PulseNet - Network Monitor

A lightweight network monitoring tool for local networks, designed for home environments, small offices, or laboratories. PulseNet provides real-time network visibility through a terminal-based interface without heavy GUI dependencies.

Features

• Network Discovery: Automatic scanning of local network devices using ARP scan and ping sweep
• Real-time Monitoring: Live traffic analysis with packet capture using libpcap
• Terminal Interface: Clean ncurses-based interface with color-coded alerts
• Pattern Detection: Intelligent analysis of network behavior and anomaly detection
• Logging: Detailed session logs and reports for audit and analysis
• Modular Design: Extensible architecture for additional modules

Requirements

• Linux/Unix system
• GCC compiler
• libpcap development libraries
• ncurses development libraries
• Root privileges for packet capture

Installation

# Install dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt-get install libpcap-dev libncurses-dev nmap

# Install dependencies (Arch Linux)
sudo pacman -S libpcap ncurses nmap

# Compile
make

# Run (requires root for packet capture)
sudo ./pulsenet

Usage

# Basic monitoring
sudo ./pulsenet

# Monitor specific interface
sudo ./pulsenet -i eth0

# Scan specific subnet
sudo ./pulsenet -n 192.168.1.0/24

Controls

• q - Quit application
• r - Refresh device list
• s - Start/stop monitoring
• l - View logs
• h - Show help

Architecture

• Scanner: Network discovery and device identification
• Monitor: Real-time packet capture and analysis
• Interface: Ncurses-based terminal UI
• Analyzer: Pattern detection and anomaly alerts
• Logger: Session logging and report generation

Project Structure

pulse-net/
├── src/           # Source code files
├── include/      # Header files
├── docs/         # Documentation
├── examples/     # Example scripts and usage
├── Makefile      # Build configuration
└── pulsenet      # Compiled binary

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details