Best Unifi Network Monitoring Tools

Unifi OS4

• User Quote: "With Unifi OS4 you can enable SNMP on the cloud gateways and then send the data wherever you want like zabbix and others."
• Pros:
  • Enables SNMP for cloud gateways.
  • Data can be sent to various monitoring tools.
• Cons:
  • Some users prefer immediate solutions like unpoller with Grafana.

Tailscale

• User Quote: "I have basically the same setup but hadn’t heard of Tailscale for remote streaming."
• Pros:
  • Allows for remote streaming.
  • Recommended for its functionality.
• Cons:
  • Not mentioned to be used for network monitoring specifically.

Moonlight/Sunshine

• User Quote: "Nice write-up, I've been meaning to try taliscale but I have had some success with port forwarding and using moonlight over the internet."
• Pros:
  • Capable of game streaming over the internet.
  • Works well with controller support.
• Cons:
  • Requires the PC to be kept on all the time, which might be inconvenient for some users.

Wireshark

• User Quote: "You could mirror the port going to your uap and send it to a desktop/laptop and view it live in Wireshark."
• Pros:
  • Offers real-time network monitoring features.
  • Can view live traffic for analysis.
• Cons:
  • Requires some technical knowledge to set up and use efficiently.

Pi-Hole/Dnsmasq

• User Quote: "I use Pi-Hole for my DNS and I block Google DNS from getting out to force devices that are hard coded with Google DNS to use my supplied DNS."
• Pros:
  • Effectively blocks unwanted DNS requests.
  • Provides control over DNS queries for devices.
• Cons:
  • IoT devices may still find ways to bypass these controls.

Bro IDS/Graylog/ELK

• User Quote: "Bro ids is a great app that parses all the traffic so you can review everything quickly."
• Pros:
  • Bro IDS quickly parses network traffic for review.
  • Tools like Graylog or ELK facilitate log aggregation for monitoring.
• Cons:
  • May require additional setup and monitoring for effective use in a network.

Unifi IPS

• User Quote: "Doesn't the Unifi IPS do this? I've found malware trying to call home and RCE attempts from infected Roblix installation."
• Pros:
  • Helps in identifying potential threats in network traffic.
  • Can detect and prevent malicious activity.
• Cons:
  • Might not cover all aspects of network monitoring compared to specialized tools.

Recommendations for Dense Residential Buildings

• User Quote: "Now we need a second guide that highlights which of the advanced features are broken in current firmware or cause problems when enabled with specific common devices."
• Pros:
  • Addresses issues specific to dense residential environments.
  • Suggests improvements for optimizing network setups in such settings.
• Cons:
  • May require troubleshooting to avoid conflicts with neighboring networks.