Monitor Your Home Network Traffic: Detect Data Usage & Security Threats

Monitoring your home network activity is essential as it helps you identify and resolve problems caused by unauthorized access or malware. Additionally, you can pinpoint unusual activity indicating imminent hardware failure or poor network performance.

According to an analysis by Cybersecurity Ventures, experts project that cyberattacks will cost the world approximately $10.5 trillion yearly by 2025, an unprecedented rise from $3 trillion in 2015. This disturbing trend highlights the need for individuals to actively protect their digital lives.

Beyond monitoring your network, practicing security awareness is crucial. Being aware of cybersecurity threats and best practices provides you with skills that you can use to protect yourself, such as:

• • Using strong and unique passwords. Avoid easily guessed passwords and enable multi-factor authentication where available.
  • Keeping software up-to-date. Regular security patches and updates contain security fixes to protect against vulnerabilities.
  • Watching out for phishing attempts. Avoid suspicious emails with links or attachments that could infect your computer or entice you to disclose personal information.
  • Installing anti-virus and anti-malware software to keep your devices secure.

Consider the privacy of other network users and obtain consent from all users before proceeding to monitor the network. Inform users of the reasons for monitoring and what activities will be monitored.

Here are five steps to monitor what is happening on your home network, whether you choose a simple, low-cost subscription service or the do it yourself route.

Learn more: Is eero Plus worth it?

Choose a tool that fits your needs, budget and technical expertise. eero Plus offers a practical and affordable home WiFi security solution with traffic monitoring features that help protect against online threats and ensure a secure, safe internet environment

eero supports various built-in features intended to reinforce your home network security, including:

• Activity Center: This feature lets users view the weekly number of inspections, threat and content blocks per network. eero Plus checks the sites you visit in real time to determine if they are safe and reports these sites as inspections in the Activity Center. It also blocks threats (harmful sites) before they load content and reports them to the Activity Center.
• Content Filtering: eero Plus allows you to block inappropriate content, keeping everyone on your network safer when browsing the web.
• Virtual Private Network (VPN): A VPN secures your online identity by encrypting your network traffic each time you connect to the internet, preventing hackers and advertisers from tracking your online activities.
• Password Manager: This keeps your passwords secure, minimizing the risks of unauthorized access to your online accounts.
• Anti-virus and Anti-Malware software protect devices from malicious software, such as viruses and malware, that can compromise system security and steal sensitive information.

If you’re on a budget, Astound’s Whole Home WiFi with eero subscription comes with eero Secure at no additional cost. eero Secure includes internet backup, advanced security, ad blocking, content filtering and network insights.

If you are a do-it-yourself IT enthusiast who wants more control over your home network, using open-source software or hardware tools are alternate solutions.

Two of the most popular open-source software options for network monitoring are:

• Wireshark
• ntopng

Wireshark is an advanced network protocol analyzer that captures and inspects network traffic at a very granular level. It’s ideal for:

• Troubleshooting problems
• Identifying performance bottlenecks
• Identifying security hazards

However, its in-depth analysis might be overwhelming for users inexperienced at monitoring their network traffic. It’s best suited for detailed diagnostics rather than continuous monitoring.

ntopng is a web-based traffic analysis tool that provides a user-friendly, high-level view of your network traffic. It is also best for day-to-day monitoring, where you can monitor bandwidth usage and visualize traffic flow in real time.

If you want to set up a more permanent or continuous monitoring solution, use hardware like a Raspberry Pi or repurpose an old laptop and install Wireshark or ntopng.

Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, small computer ideal for dedicated network monitoring. It’s power-efficient, portable and can run 24/7 with minimal electricity costs. It’s excellent for lightweight tasks and easy to get up and running at home.

After choosing the monitoring tool, it’s time to set it up. Whether you chose the eero Plus or prefer the DIY approach, both have distinct setup processes.

Setting up eero Whole Home WiFi and subscribing to eero Plus is simple and doesn’t require technical expertise. If you are an Astound customer, you can simply call customer support at 1 (800) 427-8686 and they will help you subscribe to eero.

If you own your own eero devices or aren’t an Astound customer, once you have set up eero Whole Home WiFi in your home, follow these steps to activate eero Plus using the eero app on your phone or the eero website.

Setting up on the eero website:

1. Go to your account on https://account.eero.com/
2. Log in with your eero or Amazon account credentials and enter the verification code sent to your phone
3. Select your preferred subscription choice (monthly or yearly)
4. Enter your payment details. Once purchased, verify the subscription on the eero app in the eero plus section under Home.

Setting up eero Plus through the app:

1. Open the eero application on your mobile device
2. Tap on Home, then eero Plus and then select Subscribe
3. Follow the screen instructions to purchase the subscription
4. Verify the subscription in the eero Plus section of the menu under the Home tab

To set this up yourself, follow the general steps below.

