Control / Monitor The Internet Activity Of A Modem Via A Computer

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

I don’t know whether I have described the title correctly or not, but I am going to explain the problem in detail so everyone who reads this post would get an idea of what I am trying to do. The moderators are free to alter the title if they think the altered version will suit better.

 

Scenario:

 

To make you understand what I am trying to do, I need to describe the scenario first. There is a line (basically a telephone line which also has broadband capabilities) that is connected to a modem. The modem has many ports. One for “LINE IN” for the connection described earlier. Then there are 4 ports to which DSL cables can be attached (the other end of the cable is attached to a computer for internet use). The device also has built in wifi functionality so that a computer can directly connect via wifi without the need of the aforementioned DSL cable.

And finally there are 3 to 4 computers connected to the device; some via cables and some via wifi.

 

What I wish to do:

 

The experiment I want to conduct is to put some controlling and monitoring force over the activities of the device. The idea in my mind is to find some way of passing all the incoming and outgoing traffic of the modem through a computer where all the controlling and monitoring can be done. This idea might sound simple but there are many problems associated with it. Plus I don’t know whether the passing of traffic through a computer is itself practical or not.

Currently I can’t think of the method by which the computer would connect to the modem. My best guess is that I would need additional hardware for this purpose. With the current hardware (the mode, computer and cables) it just seems impossible. I say it seems impossible because the only way to connect the modem to the computer is by wifi or lan, both of which are output of the modem. So I can monitor the internet activity of the very computer which is currently connected but not of other computers which are connected by other wires. The goal is to control and monitor the activity of all computers.

I would need guidance on the type of hardware required. My current assumption is that I would need a more advanced type of modem which has these capabilities. Furthermore, if I am to monitor the activities via a computer, I may need to dedicate a computer for this purpose. So I would definitely need some guidance on this.

The modem itself has some features for controlling its activity. I would access it by giving the address 192.168.1.1 in a browser and then I can turn on off wifi and do some other things. But I need more control over the activity for example turning off individual output ports.etc.

And there are no monitoring features available and I need to have some level of monitoring including which websites are viewed etc…

Monitoring can be illegal sometimes and most people would frown upon it. But in my case, the connection is my personal internet connection and only I use it. This whole thing is just an experiment to help me understand how modems work and how to extend their functionality…. So don’t worry about this…..

 

How this idea came into my mind:

 

I have seen some internet connections where there is an added layer of security. They would require you to sometimes install an extra software and then provide the additional username and password to use the internet. I am not sure about this but a friend of mine told me that this is done via an additional computer which is dedicated to controlling and monitoring the internet activity of all the computers connected. It is usually found in universities and colleges. But I don’t have any practical experience of seeing such a system or even authentic information about how such systems work.

So basically this whole post is based on a naïve idea derived from common talk. Any information or help is appreciated….

 

 

[yordan 10]

I would say that there is an easy way.

Your modem is a proxy server, and a DNS server, that's why all computers are connected to the internet.

Simply disable the DNS and the proxy server facilities, limit them to a single computer, your computer.

Then install a private proxy (privoxy for instance if you want a free one, some commercial private proxy are even better).

And give all the client computer a fixed IP address, outside the DNS and DHCP range of the modem.

Configure your own privoxy computer as a proxy for all your client PC's.

On the privoxy server you wil see which website is accessed by each client PC's, and monitor the activity.

Of course, adding a network sniffer will improve your capabilities.

Hope this helped

Yordan

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

Wow...

 

Most of this passed over my head, but I have a strong feeling that this is exactly what I needed. I think I have to do some research on things that I don't understand in your post or maybe you can help me right here.

 

The first thing I didn't undrestand was "Your modem is a proxy server and a DNS server".

First of all I don't know what is a proxy server and what is a DNS server. And secondly, I don't undrestand how my modem can be those.. I was of the believe that a server is a full fledged computer..

 

I think when I get my grip on these concepts, the rest will become self explanatory. So please help me understand these.,...

[yordan 10]

You should first explain us how your PC is connected to the internet.

Usually, nowodays, a PC is connected, throuwh an Ethernet cable or through wifi, to a DSL box.

The DSL box is connected to the phone line, and converts the phone signal do signal received by the PC as a connexion to the network.

Il this your setting? How is your PC connected to the internet?

Once we will have understood the way the PC's are now connected to the internet, we will refine the proxy things.

The best private proxy I have used is WinGate, unfortunately it's rather expensive.

I also have used privoxy, it's less comfortable but it's free.

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

You should first explain us how your PC is connected to the internet.

Usually, nowodays, a PC is connected, throuwh an Ethernet cable or through wifi, to a DSL box.

The DSL box is connected to the phone line, and converts the phone signal do signal received by the PC as a connexion to the network.

Il this your setting? How is your PC connected to the internet?

Once we will have understood the way the PC's are now connected to the internet, we will refine the proxy things.

The best private proxy I have used is WinGate, unfortunately it's rather expensive.

I also have used privoxy, it's less comfortable but it's free.

My scenario has changed a little bit from what I described in the first post. Previously my PC was connected via an ethernet cable to a DSL box (I still don't know what exactly a DSL box, because the thing to which my pc is connected via the Ethernet cable is commonly called MODEM here.) This device Modem / DSL box was connected to phone line which was broadband enabled.

