Network Logger Pro & IT

User Manual: Router Monitoring

 


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Router Monitoring




UPnP or SNMP must be turned on through the web based interface of your router, or with your router software


Network Logger can monitor traffic flow on one or more routers or access points on your LAN if the device supports the SNMP or UPnP network protocols and has the protocol turned on. If you aren't sure how to turn on SNMP or UPnP on your router, refer to your router's documentation or contact the manufacturer's technical support. Usually turning on SNMP or UPnP consists of logging into your router via its web interface and finding the section where you can click the UPnP checkbox or the SNMP checkbox and adding a community password in the case of SNMP. You can usually find the user manual for your router as a PDF on the web by searching the web for keywords: "(your make) (your model) user manual pdf".

When your router or other device has SNMP or UPnP turned on, then choose "Router Monitoring Setup" in the Devices menu.




Then you'll see a window that looks like this:




The Device Monitoring Setup Window


UPnP Setup

For routers with UPnP turned on, simply click the slide switch next to the label that says "UPnP Router Monitoring" to the "On" position. Discovered UPnP routers will appear UPnP Devices list in the window shown above. If the UPnP Device responds to the standard UPnP commands for reporting traffic statistics the status line will read "Receiving traffic stats."

Potential Issues:

  • Some devices respond to UPnP traffic monitoring commands but just return the number zero instead of bytes transferred. Network Logger will recognize when this happens and display "Receiving zeroes" in the status field. Devices that do this are responding to the traffic stats command correctly, but haven't implemented the standard traffic counter and are reporting zero traffic every time they are polled.

  • If a device announces itself during UPnP discovery on your LAN but does not implement traffic monitoring commands at all, then "Answers UPnP, not commands" will be displayed in the status field.


    • SNMP Setup

    For routers with SNMP turned on you can either enter the IP address of your device directly using the "Add IP Manually" button on the left (IPv6 or IPv4), or you can set up a range of IPv4 IP addresses to scan, or both. Scanning can be left turned off if you are just entering IP addresses manually. You'll also need the "community string" which the router is using. "Community string" is just another word for a password. For most SNMP routers the default community string set to "public.".

    The default range will work with the default settings on many LAN devices. You won't need to change the port number unless you are using a custom port number for SNMP on your router. Once the IP address range and community string are set, click the slide switch next to the label that says "SNMP Router Monitoring" to the "On" position. Discovered SNMP routers that implement the SNMP traffic reporting commands will start having their traffic graphed in the Network Status window.


    SNMP Interface Selection

    SNMP devices generally have multiple network interfaces, for instance a consumer level Wifi router might have an Ethernet interface for its connection to a modem and a Wifi interface for the wireless connection to its clients. Some SNMP devices have 64 interfaces or more. By default Network Logger uses interface #1, you can choose which interface you want to use with the popup menu in the Interface column of the SNMP Device Table.




    If you want to track more than one interface in an SNMP Device, click on the "Add IP Manually" button, enter the device information and click "Add Device", you will see the new entry in the table and then you will be able to choose the desired interface for that entry from the Interface menu in the table row.


    Traffic Display

    Routers discovered through UPnP or SNMP will appear in the router setup window and will have their traffic displayed graphically in the same manner as your local network interfaces in the Network Status window. Discovered routers will also appear in the network status item in the menubar if you have that turned on in the "Options" menu in the menu bar.

    If you see the graph for a particular router get dimmer, that means the router did not respond to the last request it was sent for traffic statistics. When this happens you will also see the router's status message change in the Device Setup Window. It's not unusual for this to happen from time to time. If it stays dimmed then the router may have stopped responding and that could have a variety of causes including being unplugged, disconnected, or reconfigured.


    Reporting New Routers

    If you encounter a router which does not respond to traffic monitoring commands in Network Logger, you can send us a copy of the router's profile to analyze, so we can see if we can update Network Logger to recognize it. If the device's status field in the Router Monitoring Setup Window is not, "Receiving traffic stats" then select the device you are interested in the and hit the "P" key. You will be given a chance to review the router profile that will be emailed to review@networklogger.net for review by the developer and can choose to send it or not. If so, also fill out the router make and model fields and your email address if you would like a reply, then hit the 'Send" button."'


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    copyright © 2017 Lyle Andrews.
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