• Install your preferred network monitoring software, such as Wireshark or ntopng on the device dedicated to monitoring.
• Ensure your device has a network interface cable (NIC) capable of promiscuous mode. This mode allows the device to capture all network data. Wireshark has the option to enable promiscuous mode in its settings.
• Set up your monitoring device on the same network you want to monitor. Place the device between your modem and router for optimal monitoring, or connect it to a network switch that supports port mirroring.

Network mirroring is a technique that permits all network traffic to be copied and forwarded to your monitoring device for analysis. It enables your device to capture and analyze every bit of traffic that flows through your home network. Here is how to configure network mirroring whether you use eero Plus or the DIY route.

eero Plus auto-configures itself to monitor network traffic when connected to a network. It automatically controls the network activity across all connected devices, allowing the built-in monitoring features to track traffic and device activity without extra configuration.

This option is attractive to users who want to avoid the technical aspects of configuring network mirroring while enjoying the benefits of robust monitoring and security features.

To configure the network mirroring manually, it requires the following additional steps:

• Set up a managed network switch that supports network mirroring. Some brands of managed switches that allow this feature include Cisco, Netgear and TP-Link.
• Connect your monitoring device to the available ports in the network switch. This connected port will be the destination port.
• Access your switch’s management interface and navigate to the port mirroring or SPAN (Switch Port Analyzer) configuration section.
• Configure the network switch to mirror all the traffic from the other ports to the port where your monitoring device is connected to ensure your monitoring device can capture all the data passing through the network on devices connected via Ethernet and WiFi.

Once your monitoring device has been set up and configured, capturing traffic enables you to analyze and detect any unusual activity that could signal a potential threat. Here’s how you can capture traffic with eero Plus or your DIY setup.

eero Plus monitors all data flowing through its network by default, including web browsing, streaming and other types of network traffic. Also, eero Plus uses this data to provide information on network performance, usage, potential security hazards and optimization recommendations.

To start capturing traffic in your Raspberry Pi or reused laptop, ensure the device’s network interface is operating in promiscuous mode. This mode allows it to sniff all packets crossing the network, regardless of the destination node.

For example, you can start a capture session in Wireshark by selecting your network interface and clicking the Start button. The software will capture and display the network packets, allowing you to monitor the traffic flowing in your home network in real-time.

Now that you have captured the network traffic data, it’s time to analyze it and understand your network health and possible security risks.

Here’s how to analyze the collected data with eero Plus and a DIY setup:

eero Plus constantly performs background scans for malware and suspicious connections. It searches for malware, phishing attempts and any unusual activity that could affect your home network. Once any threat is detected, it automatically blocks it to protect your network.

eero Plus also sends user alerts regarding security issues, allowing you to take immediate action to prevent further risk of cyber attacks.

Open-source home network monitoring tools like Wireshark or ntopng include built-in analysis features to analyze your network’s traffic data in depth. Using these tools, you can:

• Sort traffic data based on various parameters such as bandwidth usage, IP addresses and protocol types.
• Analyze individual packets for detailed information like the size, source and data type sent.
• Look for anomalies indicating spikes in data consumption, high bandwidth usage, unrecognized devices or connections to unfamiliar IP addresses.
• Monitor traffic through built-in filters and protocols, like HTTP, DNS or SSL, to refine the types of traffic flowing through the network.

In addition to analyzing current network traffic data, consider keeping logs of previous network activities. By comparing current data to earlier trends, you can detect gradual shifts in traffic that may suggest increased security threats, such as an increase in outgoing traffic to unfamiliar servers or repeated connections with suspicious IP addresses.

Once you identify threats to your home network’s security, you can implement security measures like changing your WiFi password, blocking suspicious IP addresses and updating the router and modem’s firmware.

Beyond monitoring, you can take several additional security measures to improve your home network security.

These security practices include:

• Setting up parental controls to monitor, restrict and block access to specific sites or inappropriate content for children. You can also set specific times when children can and cannot access the internet. Many routers provided by internet service providers offer built-in parental controls that you can access in the router’s settings. You can also consider third-party applications that offer more comprehensive parental control features.
• Setting up a guest WiFi network to prevent guests from accessing your personal devices and sensitive information in your primary network. A guest network isolates traffic from your main network so that it won’t spread to your primary network if it’s infected by malware or compromised by hackers. You can also configure the guest network with limited access privileges and monitor it regularly for suspicious activities.
• Understanding cybersecurity fundamentals by taking cybersecurity awareness training to help you and your household stay informed about the latest cybersecurity threats. Regular training can help you identify and avoid common scams, recognize phishing attempts and understand the importance of strong passwords and security practices.

Monitoring your home network usage is a proactive means of ensuring your online activities stay secure and protecting your digital life from cyber threats. By analyzing the traffic on your network, you can quickly uncover irregular activity, unauthorized access or suspicious connections that could indicate a cyberattack. You can choose between using subscription monitoring tools like eero Plus and doing it yourself with open-source software applications like Wireshark and ntopng.

In addition to monitoring your web traffic, implementing other security best practices such as enabling parental controls, setting up a guest WiFi and staying informed through cybersecurity awareness training further improves your home network’s security. These practices provide an added layer of defense and enable a secure online environment for your household.