Wireless Router with Logging for Websites visited - Please advise

metallica123

metallica123

metallica123

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Hi,

I have a ZTE router provided by Hyperoptic my ISP, which is pretty basic.

I am looking for a Wireless home router that will allow me to monitor the websites visited by devices on the home network.

Can someone recommend such a router ?

Reading up a bit online I came across pihole. But I am not technically inclined, so will prefer a router that is easy to setup and which will log the websites visited.

Regards
 
PiHole is about as easy as you can get for some basic info and cheap as chips and probably doesn't need you to change your router provided it can do DHCP reservations (I imagine any solution will need you to do this so you can know which IP addresses are which devices on your network) and change DNS servers.

Steps with a PiHole will be something like:

1. Install PiHole on a physical Pi or VM
2. Give it a static IP address
3. Configure your router to use the PiHole as its DNS server
4. Assign static IP reservations on your router for each device you want to monitor
5. Search PiHole's logs when you want for the device in question's IP address - see what it asked for

Note you won't get specific web pages requested, just domains that were asked ot be resolved (and thus accessed for something). So you can see a device requested to resolve facebook.com but not that your wife was looking at page xyz which is the facebook profile page of her ex-boyfriend etc.
 
Thank you.

The ISP provided router does not allow me to change DNS server. If I could, then I would have used OpenDNS to achieve what I want.

I am after Router model names where the router admin software or router app provides detailed logging, i.e. list of websites visited. Can someone provide that?

Regards
 
If OpenDNS would achieve what you want why don't you replace the ISP supplied router with one which will allow the DNS to be changed? It'd be easier (and cheaper) than finding a router that'll handle the logging itself.

Why you'd want that level of logging is another question.
 
I assume it’s because you want to monitor what your kids are up to.

Would you not be better off with parental controls on the device it’s self? Controlling the network doesn’t help if they take it to public WiFi or a friends house.
 
The Synology RT2600AC is quite a good router for parental controls / logging but it doesn't have full logs. You get a more general report of traffic.

However the web filtering is decent and you can see when kids are trying to access inappropriate stuff. It also gives break downs of time spent etc. Users can also submit requests to access websites and you can approve them in the "Safe Access" App.

https://www.synology.com/en-uk/srm/feature/device_content_control
 
bremen1874 said:
If OpenDNS would achieve what you want why don't you replace the ISP supplied router with one which will allow the DNS to be changed? It'd be easier (and cheaper) than finding a router that'll handle the logging itself.

Why you'd want that level of logging is another question.
Click to expand...

OpenDNS is not restricted by my router, but by my ISP.
 
Thanks pcfarrar and bons2sk8

I am aware of parental controls, but this is not what I am looking for. I am looking for logging of websites or dns names from which I can resolve websites. It is not for my own home wifi. I was told some routers allow this facility, but I am curious to know which?
 
Ah thanks. I see now that OpenDNS is a paid subscription service. Also, openDNS would need static IP? I dont have static IP address

So getting an outright router might be a better idea, so back to my original query :)

Thank you
 
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If you told us exactly what you're trying to achieve, and why, you might get some better advice.

You say it isn't for your home wireless, so it's presumably a business connection? If it's a business connection do you need equipment that's better than average home consumer devices?

Why would OpenDNS need a static IP? I'm not saying it doesn't, but where have you seen that requirement?

OpenDNS may be a paid service but it doesn't look very expensive if it does what you want. It would probably mean that you wouldn't have to spend as much on the router as well.
 
Thanks.

Apologies if I was not clear. This is for my home internet - for which I am asking for router brand/ model names which allow logging of traffic (websites). Most routers only provide this upto bandwidth usage, but not detailed logs. Something like this is what I want -

https://famisafe.wondershare.com/mo...er-to-monitor-which-websites-are-visited.html

On the OpenDNS admin you need to enter your network IP address - a dynamic IP cannot be added to this.
 
I know I bang the fortigate drum like crazy but there is a reason...



Just enabled logging to show you! And yes I know the time on my Forti is wrong! :D The only issue I see is you say your not technically inclined and to properly set up a FortiGate you kinda need to have some idea how networking works. There is also the cost which varies based un UTM features but for a forti with wifi your probably looking at around £400
 
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bremen1874 said:
Just having the source and target IPs isn't going to help the OP much.
Click to expand...

Look over to the right.... I can produce reports that resolve all of these addresses :) I deliberately put it on overclockers for that very reason! You can literally do pretty much anything including resolved network names in the main reports for which I was just too lazy! I am also only reporting on a single policy but you could potentially report on any given inbound or outbound policy object, of course you can push logs off to fortianalyzer, syslogs, UTM etc etc also with as much drill down as you might need. I'm simply reporting on my outbound lan to wan interface:

 
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What about the source IP? Does it log the MAC addresses and allow friendly names to be assigned?

Even if it does the necessary logging I can't see it meeting the OP's requirements from a cost perspective (but you never know).
 
bremen1874 said:
What about the source IP? Does it log the MAC addresses and allow friendly names to be assigned?

Even if it does the necessary logging I can't see it meeting the OP's requirements from a cost perspective (but you never know).
Click to expand...

It certainly does. Just mine is only set up for a single machine so I don't really bother. The logging options are pretty much more than you would really ever need. You are right on the costs though these aren't cheap and you need to know your stuff to set them up properly. Really nice devices though and I love my 30e. I also use 2x 200e's which are better again but properly pricey! A 30e with UTM and wifi is going to set you back something like £400 but then it is proper business grade kit so offers things like traffic prioritisation, traffic shaping, ipsec and ssl support, proper security profiles and all that sort of good stuff.

It's really not clear on the ops use case but something as simple as a windows web application proxy with locked down network GPO's would work just as well.
 
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Looks great but.....

metallica123 said:
.....Reading up a bit online I came across pihole. But I am not technically inclined, so will prefer a router that is easy to setup.....
Click to expand...

Not sure a Fortigate fits that criteria although I don't personally have experience of how easy they are to use.
 
BigT said:
Looks great but.....



Not sure a Fortigate fits that criteria although I don't personally have experience of how easy they are to use.
Click to expand...

That was really my concern. These aren't super easy to set up. It's not like a home router, press some buttons and done. Like most ent grade kit it requires things like livening up ports for specific policies etc.
 
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