Recommendations for online monitoring on home network?

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SparkyP

78 posts

Master Geek

#208569 17-Feb-2017 09:57

OK, I have a great kid. Works hard and is willing but has ADHD and real problems with self control. Since he was a young un we have had problems with his computer usage and have done various things to close loopholes etc. So he is now Level 2 NCEA and has real problems with concentration by the time his medication wears off. So what happens is this. He has a ton of homework or assignments and comes home , goes through the study and starts work, research,essays whatever. Within half an hour, he is gaming, You tell him off, within half an hour he is gaming, you tell him off, within 15 mins he is gaming etc all night. An essay which should take 40 minutes to complete remains incomplete at 9 O'clock at night. And of course there are endless rows on the topic.

I have told him repeatedly that he can game to his hearts content as long as he is up to date on homework and is doing some revision and is in bed by 10pm. But he doesn't have the self control not to do it. I have tried various things like moving the PC to where I can see it but he just minimises the game so I cant see it behind his 47 inch shoulders!!

I am looking for one of the two things:

A program that lets me tap into his PC and see what is on his screen so I can monitor from a distance or if necessary some kind of security camera placed adjacent to his screen so I can watch him but I am a bit uncertain about how easy that would be as the room is configured poorly for wifi signal. He currently has a modern HP on an Ethernet system and we have wifi and a repeater router thingy but still have less than optimal coverage. I have a Surface which is on all day more or less. I can access wifi and Ethernet.

At 16 this sounds mean but I know him and once he is in a routine he will go with it and we will get over the hump. At school he excels where he has a strict teacher and scrapes by where he has a disorganised or slack one.

So I'd be grateful for any suggestions. Thanks

Disrespective

1849 posts

Uber Geek

#1721701 17-Feb-2017 10:11

Is it online based gaming?

There are options for restricting access to webpages/ip addresses so online gaming is not possible. I'm not quite sure if they are plug and play though.

I suspect a camera won't cut it. He'll notice and sounds plenty smart enough to realise its purpose and just orient things to reduce it's effectiveness.

You could use a software approach such as TeamViewer to share his screen. But this might be somewhat obvious due to needing the main HP PC to accept the connection rather than being able to do it without direct user intervention. It could be worth looking on the TeamViewer forums to see if such a thing is possible regardless.

networkn

22536 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1721705 17-Feb-2017 10:17

Is it an option to just disable internet on the device altogether or is it required for his schoolwork?

Maybe a router that locks down access except to specific websites. Though this is a fair bit of work to maintain.

I don't think you sound mean BTW. I applaud your determination and resolve. Hopefully, it will pay off and he may thank you one day.

Aredwood

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#1722313 18-Feb-2017 16:33

Talk to your doctor about getting more medication for him. I know what it is like as I also have ADHD. All other ways will be some version of constantly watching him to keep him on task.

At least he has been diagnosed. As I was lucky to get any qualifications from school as I wasn't diagnosed until long after I had finished school.

hyperman

414 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1722335 18-Feb-2017 17:09

Aredwood: Talk to your doctor about getting more medication for him. I know what it is like as I also have ADHD. All other ways will be some version of constantly watching him to keep him on task.

At least he has been diagnosed. As I was lucky to get any qualifications from school as I wasn't diagnosed until long after I had finished school.

Ditto over here
I am guessing he is on Ritalin SR that has a duration of 5-8 hours
it may be worthwhile asking his doctor about spreading the dose out longer (ie. two smaller doses) or backing it up with a small dose of immediate release in the afternoon

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer

SparkyP

78 posts

Master Geek

#1722344 18-Feb-2017 17:50

Thanks for that. Team viewer sounds good. I think its a plus he knows I am watching because then he cant say "I only assumed he wasn't working'. Also knowing that I am watching will prompt him to get on with it and focus on getting finished.

Albeit, that said I agree there are some days he just cant get it together at all. He may actually do an essay or part of an essay and it is so nonsensical I don't even know what he is getting at. So I guess if I can also see what he is up to, I can work out whether to push him or just to throw in the towel.

He is 6'3 so on the upper recommended adult daily allowance as it is (72mg??). If something is really important, we do occasionally give him 10mg Ritalin at about 4 pm but that literally works for about 1 hr and 15 mins and tends to stop him sleeping at night. I am also wary of seizures as he has had to go onto seizure meds since going onto Ritalin SR. Hard decision to come to but with Concerta SR, he can actually achieve at school, is no longer getting in trouble at school and is not being a ratbag at home. He has a friend the same whose Mum kept him on numerous short acting doses a day and the poor kid was just up and down on a parabola all day long and I figured that his quality of life was better than some hard to achieve ideal about not medicating.

I just wish the medication choices were healthier but having tried lots of therapies and treatments initially, you eventually come to realise there is no easy answer. And yes he was lucky to be diagnosed early and in fact a paediatrician told me he was at 18 months. So whilst I was disgruntled and horrified at the time. By age 5, he had his first school suspension (mean I know!!) so then there was no more denying it. So yes he is substantially ADHD but it also means a clear diagnosis which many people never get.