Hi @chrislayow,
Sorry for the misunderstanding! I didn’t understand that you were trying to use an external non-Viasat modem. It is very unusual for us to hear about customers trying to use an external modem, so I mistakenly assumed you meant a router (especially because many of our customers use Netgear routers).
I just consulted with our team of expert engineers in modems and unfortunately confirmed that a non-Viasat modem will not be compatible with the Viasat satellite network. This is primarily due to the different technology that a regular cable internet connection uses compared to the geosynchronous ka-band satellite technology that Viasat uses to transmit bits over the air to your antenna. So you will only be able to use a Viasat modem to transpose the bits received from a Viasat satellite.
You mentioned that you need to monitor and limit your children’s data usage, I will do some research to see if I can find some workarounds to help you achieve that. To start, this might be an option: How to use parental control settings on my Viasat modem?
Thanks and sorry again about the misunderstanding.
Nacho