Vodafone Business Wifi router schedule/MAC filtering

[datcraycray]

Hi.

I am a member of a club with tenancy at a community association hall. The hall association has just switched to Vodafone business broadband, and has asked me to help them configure their new router.

I have full admin access, and have made changes with regard to port forwarding and DynDNS just fine.

The association also has installed an excellent Ubiquiti Wifi network, spanning three rooms and terminating in some kind of small control box, which in turn is cabled via Ethernet to the Vodafone Wifi router.

They would like the public Ubiquiti Wifi to be turned off overnight, without blocking internet access for any other cabled LAN devices (of which there are several).

Here is my question (at last!). Is this configuration possible within the router? If it is, I can't find a way to do it.

I can set up a schedule and MAC filtering for Wifi on the router, but we won't be using the router's own Wifi, so no use. I can also set up MAC filtering (allow/deny) for LAN devices, but cannot set a schedule for these devices.

Short of adding a manual timer to power off the Ubiquiti Wifi control box overnight (or an additional managed network switch added at this point), I can't see a solution. Please can someone confirm or deny my understanding/analysis?

Thanks, and sorry for the long post.

[CrimsonLiar]

I can't think of any means to achieve what you want without the use of additional equipment.  Personally, I wouldn't go with a manual timer for the Ubiquity WiFi, but maybe a smart adapter that can be triggered by something as mundane as I would presume an existing alarm system or some other device that is always powered on when the site is in use.

*Obviously you need a trigger system that is not dependent on WiFi if that's what you are going to be turning off!

[datcraycray]

Thanks for that. That's what I thought. If anyone else has any bright ideas, then I'm all ears.

The router Wifi and wired internet connection will always be on (the router Wifi password will never be made public), so both local and WAN access isn't a problem. We have other Sonoff remote switches at the hall, but I want to keep the Ubiquiti switching simple. Why wouldn't you go for a basic plug-in timer out of interest?

Thanks for your help.

[Cynric]

I would have assumed that the Ubiquity kit would have this capability.

[datcraycray]

Good point. It probably does, but it's managed and maintained by a third-party 'networking' company who charge exorbitant site attendance fees for the simplest of tasks, and they haven't ever shared the passwords for the Ubiquiti kit AFAIK. The hall association is a cash-strapped charity, so I don't want to involve them in unnecessary costs when we can keep it 'in-house'.

[Jayach]

Surely that "some kind of small control box" is prime for a timer switch.

[Cynric]

Just thinking that I'd rather not "bounce" the expensive kit, so I am wondering if placing a unmanaged switch (about £10) between the Ubiquity stuff and the router, and putting that on a timer may be less risky. Particularly if the expensive stuff is on contract.

[datcraycray]

HaHa! Just exactly where I was going with this, and for the very same reasons.

I've already ordered a cheap s/h switch from eBay and an electronic timer from Screwfix (as we already have one of these elsewhere in the building, and it works fine - we don't really care about DST).

Thanks very much for all the input and validation, to all contributors to this thread.

Much appreciated.