 

However, now my setup has changed a bit. Now I am using a device that is known here as EVO WIFI CLOUD.. Basically this device uses a 3g broadband connection. That is there is no phone line or anything attached to it. The device has a built in wifi hotspot providing the capability to connect to 5 devices via wifi simultaneously. The device can also be connected via usb to the computer.

 

So now the target device is this 3G EVO WIFI CLOUD. In order to make the understanding of the capabilities of the device easier, I will attach pictures of the administration section of device accessed by 192.168.1.1

 

So when I enter 192.168.1.1 into my browser, this is how it looks like:

 

 

Then when I enter the login username and password, this is how it looks like:

 

 

 

And the settings section looks something like this: (The DHCP settings are active at the moment in the picture):

 

 

 

So @yordan, Please help me in understanding the principles behind how this device connects to the internet and how can I use a proxy server to control and manipulate its activity.

[yordan 10]

OK. Previously you had a very standard device, so a lot of free or paid programs were able to do the simple job you were talking about.

Now you have a wifi hotspot, everybody connects directly to that hotspot.

Now the only thing you can do is probly disabling some of the mac addresses, in order to allow only some people the Internet access, and deny to the other ones.

And also, as usually in the cloud world, there are a lot of things open due to the cloud organization, and a lot of headache for system administrators who want to see and control what happens on their datacenter/home.

So, the best thing is to look at the EVO WIFI CLOUD organization website and see which private software they can sell in order to control your your device from an external PC.

Or have a look at the modem user guide and/or administrator guide, in order to see if some of the features you need happen to be already included in the device you purchased.

Regards

Yordan

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

Oh, its kind of bad news for me..

 

I need to understand a few things here. The previous device which I had described in the first post is actually Tenda W150D Wireless Modem Router. So it is a pretty standard device.

 

This tenda device and the current EVO wifi cloud, both provided wireless functionality however, the tenda device is called "Wireless Modem Router" and the Evo wifi cloud is called "wifi hotspot". I don't understand why is this difference and what it meant. That is :

> What is the difference between and wireless modem router and a wifi hotspot?

> What is the significance of this difference (if any)?

 

Now the only thing you can do is probly disabling some of the mac addresses, in order to allow only some people the Internet access, and deny to the other ones.

 

 

This functionality is provided with the device and can be accessed through the 192.168.1.1 page. However I am interested in doing much more than just controlling who can connect and who can't. The two most important things that I want to learn to do are:

> Monitor all internet activity that has been going on through the device

> Control in terms of which websites are accessible and which are not, which devices can connect and which cannot etc etc

 

And if what you say is correct (that there isn't much I can do with this device) I would still like to learn why this device limits me while the previous one didn't.

 

And also, as usually in the cloud world, there are a lot of things open due to the cloud organization, and a lot of headache for system administrators who want to see and control what happens on their datacenter/home.

So, the best thing is to look at the EVO WIFI CLOUD organization website and see which private software they can sell in order to control your your device from an external PC.

 

The name of the device "EVO Wifi Cloud" is a bit disguising. It is not an actual "Cloud". Not at least what I think a "Cloud" is. My understanding of a Cloud is that the service included a server that can be accessed from any where using any computer. This device is not like that. Actually the commercial name CLOUD for this device means only that you can connect many devices On The Go and not need to be localized. So this is not a proper CLoud system and there is no way it can be controlled via an external PC.

 

From my experience of the device, it is much more like a normal modem router. The only big difference is that instead of a phone line connection as input, the device uses a 3g connection. And the second big difference is absence of Ethernet ports.

 

The interface of the device (I don't even know what it is correctly called, the thing accessed by 192.168.1.1), is actually quite similar to what the tenda device I had...

[yordan 10]

The interface of the device (I don't even know what it is correctly called, the thing accessed by 192.168.1.1), is actually quite similar to what the tenda device I had...

 

I agrree, the basic administration interface is still accessible at the same address, which is the way it should behave. Simply you need more administration options, which are not given for free with this device. Now, the next step is to see if these extra administration options are available from the manufacturer, for free or not free.

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

So which administrative options are we talking about here... Can you name some of them ???

[yordan 10]

So which administrative options are we talking about here... Can you name some of them ???

Of course not!

If I had purchased such hardware and such extra options, I would have obtained the user manuals, and I would have already posted the concerned pages here.

I don't personally have this device, I don't know where you have bought it, I cannot go the this shop and ask for the extra administration tools not included in the standard package

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

oh...

 

This thing is really getting over my head. When I wrote the previous post, I was thinking of some "pre-existing STANDARD". Like devices which have the capacity to perform what I need to perform, have some administrative options that are standard for that capacity. I hope you understand what I mean. Let me elaborate it a bit.

 

You said my previous device was a pretty standard device. And there were a lot of free and paid programs that were able to do the job I was talking about..

As you mentioned in post # 6

OK. Previously you had a very standard device, so a lot of free or paid programs were able to do the simple job you were talking about.

 

So the thing I am not understanding here is that why was my previous device a standard one and the current device is not standard. My own imagined answer for this question is that there must be some "administrative options" available for that device that aren't available for the current device. So I wanted to know what these administrative options are..

 

Or maybe my imagined explanation is completely wrong. It is not about the "administrative options" but something else. In this case I would really like to know that is this something else. I means what is the actual difference between the two devices that made you say that my previous device was standard one and I could do with it what I want to do..

 

I hope I have made you understand what I really want to know...