Modem Firewall

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sarahfoxnz

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Topic # 183804 30-Oct-2015 16:25

Hello.

(I looked, but could not find an appropriate forum for "modems" in general)

In a few weeks / month, I want to buy a new modem.

I currently have Netgear DGND3700v2. Its wifi. we have several devices that can connect - main wfi pc, ipads & mobile phones..

Basically, i want a modem that has in-built logging. From google searches, I understand that some modems have firewalls built in.

I want to

:- know (log) which device is logged in / connected
:- how may kb/mb they are using per hour / day
:- possibly their "current" usage at the time.
:- have a history of the device

Will a modem with in-built firewall be able to log these ? (& download the log when the main PC is connected)

Can anyone recommend a good modem/firewall. (or other setup if a modem/firewall is not the right thing)

i do know of PB Tech (the company), has a good range of products.

freitasm

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Reply # 1417218 30-Oct-2015 17:24

Moved to correct forum.

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gzt

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Reply # 1417238 30-Oct-2015 17:45

Can you explain the reasons behind it?

One option is going for a combination that supports openwrt or similar.

sarahfoxnz

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Reply # 1417239 30-Oct-2015 17:50

my existing wifi is a bit slow, & im thinking of upgrading anyway.

I just curious re logging - Whos logged in, how much they are using etc...

Is it possible ? Or do I need to purchase expensive gear to get 'log' information.

(i'm not a geek or computer nerd or anything - just a regular home user)

freitasm

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Reply # 1417241 30-Oct-2015 18:00

Logging information and firewall are different features.

A firewall can prevent computers in external networks (Internet) access to computers connected to your internal network (WiFi and ethernet).

Logging will record data from different sources - blocked incoming connections, errors, blocked outgoing connections.

Most good routers will do these functions but at basic level. A more feature rich functionality will come with a cost (or configuration complexity in case you decide to get a standard router and install DD-WRT or Tomato).

For example this is what I see on my DLink. Is this enough for your needs?

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sarahfoxnz

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Reply # 1417253 30-Oct-2015 18:20

Basically, i want to know. (current time 5:22 p.m.)

(EXAMPLE figures only, i know they may be wrong...)

Ip 1.5.3.6 Ipad logs in at 4:51 p.m. - still logged in.
Uploaded: 1.3 MB, downloaded 32 MB

(still logged in: Current download speed 124 KB a second. )

Ip 1.5.3.8 Iphone logs in at 4:56 p.m.
Logged off : 5:16 p.m.
Uploaded: 674 kb, downloaded 6 MB - 20 minutes online

Of course, i would recognise who owns / has an iphone / IPAD etc... & will know who these people are..

NOW - i see the Iphone has d/loaded 32 mb in such a short time... - I go into the logs & see the upload/download figures for the past 7 days - This 32 MB is jut a one-off thing, not an average... - the average is lower.

EDIT: I'll want logs / history of each user - Not just the entire modem / system

ISSUES:

1) The reason WHY i want to know - irrelevant. modems/firewalls can tell me this information or not

1A) HOW the information is presented, may not be a factor - i may like it, or not

2) if a modem / firewall cannot tell me this information, & you know what equipment CAN tell me - please do so..

3) price is irrelevant. if its $50 to get the equipment - great. if its $200-$500, i may want to save up, but OK.

if i need to spend $1,000 - $5,000 or mortgage my house - ok, i may not get it....

sultanoswing

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Reply # 1417296 30-Oct-2015 19:41

One person supports this post

Buy a second hand / ex-lease computer for a couple-hundy from PB Tech/Trademe/your neighbour (a core 2 duo with a couple of GB's RAM and 40GB HD will be fine) + a cheap Intel dual NIC PCIe card. Then install pfSense*. Logging, firewalling and throughput to your heart's content. Repurpose your Netgear as your wifi Access Point (AP) and switch. Profit.

https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/How_can_I_monitor_bandwidth_usage

http://www.ntop.org/products/traffic-analysis/ntop/

*some learning curve required, but hey, what is life for? If you can install an OS and use any modern router's web-GUI, you can do this.

michaelmurfy

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Reply # 1417302 30-Oct-2015 19:47

All the solutions I can possibly think of will require a separate "modem" if you're on ADSL or VDSL.

