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pdolmsted's avatar
pdolmsted
Tutor
Jan 23, 2023

Block internet access to computer, but allowing LAN access

Hello,    I have an RBR40 Orbi system. I'd like to connect computers to the LAN, but not allow them to access the internet (and not allow the internet to access them). How do I do that?    I have...
microchip8's avatar
microchip8
Master
Jan 23, 2023
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You must have done something wrong. It works here as I have multiple devices that are cut off of Internet but can access everything LAN. I do not know what options an Orbi has, but on my RAX43 and R7800 routers, it works with no issues.

No, there are no other options available for this.
pdolmsted's avatar
pdolmsted
Tutor
Jan 24, 2023
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I attach a screenshot with my config; does this look right? 

 

Thanks for your help. 

  • CrimpOn's avatar
    CrimpOn
    Guru - Experienced User
    Mar 09, 2023
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    I would have selected "Any" from the drop down menu, which automatically fills in the 1 and 65535 values and selects both TCP/UDP.

     

    This is a definite puzzle.  I swear that I tried this feature before and it worked as it should. Local access was fine, but internet access was completely blocked. (The router firewall blocks all incoming connections, so there is no "blocking" setup required for that.)

    This time,

    • I blocked my cell phone and in addition to totally blocking the internet, it blocked access to the LAN as well. Could not even ping local resources.
    • I then blocked a PC connected by wire to the router.  Internet access was blocked, but LAN access remained.

    So now I am totally stunned.  Could it be that block sites works differently depending on whether the device is connected by wire or by WiFi?

     

    How was the target device for your test connected?

     

    This is on Orbi firmware v2.7.4.24. I should also point out that (at least on the Orbi)  pressing "Apply" does not result in changes taking place immediately.  Any experiments should probably give the system at least a couple of minutes for changes to propagate first.

    • CrimpOn's avatar
      CrimpOn
      Guru - Experienced User
      Mar 13, 2023
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      I experimented again with Block Sites.  Using a cell phone which can switch over to LTE data was not a good test.

      This time, the test device was a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.  Used Block Sites to block "Any", which filled in TCP/UDP and 1-65535, and entered the IP address of the tablet.

       

      Immediately, the tablet could not access the internet

      • No web browser
      • Apps such as Flight Radar could not connect.

      But, the tablet could access

      • The Orbi web management site
      • My Pi-hole server

      This appears to validate that Block Sites does exactly as intended.  "No internet", but can access local devices.

       

      If this is still an open issue, I'm happy to run more tests.