtering I am able to stop them but I have to do it manually each time, whereas with the IP filter I can program the times I want to restrict them. Could someone please tell me why I can't stop MSN messenger with the IP client filter, and how I could remedy this.

If you taught them how to be streetwise, you wouldn't have to block the chat.

Thanks for nothing Dr.Don. Being streetwise has nothing to do with it, I simply don't want them talking to their friends till all hours of the night. This is my first post. Thank you for the warm welcome.

You might want to look at a program such as NetNanny NetNanny or Cyber Patrol . There are many programs that you can use for parental control. Today seems like a good day to chew through the restraints.

You didn't say that you wanted to block the chat during late hours only. A filter blocks the chat all the time. Had you asked the question that way, I would have given you a different answer. By the way, bienvenido, benvenuto and welcome to the forum.

Thank you Seawatch for the advice and thank you Don2006 for clearing that up. Maybe I could have been a bit clearer. I want to block it at certain times. Those times being between 10.30pm until 10.00 am. The IP client filter allows me to do that but it only stops them from accessing web pages, MSN messenger still works for them and that is the part I don't understand.

THat's because web pages and chats use different ports. Even if you blocked the ports in your router, that would still leave the problem of the times of day. I can think of 2 ways to automatically lock the PC at 10 PM but they would have to be used in conjuction w/ a BIOS passwd so a reboot wouldn't stop your efforts. That means you would have to unlock the PC for them every morning. Other than that, you would have to find a program that reads the clock and acts accordingly.