I would like to monitor network traffic for a computer on my network


 
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# 1  
Old 05-10-2017
I would like to monitor network traffic for a computer on my network

My son does homework on a school laptop. I was thinking about setting up a gateway on my home network, so that I can monitor web traffic and know if he is doing his homework without standing over his shoulder. Ideally I would like to use the Raspberry Pi Model b that I already have. However, I might buy a mini computer with two NIC ports.

I want to use a Linux distro with hopefully a GUI interface to see what traffic he is generating. Hopefully someone has a suggestion on how to set this up.

Thanks
# 2  
Old 05-11-2017
Suggest any linux with wireshark....

At work we use older laptops with wireshark. Connect to a port, figure out what port to monitor and let it run. Then take the monster files created and sort through them using a variety of tools. My laptop still has an old version of opensuse on it, but it does have 500GB of disk.

Wireshark files can get really large, quickly, depending on what you are monitoring. Disk is important. So we use junk laptops, I'm sure you could use raspbian instead.

The only other component that has to be up to snuff is the NIC - the data center is on a 10 gigabit backbone. Most home network routers and DSL modems are 1Gb usually.

I am not sure what exact hardware you'd need to buy to support wireshark on raspbian.
Disk and NIC that will do what you need is up to you.

Oh. And the learning curve on wireshark is not bad, but reading output usually requires scripting ability. Or good vim/RE skills. vi has has file size limits.
# 3  
Old 05-11-2017
For a PC running Linux with 2xNIC's I would suggest IPcop (Linux version).

For Raspberry Pi I would suggest IPfire (which is a IPcop fork).
# 4  
Old 05-16-2017
So my hope is that I can load Kali Linux on my raspberry Pi with an extra USB Ethernet port and have that route all of my traffic to the ISP. It would then see all of the network traffic and be able to track all of the IP traffic. I just worry that it won't be able to handle the load. I also thought about buying a mini computer with two Ethernet ports and using that. I would have a Linux firewall keep out unwanted traffic. Does this make sense?
# 5  
Old 05-16-2017
Any garbage computer plus a PCI ethernet card beats a pi with a USB, with bonuses of being cheaper, faster, easier to use, able to boot a normal Linux livecd, able to run a distribution anyone has actually heard of, able to use media besides sd cards, and able to support normal hardware.

That you can do anything with a pi doesn't mean you should...

Last edited by Corona688; 05-16-2017 at 03:46 PM..
# 6  
Old 05-16-2017
I agree. My decision comes down to if I try to use the Raspberry Pi and it slows down the network, I will hear about it from my wife and son. I just have to convince her that a $200 mini computer will work for what we want. I was thinking about the following computer.

Amazon.com: Fanless industrial computer Qotom-Q190G4-S01 with intel celeron J1900 8G ram 32G SSD 4 LAN DC 12V Multiple Ethernet Ports computer: Computers & Accessories
# 7  
Old 05-16-2017
Why a $200 mini-computer, and not a $15 garage gale piece of garbage?

Brand new computers, and especially brand-new mini anything, are the computers most likely to not have good support from a linux distribution (or from anyone, really). Its power supply is weird, its video card is weird, its processor is weird, its hard drive is weird, its ethernet ports are weird, its motherboard is weird, and it has no real I/O except USB. It's almost as bad as a PI. Not an actual computer, despite its lofty ratings.

Last edited by Corona688; 05-16-2017 at 07:31 PM..
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