Wireless Router Opens a Window Into Web Usage
Prismiq's Commander Wireless Router provides a detailed look at how others use your network.
Prismiq's wireless router looks unassuming, but serves as a serious surveillance tool.
To look at Prismiq's Commander Wireless Router, you wouldn't think it's capable of monitoring virtually all forms of Internet communication, from e-mail and instant messaging to Web browsing. The unassuming, bright white device looks more like an IPod accessory than like a serious surveillance tool for home or small-business broadband users. But the low-key facade belies a feature-rich product that can offer a detailed look at how others on your network are using their Web access.
Prismiq's $80 unit offers a built-in firewall, automatic configuration, five wired ethernet ports, and an 802.11g Wi-Fi networking radio with a single antenna (this device is not a MIMO router). Setting up my shipping unit was a snap: The whole process, from open box to Internet access, took all of 10 minutes, 6 of which I spent crawling behind a desk to reach the modem.
The Commander Wireless can log all Internet activity. Using Prismiq's IWACS (Internet Warning and Control Software) program, I could read any e-mail or instant messages sent or received by anyone connected to the router, as well as the MAC address (a unique, identifying code) of the logged PC. The software also displayed every URL the Web browser loaded. (The unit does not log the contents of Web pages, just the URLs.) In addition, an administrator can manually add URLs, individual IP addresses, or ranges of IP addresses that users may not connect to.
IWACS provides the kind of detailed window into Internet usage that would ordinarily require installing tracking software on each machine. Although this monitoring can be useful, such as when inappropriate Internet use is suspected, it can be abused, too. Users should always be told if they're being monitored.