# Need a simple way to monitor network traffic and computers



## Xearoveg (Dec 6, 2005)

Does anyone know of a program that can monitor the network traffic on my home network. I have LAN parties at my house every so often and people like to torrent and stuff when others are playing games, causing horrible lag. I need a way to monitor this. It would be great if I could just get a program to show packets going through and have them labeled by the computername of the destination for the packet.

Iv'e tried a couple programs from download.com but their just not really what i'm looking for.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Ethereal is my monitor of choice.


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## John Burns (Jul 29, 1999)

Xearoveg said:


> Does anyone know of a program that can monitor the network traffic on my home network.


Is your home network on a router? If so, there is a program which will show the log entries of the router on your pc, which you can retain for searching through. This may be way off base from what you want, but anyway it's at:

http://www.sonic.net/wallwatcher/

You might have a look at it - it's free. It works for me - I can see where the others on my home network are surfing at any time, or if there is an ip address on the network that shouldn't be there. So far there have been no intrusions, I have it pretty well protected, but at least it reassures me.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

FWIW, unless you monitor at the WAN interface of the router, you probably won't be able to see all the network traffic. Another method is to use a hub (not a switch) in front of the router with all the computers connected to the hub. That will allow monitoring all the traffic.

You might consider one of the Linksys routers with QoS capability, that will limit the bandwidth for any single connection.


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## Xearoveg (Dec 6, 2005)

I am using a walmart edition of a linksys hub (not switch)

I got this because i hate firewalls, iv'e always gotten by without having one, and even if i do get intruded or have a trojan i can fix it pretty well by myself.

I host the internet myself on my computer so it goes.

Cable modem > my computer > hub > other computers.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, I'd use a router in this case, ICS is a PITA, and requires you to have your machine on-line all the time.

Modem > router > hub > all computers.

If you use a hub, you'll see all the traffic on the network, if you use a switch, you'll only see broadcast traffic.


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