How to Pause the Internet on Your Xfinity Gateway

Pausing the internet on your Xfinity Gateway lets you temporarily block a device or a person from getting online over your home Wi-Fi, which is handy for dinner time, bedtime, or focusing on homework. The main way to do it is the Xfinity app, and there is also the admin tool at 10.0.0.1. This guide walks through both, plus how to schedule pauses and how to unpause when you are done.

Note that the address is 10.0.0.1, sometimes mistyped with an extra digit. That is the address of your Xfinity Gateway’s admin tool.

What Pausing Does

Pausing blocks internet access for a chosen device or person while they are connected to your home Wi-Fi. It is a parental-control and network-management feature, not a permanent block. A couple of things are worth knowing up front. Pausing only affects your home Wi-Fi, so a phone can still get online using its cellular data or a different network. And the pause stays in place until you unpause it or until a scheduled pause ends.

Method 1: Pause a Device in the Xfinity App

The Xfinity app, which includes the xFi features, is the easiest and most reliable way to pause.

1. Open the Xfinity app and sign in with your Xfinity ID. You need to be the primary account holder or have an authorized role.
2. Go to the WiFi or Connect tab, where you can see the devices on your network.
3. Each device shows its status: a green dot means online, a pause symbol means paused, and a crescent moon means a scheduled pause is set.
4. Tap the device you want to block, then select Pause Device.
5. Choose how long to pause it, for a set time or indefinitely until you unpause it.

To restore access, return to the device and tap Unpause or Wake Up.

Method 2: Pause a Whole Person or Profile

If you have set up profiles for family members, you can pause everything assigned to a person at once, which is ideal for bedtime.

1. In the Xfinity app, open the People tab.
2. Select the person or profile you want to pause.
3. Tap Pause All Devices.
4. Choose a duration or pause indefinitely.

All the devices assigned to that profile lose home internet access until you unpause them. To restore, follow the same steps and choose Unpause All Devices.

Method 3: Schedule Pauses for Parental Controls

Rather than pausing by hand every night, you can automate it.

Within a person’s profile in the app, look for the option to set downtime or active time limits. This lets you schedule regular pauses, for example blocking the internet every night from 9 PM, or setting a daily time limit after which the profile is paused automatically. This is the feature most parents find useful, since it runs on its own without you having to remember. For a broader look at managing kids’ access across brands, see our guide to the top parental control routers and how to use them, and for the DNS, device, and app-level options beyond the router, our guide on setting up parental controls for the internet.

Method 4: Using the Admin Tool at 10.0.0.1

You can also manage access through the gateway’s admin tool, though the app is the modern, recommended route. On many gateways, admin tool access is turned off by default and must be enabled first.

1. In the Xfinity app, go to WiFi, then View WiFi Equipment, then Advanced settings, and toggle on Admin Tool online access.
2. On a device connected to your home network, open a browser and go to 10.0.0.1.
3. Sign in with your gateway credentials. If you have never changed them, the default is often the username admin and the password password, or the password you set during installation.
4. Open Parental Control, then Managed Devices, to block or manage device access.

One thing to know: the app and the admin tool handle device controls somewhat separately, so it is best to pick one method and stick with it rather than mixing them. For most people, the app is simpler and more capable.

What to Do If Pausing or Unpausing Is Not Working

Confirm your account role. You need to be the primary account holder or an authorized user to change these controls. If you do not see the options, you may not have permission.

Update the app and restart the gateway

An outdated app or a glitchy gateway can cause pause controls to misbehave. Update the Xfinity app, and restart the gateway if needed.

Remember cellular data is unaffected

A paused device can still reach the internet over mobile data or another Wi-Fi network, since the pause only applies to your home Wi-Fi.

Check that you are viewing the right device or profile

Make sure the device is assigned to the correct person, since a pause set at the profile level applies to everything in that profile.

Conclusion

Pausing the internet on your Xfinity Gateway is easiest through the Xfinity app, where you can pause a single device, a whole person’s profile, or set automatic schedules for parental controls. The admin tool at 10.0.0.1 also works, but you have to enable its access in the app first, and the app is the simpler choice for most people. Just remember that a pause only applies to your home Wi-Fi, so cellular data keeps working, and unpausing is as quick as tapping Wake Up when you are ready to restore access. The same admin tool is where you handle advanced networking, such as setting up port triggering for a game or app that needs an incoming connection.