My solution:

Router: Ubiquiti Edgerouter Lite - $205 - https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-lite/
WiFi: XClaim XI-3 (made by Ruckus) - $305 :: https://xclaimwireless.com
Network Switch: TP-Link TL-SG1016DE - $120
Internet Connection: 2degrees 200/200 UFB

For starters, the Xclaim access point shows who is connected to the WiFi at any given time, some new firmware is about to be released to show details on a per client basis (speed, total amount transferred, blocking settings etc) according to their forums. It is really really good WiFi and by far the best wireless access point I have owned.

The router does deep packet inspection to show on a per device point of view what activity has been going on. It is quite creepy:

So while this solution is expensive it does offer the best performance for price. Otherwise I'd recommend:

Router: Netgear R7000 - $200-$250
Modem (ADSL + VDSL if you're not UFB): Draytek DV130 - $150ish?

Set the modem into bridge mode, set your router up with Advanced Tomato (http://advancedtomato.com) and not-only will you have decent WiFi (not quite as decent as the Xclaim AP) you'll have per-user tracking.

I am not aware of an AIO modem/router combo with these features built in for ~$200.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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sbiddle

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Reply # 1417319 30-Oct-2015 20:15

You are not going to find an all in one device that does what you want and does it well, because it's completely beyond the scope of what an all in one device is designed for and the requirements of 99% of users.

M y recommendation would be an Edgerouter if you want the level of detail you require. You'll then just need to decide what modem and WiFi kit to buy to use with it.

darylblake

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Reply # 1417561 31-Oct-2015 10:06

Why do you want to know what devices are using the most data? There may be better solutions out there. Setting up an Edgerouter Lite will require a bit of help from someone who has done a bit of networking.

Do you have some users who are using up your data limit? And want to restrict/monitor them? Or perhaps you are sharing the internet connection with someone in a granny flat?
I know you said it was irrelevant but if we have a little bit more info we might be able to make other suggestions.

If this is the case it might just be worthwhile looking at a unlimited data plan, and not bothering with the monitoring.

As for your wifi being a bit slow, you should look at units which are "DUAL BAND" 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz.

Aredwood

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Reply # 1418447 2-Nov-2015 00:54

michaelmurfy: All the solutions I can possibly think of will require a separate "modem" if you're on ADSL or VDSL.

My solution:

Router: Ubiquiti Edgerouter Lite - $205 - https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-lite/
WiFi: XClaim XI-3 (made by Ruckus) - $305 :: https://xclaimwireless.com
Network Switch: TP-Link TL-SG1016DE - $120
Internet Connection: 2degrees 200/200 UFB

For starters, the Xclaim access point shows who is connected to the WiFi at any given time, some new firmware is about to be released to show details on a per client basis (speed, total amount transferred, blocking settings etc) according to their forums. It is really really good WiFi and by far the best wireless access point I have owned.

The router does deep packet inspection to show on a per device point of view what activity has been going on. It is quite creepy:

So while this solution is expensive it does offer the best performance for price. Otherwise I'd recommend:

Router: Netgear R7000 - $200-$250
Modem (ADSL + VDSL if you're not UFB): Draytek DV130 - $150ish?

Set the modem into bridge mode, set your router up with Advanced Tomato (http://advancedtomato.com) and not-only will you have decent WiFi (not quite as decent as the Xclaim AP) you'll have per-user tracking.

I am not aware of an AIO modem/router combo with these features built in for ~$200.

Just enabled that on my own Edge Router. Going to have some fun with it. Don't know why Speedtest.net data shows up as other-other though. And have already discovered that my laptop is showing Bittorrent data usage. Even though it doesn't have a torrent client installed.