The concept of the Internet Timebox is simple - it’s a router that continuosly alternates between being offline and being online automatically without user intervention. While the router is in the offline mode it is designed to be as difficult as possible to circumvent to get back online.
The duration the user is offline and the duration a user is online for is user-controllable. But the current timebox value the router is in can only be increased; not decreased. So for example, while offline, you can decide you wish to stay offline for longer but you cannot shortcircut / instantly hop back online.
The device itself is always “running” since it’s a router and as such always alternating between offline and online timeboxes. But since it maybe desirable to “pool” online time - or ‘pause’ the online counter, this feature can be activated by either disconnecting all machines; or by using the pause switch on the device. This lets you for example take an offline lunch break in the middle of an online workday or pick up your current online time after a night of sleep or similar without affecting your remaining online time.
___________________
= Modem CAT5 ==> | ______ ______ |
OR | |06h22m| |18h10m| | * Timebox Wifi *
* Host Wifi * => | online offline |
| x ^ |
|___________________|
On the device are 2 small digit screens and buttons to adjust the time for each. One half of the device contains a screen and buttons for you to adjust the amount of time offline. The other half of the device contains a screen and buttons for you to adjust the time online.
While you are online you will see the time decreasing from the online screen and a small green LED beneath the online label. The inverse is true for being offline.
The device itself is powered via OpenWRT (e.g. an embedded linux router firmware) and customizable like any other any OpenWRT install. By default the device ships with a vanilla OpenWRT install plus our custom timebox.sh script which runs via a daemon included as well. Each router ships with a unique wifi password and signal name so this device is basically a drop-in “zero-configuration” solution. A small screen on the back of the device display your current settings.
The script when you are in an offline mode will port-forward wholesale every request to a webpage that displays amount of remaining time until you are back online. So browsers will automatically show your status incase you want to stash away the router in a hard-to-reach place. Also the timebox hardware UI (to adjust timebox durations & pausing the online timebox) is also accesible alternatively via the browser.
Note - from the technical perspective, the router implements a FULL port block, blocks UART access, AND overrides the OpenWRT admin page. So yes - no SSH'ing, telnet'ing, UART console breakout, or otherwise hacking back into your router to reset it. You’ll just have to wait it out - after all that’s the whole point. Looking at your web-browser when you’re offline and attempt to goto any webpage that informs you how much longer you’re offline for.
The Internet Timebox really only works if you also have buy in the from the user (e.g., the user actually wants to get offline) and you’ve disabled all methods of getting online except for the Internet Timebox. So, in parallel to using using the Internet Timebox, the following reccomendations are suggested to make your offline time as effective as possible:
Cancel your phone data plan. Or if you can’t go that far, most carriers have functionality to temporarily block data accesss which you should enable before the internet timebox kicks into your offline timebox.
Remove (or destroy) all of your existing ethernet cards. The internet timebox ships without any client ethernet ports so the concept is that you should only have an ethernet port to your router / from the modem. If you have an ethernet card on your computer(s) this device is easy to circumvent and the purpose is defeated. So you’re best bet is to either have NO ethernet cards or use the Internet Timebox in wifi repeater mode (e.g. for shared wifi).