Url logging by device Ip

[ez21]

I currently own an Asus RT-AC87U router currently using the latest stock firmware. I want to setup Url logging by device ip and would like to know the best way to accomplish this with my router for an inexperienced lower level router person, but fairly experienced computer person. I have seen linklogger software which appears to do what I want.
1) Do I need to upgrade to AMerlin firmware to use this or can I use stock firmware with linklogger?
2) Is there a better way to get url logging by device ip that is fairly straightforward?
3) Will the Url logs by device ip detail be the same regardless of what is collecting them or does it depend on the router log level?

 

[elorimer]

Search here for log-queries through dnsmasq.

 

[RMerlin]

URL logging is pretty much useless in 2017 as an increasing number of websites now use HTTPS, which means the router cannot see the URL being requested (it's encrypted by your browser), only the hostname.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I'd never heard of Link Logger before, but a quick look at their website suggests that is not doing URL logging.

It appears to be just a remote syslog server that is capturing the dropped or accepted packet information from the router's firewall. As such it only knows about source and destination IP addresses and ports, not complete URL's.

 

[ez21]

Is there a date/time and target hostname by ip in the current Merlin firmware accessible in web ui?

 

[RMerlin]

Is there a date/time and target hostname by ip in the current Merlin firmware accessible in web ui?

Under Adaptive QoS, on all models that support the Trend Micro engine. It's part of the stock firmware.

 

[ez21]

If you are referring to the QoS - Web History, that is indeed very much what I would like to see, but the log file size restriction in the web ui and the stock firmware makes it very impracticable, not much time to see anything on a web surfing computer. It would be great to be able to send that same log information to a log server so I could have total history. Is that functionality available in Merlin firmware? Or at least being able to mark clients for extended logging size for longer viewing ranges of a surfing computer on the web ui.

 

[sfx2000]

I currently own an Asus RT-AC87U router currently using the latest stock firmware. I want to setup Url logging by device ip and would like to know the best way to accomplish this with my router for an inexperienced lower level router person, but fairly experienced computer person. I have seen linklogger software which appears to do what I want.

What's your objective here?

Seems to be a bit of privacy issue...

 

[RMerlin]

If you are referring to the QoS - Web History, that is indeed very much what I would like to see, but the log file size restriction in the web ui and the stock firmware makes it very impracticable, not much time to see anything on a web surfing computer. It would be great to be able to send that same log information to a log server so I could have total history. Is that functionality available in Merlin firmware? Or at least being able to mark clients for extended logging size for longer viewing ranges of a surfing computer on the web ui.

Trend Micro's web history is closed source, and outside of my control.

 

[ez21]

Not sure how other parent's are handling a house with several kids of different ages and different trust levels. Constant education is the best but it still needs to be monitored. With so many different devices it become quite a challenge and something I thought the router firmware could assist. Open DNS helps, but there are still ways around it and the general information that it provides is not always enough to narrow things down to a source.

 

[Jay Culley]

when I want to snoop on my kids I just use tcpdump. Either filter for port 80 and 443 and their IP or UDP port 53 for dns queries. Just install entware then install tcpdump.

 

[Wutikorn]

Open DNS helps, but there are still ways around it and the general information that it provides is not always enough to narrow things down to a source.

There is a function in RMerlin's firmware that allows you to set DNS servers for each of your device and so your kids can't get around easily. You can also use AiProtection (available in stock firmware and RMerlin's) to block some categories of content or Sophos Free AV might be able to help you as it has lots of categories.