My laptop computer is connected directly to the internet by means of an ethernet cable. When I'm not using the computer, I like to disconnect it from the internet. I have been doing that by simply unplugging the ethernet cable but have found that doing this repeatedly causes the plastic clip securing the plug to the jack to break.

The article that I'm linking to describes using a SPST switch to make a break in the wire with solid orange insulation of the ethernet cable as a means to disconnecting from the internet. In anyone's opinion, would this be effective?

Thanks,
Pete

https://makezine.com/projects/internet-kill-switch

 

On your PC, go to Control Panel, Network Connections (or Network and Internet) and disable/enable from there.

 

Which OS are you using?

Why not just use the OS's network controls to disable the connection?

Unless you have one of the old, slow Ethernet connections, there are multiple TX/RX pairs. Interrupting one of of them may or may not bring the link down. It depends on which one you break and what the link's fallback options are.

While putting a SPST switch in the TX line of a slower connection might work, today's high-speed signaling rates are far more sensitive to signal integrity issues and introducing a SPST switch into a line might cause impedance mismatches and reflections that prevent it from working even when the switch is closed.

If you don't want to use a software solution, just get a cheap unmanaged switch and turn it off when you leave either by unplugging it (most don't have a power switch) or using a power supply for it that has a power switch, or putting your SPST switch in the power cable going to the ethernet switch. Not only is that a lot easier, it avoid the signal integrity issues.

 

On your PC, go to Control Panel, Network Connections (or Network and Internet) and disable/enable from there.

Thanks, that did work for me, although figuring out how to navigate to enable was more involved than disabling.