GW Router Logger

GW Router Logger is a PowerShell syslog collector for Windows, designed for home labs, residential routers, and small-network troubleshooting.

Current release: v1.3.4

It focuses on the things that usually break first on normal Windows machines: elevation, pathing, firewall access, bind-address selection, log rollover, and clear on-screen status.

Why this exists

A lot of router logging tools assume too much:

• that the right IP is obvious
• that the log folder is writable
• that Windows Firewall is already configured
• that the user knows whether to use UDP or TCP
• that the machine is set up like a clean lab environment

This script does the opposite. It guides setup, validates inputs, uses practical defaults, and stays usable from a regular PowerShell window.

Highlights

• Menu-driven workflow instead of parameter-heavy startup
• Notification-area GUI app with right-click controls
• Apps and Features uninstall registration through the installer
• GitHub-backed in-app update check and reinstall flow
• Administrator check with self-elevation attempt
• Residential-friendly defaults: UDP 514, TCP disabled
• Automatic suggestion of the local IPv4 address tied to the active default gateway
• Live status dashboard with message counts, sender tracking, and recent events
• One router log file in the selected log folder, with internal runtime logs kept separately
• Rolling archive management with compression and a compressed retention cap
• Cached, bounded hostname lookup so slow reverse DNS does not stall the listener
• Stale TCP client cleanup for long-running sessions
• Path validation and fallback handling for less predictable Windows environments
• Built to stay readable and maintainable for later troubleshooting or feature additions

Requirements

• Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later
• Administrator rights
• A router, firewall, switch, or other device capable of sending syslog to this machine

Quick Start

Install

1. Run PowerShell.
2. Change into the script folder.
3. Install the app:

.\Install-GWRouterLogger.ps1

4. The installer asks whether you want the optional tray mode.
5. If you choose tray mode, the installer creates Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts and starts the tray icon automatically.
6. Right-click the tray icon and choose Configure.

If the installer detects an existing installation, it asks whether to reinstall before making changes.

Tray mode is launched through GW-Router-Logger.ps1 -TrayApp. The tray support code is installed internally, but there is only one user-facing app script.

The tray menu shows the app name and version, live status, listener controls, log shortcuts, update checking, settings, about, and exit. The listener can be started or stopped from the right-click menu.

The installer registers the app in Windows Apps and Features. Uninstalling from Windows runs Uninstall-GWRouterLogger.ps1 and removes the app files and shortcuts. Logs and configuration are preserved unless the uninstaller is run manually with -RemoveData.

CLI script

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Change into the script folder.
3. Run:

.\GW-Router-Logger.ps1

4. In most residential setups:
   • accept the suggested local IP
   • accept the common router defaults
   • accept the default log path

Default behavior

By default, the script:

• suggests the local address on the adapter currently using the default gateway
• assumes the most common router syslog setup: UDP 514
• leaves hostname lookup disabled by default for reliability
• stores logs beside the script in:

GW-ROUTER-LOGS

• rotates active logs by size or age
• compresses rotated logs
• prunes old compressed archives until retained compressed logs are at or below the configured cap

The tray app stores its configuration in:

C:\ProgramData\GW-Router-Logger\config.json

If C:\ProgramData is not writable, it falls back to the current user's local app data folder.

Advanced defaults that are not exposed in the tray UI can be edited in that JSON config file. The size handling defaults are visible in Settings but intentionally disabled for editing until a later version.

The log folder you choose is now reserved for router-received logs. Internal runtime/server logs are stored separately under the app data area so the selected folder is not split into sources and server.

Log layout

GW-ROUTER-LOGS\
  router-current.log
  archive\

Runtime controls

If tray mode is installed, its controls are primarily in the right-click menu:

• Configure sets listener IP, UDP/TCP ports, hostname lookup, and log folder
• Start and Stop control the listener
• Open Latest Log opens the newest .log file in Notepad
• Open Log Folder opens the configured log folder
• Check for Updates ... checks the GitHub repo for a newer packaged release and installs it if you approve
• Settings controls Windows startup, diagnostic logging, theme, firewall exception setup, network ports, and log folder

While the listener is running:

• Q stops the listener cleanly
• O opens the log folder
• Ctrl+C cancels the script from PowerShell

Project goals

• Work on normal Windows machines without extra modules
• Be understandable to someone reading the script later
• Prefer validation and fallback behavior over hidden assumptions
• Be useful as a practical router logging tool, not just a demo

Notes

• The script is intentionally PowerShell-first and Windows-focused.
• The UI is designed to be readable during real use, not overloaded with animation while logs are arriving.
• Defaults can be adjusted from the built-in Change defaults menu.

License

This project is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE.