Internet Access for pupils at home

[DaveA]

Hi All,

 

I have been asked to look into how we can provide home internet access for students on pupil premium. And I was just woundering if anyone has done anything like this before, what they provided and did they lock internet access down.

 

Thanks In Advance.

 

Dave.

[jamesp]

You could do this quite simply with a firewall that has a solid SSL VPN functionality, specifying a full tunnel mode would make all the traffic pass through your infra so you could assign whichever policies you wish.

Client side SSL VPN's are usually very easy for a user to set up - a few clicks and a username and password!

[ThatBoringBloke]

PAYG 4G Thingy would be my suggestion.

 

Not sure how you would lock it down though. Can you lock down peoples home Internet?

[synaesthesia]

Assuming you mean actually providing them an internet connection, @SchoolsBroadband offered a 4G dongle a while ago which worked through their filtering system for just this sort of application. Would be worth a chat with them, I know that was part of a past offering but they may have similar for their Netsweeper setup.

 

And yes, you can lock it down if it's provided by the school regardless of the PPI status, just like a school provided laptop for the same purpose; otherwise the school would find itself in a situation regarding liability should they access something they shouldn't have.

Edited December 13, 2017 by synaesthesia

[jamesp]

Oh I see - I got the wrong end of the stick!

[jimmy_2k]

This was done nearly 10 years ago in Bristol with Asus EE books and T Mobile dongles from memory. It only seemed to last a couple of years. We have given out old refurbished laptops to students in care but not provided internet access.

[RobD]

Once you've worked out the connection you could use Always on VPN from MS:

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/wsnetdoc/2017/07/10/deploy-always-on-vpn-with-windows-10-clients-and-windows-server-2016/

 

I've not deployed the new version but I've heard you can use app based policies, where a list of applications can be marked such that only traffic originating from these apps is allowed to go over the VPN interface.

 

Also its works on none entrerpise versions of windows 10 but Remote client computers must be running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) or later operating system, and must be joined to your Active Directory domain.

[sted]

Once you've worked out the connection you could use Always on VPN from MS:

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/wsnetdoc/2017/07/10/deploy-always-on-vpn-with-windows-10-clients-and-windows-server-2016/

 

I've not deployed the new version but I've heard you can use app based policies, where a list of applications can be marked such that only traffic originating from these apps is allowed to go over the VPN interface.

 

Also its works on none entrerpise versions of windows 10 but Remote client computers must be running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) or later operating system, and must be joined to your Active Directory domain.

is that a replacement for direct access (got a trial of that working but never used in anger but managed to get sophos to install from the school when i was off site and it just worked (once setup which was iirc a bit of trial and error)

[RobD]

Yep, DA is going although they've not said it officially yet. I love DA (we use it a lot) but this looks a decent replacement.

[KevinB]

Our solution to this was to issue them with a 4G capable Chromebook with a data only SIM fitted, and use Google's Admin console to enforce a proxy setting pointing back to a global proxy interface on our Smoothwall. This way they have the same filtered access that they would get in college and we fulfil our safeguarding responsibilities by not giving them an unfiltered connection.

[sted]

Yep, DA is going although they've not said it officially yet. I love DA (we use it a lot) but this looks a decent replacement.

whoa looking at a setup guide that looks a heck of a lot more complicated to set up than da 77 page word doc good grief

[browolf]

We've bought cheapish HP laptops and 1 desktop for students in care with some special funding and installed K9 web protection on them. This relies on the students having access to the internet though. It hasn't happened yet that one didn't.

[fiza]

Our solution to this was to issue them with a 4G capable Chromebook with a data only SIM fitted, and use Google's Admin console to enforce a proxy setting pointing back to a global proxy interface on our Smoothwall. This way they have the same filtered access that they would get in college and we fulfil our safeguarding responsibilities by not giving them an unfiltered connection.

Which Chromebooks are 4G capable or is it a matter of adding a dongle to a normal Chromebook?

[KevinB]

They were HP G4's and they had a SIM slot in the side. Unfortunately they seem to have been discontinued and I've not been able to source any others with a SIM slot.

[fiza]

@rogerdnixon gave me the idea of getting a hotspot and locking it down to the one device. T

[MatthewL]

Queue the parents saying I want to connect my laptop to this, why can't I do this.

 

Surely you don't have to provide this? Facilities available in school or library?

[fiza]

Has anyone provided a 4G Dongle to PP students for use at home?