Need to open up a computer time so your kids can do their homework or shut off access because it’s time for dinner? Want to restrict the time of day your children can access the Internet, so they don’t try to sneak on late at night? ContentBarrier settings can be easily reconfigured so you can adjust accordingly.
Here’s how to set limits on Internet time with ContentBarrier.
Using Schedules
ContentBarrier lets you set a schedule for each of your users that allows them to access the Internet only on certain days and for a certain length of time. To access schedule settings, click the Scheduled Access button in the ContentBarrier button bar.
By default, all users are granted Internet access at all times. To restrict access to times you'll specify, click Only allow network access during selected time periods.
When you first see the timetable, all the cells are blank, representing that the selected user is not allowed to access the Internet at any time. To grant Internet access at given times, click the time cells in the timetable - each cell represents one hour. You can click individual cells, or you can click and drag to cover longer periods.
As you click cells, tooltips display showing the periods that you are enabling or disabling. You can allow or block access for any hour-long period on any day of the week in this manner.
You can also click and drag in any direction to change cells. If, for example, you want to block access when a child comes home from school until suppertime, you would first enable all times, and then drag from 2pm on Monday to 6pm on Friday to disable those times.
A user attempting to connect to the Internet using a web browser during a forbidden period will see an alert:
However, attempts to connect to the Internet with other applications might not cause an alert to be displayed; in some cases, access will simply be blocked. Some applications will display their own alerts, saying that they could not connect to the Internet.
You can also allow Internet access for a limited period of time in between specific hours-for example, half an hour between 6pm and 9pm. To do so, first enable that time period by clicking and dragging to create a green access block; then, double-click the cell to Edit.
A panel will appear, allowing you to set the amount of combined Internet access permitted during that period.
Drag the slider to the time limit you want to allow. After you click outside of the panel, your choice will appear as a striped green area on the time chart, specifying the amount of time allowed.
To change the amount of time available in a time limit, move the cursor over one of the sections with a time limit and double-click to edit.
When a user has a time limit,ContentBarrier automatically displays a small controller allowing them to start and stop their Internet access period. Since you may want your children to be able to use their Mac, but not the Internet, this allows them to control the periods when they can access the Internet. The controller looks like this:
To start or stop a session, just drag the slider to Started or Stopped. Below the slider is the remaining time.
To remove the controller from the screen, you can click the - button; the controller is then minimized into the Dock. Clicking the controller's icon returns it to the screen so the user can start or stop their Internet access period.
To turn off all schedules and therefore allow Internet access at all times - with all of ContentBarrier's other filters in place, of course - uncheck the Only allow network access during the following periods box. If you uncheck this box, the schedule will disappear from the window. When you check for box again, you will see the schedule again unaltered.
Need Help Using ContentBarrier?
If you still have questions about using our ContentBarrier software, please check our ContentBarrier Knowledge Base for answers to the most common questions by clicking the link below:
You can also contact our Support Team directly for assistance by completing a support ticket online here:
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