Block Popcorn on UPC router

on_my_oe

We have a lodger who is using Popcorn on her laptop. We have asked her not to, but we are not convinced she has stopped. We would like to block this app from our router and/or limit the speed for her computer on the router, making it less attractive to use.

How would I do this?

murphaph

Need more info. What kind of router is it for a start?

loyatemu

the other question is why, it's unlikely to be eating up much of your bandwidth?

dam099

loyatemu wrote: »

the other question is why, it's unlikely to be eating up much of your bandwidth?

Because its illegal?

ED E

The only way to block illegal activity on your modem is to never turn it on. If you allow email then your lodger could share child porn for all youd know. Give up on that front.


If its slowing you down give them access to a .11a accces point, that'll limit them to a couple meg.

whomitconcerns

You could block the port numbers popcorn uses

jimmynokia

Just get her mac address and block her full stop.Have had to do it myself before..

jca

Sounds like a nice lodgings....

Riesen_Meal

Or just maybe leave her be?

It hardly consumes mega bandwidth in the grand scheme of things - it sounds to me like you just want to make her life uncomfortable, but that's your own business....

Is she paying her share of the internet?

It's a different story if she is not paying and bumming yours!

Could even suggest to her if she wants to use the site she can buy a VPN and spoof her IP?

Either way, the guards won't be banging down your door at 6am some morning because a tenant is using Popcorn.....

jimmynokia

I detest wi-fi hoggers.

Greenmachine

How do you know she is using Popcorn over say something like netflix?

Howjoe1

what is Popcorn

on_my_oe

It's a UPC Technicolor TC7200.U

There's a couple of reasons

1) it's illegal, and having copyright notices in the UK because of housemates, I don't want to repeat the behaviour here; it was explicitly discussed before she moved in (along with the usual hobbies, social life, drugs etc), and she said she used Netflix
2) everything else is slowing down - I've been onto UPC and had an engineer out at a cost of €80 to check our connection
3) when I became aware that she was using popcorn, I asked her to either stop, get her own mobile dongle, or get a VPN - she refused the last two based on cost

We don't want to make her uncomfortable but on the other hand, we made clear our expectations and rules before she moved in...

Off topic but in reply to the 'nice lodgings' comment, €400 for a double with ensuite and bills included in Dublin isn't bad.

Supermensch

Howjoe1 wrote: »

what is Popcorn

I assume they're talking about Popcorn Time or something similar.

I'd include a link but I know Boards can be a bit of a stickler about linking to things like this.

on_my_oe

Greenmachine wrote: »

How do you know she is using Popcorn over say something like netflix?

Because she told me.

Then when the engineer said there was nothing wrong with our connection, he rattled off some things that could cause problems - he mentioned popcorn, I looked at the site, and realised it involved torrents. I explained it was illegal but she refused to believe me, saying some guy at language school said it was ok.

jimmynokia

MOD: I don't want people identifying particular services in too much detail. Cheers

bk

on_my_oe wrote: »

Then when the engineer said there was nothing wrong with our connection, he rattled off some things that could cause problems - he mentioned popcorn, I looked at the site, and realised it involved torrents. I explained it was illegal but she refused to believe me, saying some guy at language school said it was ok.

Actually you are completely wrong about that. Torrents is simply a protocol for peer to peer connections. There is nothing at all illegal about that. It is a purely neutral technology. Lots and lots of perfectly legal content is distributed by torrents.

Of course there is also lots of unauthorised copyrighted material on torrents too. Just as there is on Google search and YouTube. But that doesn't make them illegal either.

You are completely wasting your time if you think you are going to be able to stop your lodger from acessing unauthorised copyrighted material. If the big ISPs with all their resources and very experienced system admins can't stop it, what makes you think you can?!

If you block torrents, which again can include plenty of legal content, your lodger could simply switch to one of the many shady streaming and download services instead.

Also by heading into trying to block things you yourself maybe heading into very dangerous and uncharted legal issues.

Is it legal for you to monitor and filter another persons Internet connection? Serious questions around privacy and Irish data protection laws there.

Also by trying to block some things you maybe opening yourself up to taking responsibility for all content on the connection rather then just being a neutral carrier.

To be honest these are potentially much more serious legal issues then relatively simple copyright theft.

forumcars

Because, of course, you are not doing anything illegal on the internet yourself

on_my_oe

She has specifically said she is watching movies still playing in the theatre, so in my mind there's little doubt she is accessing torrents.

She is a lodger and the bill is in my name.

My best course of action is to remove all access to the Internet on our connection. If she wants to engage in copyright violations she can do it using her own connection in her own name.

DivingDuck

You've been burned before and don't want to be on the hook for someone else's illegal activity-- completely understandable. When your name is on the bill, the buck stops with you, so I'm confused as to why anyone would have a problem with you wanting to be sure there's nothing happening over the connection that could get you into trouble.

However, for the reasons others have outlined above, I'm not sure blocking the ports is the best course of action. I think you would be better off to simply remove her access to the internet entirely, and if she has a problem with that, she can leave. As a lodger, she does not have tenant rights (although would have broken any lease anyway by a. breaking the law, and b. breaking the terms of your agreement regards what was and wasn't acceptable behaviour) so you shouldn't have much fallout from it.

You made clear to her before she accepted the room that this wasn't okay with you, and then requested that she cease once you found out what she was doing. You warned her in advance that it would be a problem, then gave her a chance to clean up her act when she broke that agreement. In my view, you have been more than understanding.

If it were me, I would cut off her access and let her do what she wants after that. However, I would suggest that you could have trouble with lodgers in future as this person let slip what was happening where plenty of people would be crafty/dishonest enough to keep it from you. If this issue is important to you, I think maybe you should ask all future lodgers to get their own internet to avoid this happening again.

Greenmachine

Your not charging enough rent. €400 for a double without the ensuite would be too little never mind including the bills.

on_my_oe wrote: »

It's a UPC Technicolor TC7200.U

There's a couple of reasons

1) it's illegal, and having copyright notices in the UK because of housemates, I don't want to repeat the behaviour here; it was explicitly discussed before she moved in (along with the usual hobbies, social life, drugs etc), and she said she used Netflix
2) everything else is slowing down - I've been onto UPC and had an engineer out at a cost of €80 to check our connection
3) when I became aware that she was using popcorn, I asked her to either stop, get her own mobile dongle, or get a VPN - she refused the last two based on cost

We don't want to make her uncomfortable but on the other hand, we made clear our expectations and rules before she moved in...

Off topic but in reply to the 'nice lodgings' comment, €400 for a double with ensuite and bills included in Dublin isn't bad.

bk

Of course you have every right to cut off her access to the Internet and she in turn has every right to then leave and find new lodgings.

The problem you may have is that if you make no services like torrents/streaming a precondition of renting, you might find few people willing to rent at your place.

Personally Im pretty certain every housemate I've ever had has accessed at least some copyrighted material. The reality is it is just the norm for most people nowadays. That is why most ISPs have been turning a blind eye to it. They know the reality of the situation.

In the end it is of course up to yourself, but I think you are simply causing more trouble for yourself then it is worth. As of yet no one has ever been cut off for accessing copyrighted material in Ireland and I doubt they ever will die to issues around USO and people's right to Internet access. It is all a very grey area legally.