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Choose the collection point before choosing a tool
DNS telemetry can come from the resolver that answers client requests or from a sensor that observes network traffic. These approaches answer different questions. Resolver statistics show what passed through that resolver; passive analysis shows what the sensor could see on the network. A monitoring platform can present several kinds of network visibility, but it still depends on the underlying traffic and sensors.
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- Choose resolver-side collection if you want DNS service and query statistics for clients configured to use one local resolver.
- Choose passive analysis if you need protocol logs from traffic visible at a sensor and can arrange an appropriate network feed.
- Choose an integrated platform if the goal extends beyond DNS to a broader network security monitoring environment.
Before selecting, map where clients connect, where DNS requests are resolved, and where a sensor or resolver would sit. A tool cannot log traffic it never receives.
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| Option | What it observes | Main setup dependency | Output and best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pi-hole | DNS requests processed by its resolver. | Configure clients or router DHCP to use Pi-hole for DNS. | Resolver statistics and query analysis; a fit for small networks wanting local DNS service and visibility into requests sent to it. |
| Zeek | Network traffic visible at the sensor interface, or traffic in stored packet captures. | Provide a live traffic feed or packet captures; network placement determines coverage and attribution. | Structured DNS and other protocol logs for analysis or downstream processing; a fit for teams that need passive network telemetry. |
| Security Onion | Network metadata from Zeek or Suricata, alongside other documented visibility sources. | Deploy and operate its platform and sensor/data components. | Metadata, alerts, packet capture, file analysis and endpoint visibility; a fit for teams seeking broader network monitoring rather than a DNS-only collector. |
This is a comparison of documented collection models, not a performance benchmark. Comparable throughput, storage, total cost and setup-time figures are not established in the cited documentation.
#1 Best Overall
- DUAL-BAND WIFI 6 ROUTER: Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) technology achieves faster speeds, greater capacity and reduced network congestion compared to the previous gen. All WiFi routers require a separate modem. Dual-Band WiFi routers do not support the 6 GHz band.
- AX1800: Enjoy smoother and more stable streaming, gaming, downloading with 1.8 Gbps total bandwidth (up to 1200 Mbps on 5 GHz and up to 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz). Performance varies by conditions, distance to devices, and obstacles such as walls.
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Pi-hole: statistics for requests handled by its resolver
Pi-hole’s FTL component provides a DNS service and an API for network analysis data and statistics. Its DNS view is useful only for requests that reach that service. The setup documentation recommends configuring router DHCP to give clients Pi-hole as their DNS server, or using Pi-hole’s DHCP service if the router cannot distribute DNS settings. A client configured to use another resolver may not appear in Pi-hole’s query statistics.
The project’s prerequisites documentation lists minimum hardware requirements of 512 MB RAM and 2 GB of free space, and accepts a DHCP reservation for the required static address. These are Pi-hole software requirements, not a performance guarantee or hardware recommendation for Zeek. Check the current supported operating systems and processor architectures against the host you plan to use.
Rank #2
- 【Five Gigabit Ports】1 Gigabit WAN Port plus 2 Gigabit WAN/LAN Ports plus 2 Gigabit LAN Port. Up to 3 WAN ports optimize bandwidth usage through one device.
- 【One USB WAN Port】Mobile broadband via 4G/3G modem is supported for WAN backup by connecting to the USB port. For complete list of compatible 4G/3G modems, please visit TP-Link website.
- 【Abundant Security Features】Advanced firewall policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, speed test and more security functions protect your network and data.
- 【Highly Secure VPN】Supports up to 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections.
- Security - SPI Firewall, VPN Pass through, FTP/H.323/PPTP/SIP/IPsec ALG, DoS Defence, Ping of Death and Local Management. Standards and Protocols IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.1q
Zeek: passive DNS logs when the sensor sees the traffic
Zeek is an open-source passive network traffic analyzer. Its DNS logs can include observed origin and responder addresses and ports, transport protocol, query name and type, response code and related transaction fields. Logs can be written as JSON or tab-separated data and processed by external systems. These are records of observed transactions—not a promise that Zeek sees every client or query.
The Tool Desk
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Zeek’s small-network monitoring guidance describes a network tap or a managed switch configured with a SPAN (port-mirroring) port as ways to copy traffic to a sensor. It explicitly says: “When they are not available, as in the case of a SOHO or test environment, then a span port on a managed switch is an acceptable alternative.” A managed switch with port mirroring is therefore a practical product category to consider when building a small passive-monitoring setup; confirm its actual mirroring capabilities and your network layout before buying.
Rank #3
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- Our Cybersecurity Commitment - TP-Link is a signatory of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Secure-by-Design pledge. This device is designed, built, and maintained, with advanced security as a core requirement
- More Gigabit Ports - Each Deco X55 has 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports(6 in total for a 2-pack) and supports Wired Ethernet Backhaul for better speeds. Any of them can work as a Wi-Fi Router
Placement affects coverage and attribution
- A sensor must receive the relevant traffic. A convenient point on one segment may not see devices on another.
- A sensor placed after NAT may see a shared source address for multiple internal clients, making it difficult to identify which device originated a request.
- A feed limited to a wired segment or one access point can omit other network traffic. Wi-Fi visibility depends on where the access point and switch sit in the topology.
A tap is another way to copy network traffic, but Zeek’s guide describes a reliable tap as typically beyond a home user’s budget and considers SPAN a suitable alternative in a home or test environment. Neither method by itself resolves attribution lost to NAT or ensures visibility into every wireless client.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Security Onion: choose it for broader network monitoring
Security Onion documents network metadata collection using Zeek or Suricata, as well as alerts, packet capture, file analysis and endpoint visibility. That breadth can suit a security team that wants multiple network-monitoring capabilities in one environment. It is not a DNS-only collector: its DNS visibility depends on the network metadata sources and traffic available to the deployment. The cited documentation describes capabilities, but does not establish how much effort or hardware a particular small-network deployment will require.
Rank #4
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- 【High-Performace Network Capacity】Maximum number of concurrent sessions – 500,000. Maximum number of clients – 1000+.
- 【Cloud Access】Remote Cloud access and Omada app brings centralized cloud management of the whole network from different sites—all controlled from a single interface anywhere, anytime.
- 【Highly Secure VPN】Supports up to 100× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 66× OpenVPN, 60× L2TP, and 60× PPTP VPN connections.
- 【5 Years Warranty】Backed by our 5-years warranty and free technical support from 6am to 6pm PST Monday to Fridays
Plan for limits in what DNS telemetry reveals
Resolver-side and passive collection both have visibility boundaries. Pi-hole’s statistics cover requests handled by Pi-hole; Zeek’s logs cover traffic visible to its sensor. Encrypted DNS may reduce what a passive observer can learn, but the cited sources do not quantify that effect or establish protocol-specific coverage. Check the protocols and network paths used in your environment rather than assuming either approach records every lookup.
Which tool fits your network?
- Use Pi-hole when you want a local DNS resolver and statistics for clients you can configure to use it.
- Use Zeek when you need passive protocol telemetry, can provide a traffic feed or packet captures, and are prepared to account for network topology and client attribution.
- Consider Security Onion when DNS metadata is one part of a broader network monitoring requirement and you are prepared to deploy and operate an integrated platform.
There are no comparable figures in the cited documentation for price, storage use, throughput, or minimum Zeek sensor hardware, so those factors require environment-specific evaluation rather than a numerical ranking.
Quick Recap
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