Monitor your devices with PRTG Network Monitor
We use PRTG Network Monitor in our organization since 2021; we started with the free solution with 100 sensors to check with ping our …
Starting at $1,750 perpetual license
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What is PRTG?
PRTG Network Monitor is the flagship offering from German software company Paessler, for monitoring local and wide area networks (LANs & WANs), servers, websites, apps, and more.
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Popular Features
- Alerts (55)7.676%
- Network monitoring (54)7.676%
- Automated network device discovery (49)7.474%
- Hardware health monitoring (52)6.868%
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Pricing
PRTG 500
1,750
On Premise
perpetual license
PRTG 1,000
3,200
On Premise
perpetual license
PRTG 2,500
6,500
On Premise
perpetual license
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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PGT 305 : MINI PROJECT - DEMO VIDEO PRTG NETWORK MONITOR
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Prtg demo | Prtg network monitor demo | Prtg
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Giám sát mạng máy tính với phần mềm PRTG Network Monitor
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PRTG Network Monitor Demo
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PRTG Network Monitor Live Demo
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Monitor Large Scale Environments the Easy Way - PRTG Network Monitor
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What is PRTG?
PRTG Network Monitor is the flagship offering from German software company Paessler, for monitoring local and wide area networks (LANs & WANs), servers, websites, apps, and more. It also includes free VoIP monitoring software.
PRTG Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows |
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
PRTG Network Monitor is the flagship offering from German software company Paessler, for monitoring local and wide area networks (LANs & WANs), servers, websites, apps, and more.
Reviewers rate Network monitoring and Alerts highest, with a score of 7.6.
The most common users of PRTG are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
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PRTG Network Monitor is a versatile tool that has proven to be invaluable for a wide range of users and organizations. Small and mid-sized firms with limited IT resources have found it to be an effective solution for monitoring their servers, switches, storage, and essential services almost 24/7. By providing a quick overview of many systems at once, the software saves these organizations from receiving alerts from multiple places or watching several different screens.
Telecommunications companies also benefit greatly from PRTG Network Monitor's capabilities. It allows them to monitor major backhaul telecommunication links, thousands of devices deployed in multiple locations, and even multi-tenanted virtual environments. The software's event monitoring, alerting, capacity management, and uptime reporting features provide these companies with the metrics they need for OLAs and SLAs.
Similarly, organizations rely on PRTG Network Monitor to keep a close eye on their network devices, servers, and services both locally and remotely. By providing real-time information about the system's health and alerting the team when something goes offline or down, the software enables proactive issue resolution and quicker recovery. The ability to display the software on TVs throughout the department also allows other employees to see the status of the infrastructure.
In various industries, such as R&D departments or customer service centers, PRTG Network Monitor serves as a crucial fault and performance monitoring tool. It helps these teams monitor services, databases, bandwidth utilization, server performance, and application uptime. The historical data provided by the software aids in tracking trends and establishing baselines for resources. Notably, its flexibility in configuration and customization is appreciated by users across different settings.
PRTG Network Monitor is not limited to specific sectors but offers value to many use cases. From monitoring network gear and VPN tunnels to overseeing classroom environments or casinos' game floors' kiosks, this software proves its versatility time and again. Its extensive functionality allows users to consolidate multiple monitoring systems, meet customer SLAs, and proactively address potential problems before they impact users' experience. PRTG Network Monitor truly shines as a reliable and adaptable tool for network monitoring and system availability.
Intuitive Interface: Users have consistently praised PRTG for its highly intuitive interface, which makes it incredibly easy to use and set up credentials and device monitoring. Many reviewers appreciate how the user-friendly interface streamlines the process of navigating the system.
Out-of-the-Box Monitoring: PRTG's comprehensive monitoring capabilities right out of the box have impressed numerous users. The product offers detailed monitoring without requiring extensive customization or additional packages, saving valuable time and effort during implementation.
Automatic Device Discovery: PRTG's automatic device discovery functionality has received positive feedback from several users. They highlight how this feature simplifies the setup process by automatically detecting and modeling various types of devices, ensuring hassle-free monitoring with minimal manual configuration required.
Confusing User Interface: Some users have found the user interface to be perplexing, difficult to navigate, and lacking in intuitiveness. They have expressed a desire for improvements in the management of the user interface, including visual interfaces and simplification of the top ribbon menu.
Steep Learning Curve: There is a learning curve associated with using the software, especially for those who are new to monitoring solutions. Users have reported difficulties with the setup process and the auto scan feature, and they would appreciate a more straightforward navigation system in the web GUI.
Expensive Pricing Structure: Many users find frustration with the pricing structure since costs increase significantly once they exceed the 100 sensor limit of the free version. The licensing cost is considered expensive, particularly for small businesses. Users feel that there should be a more budget-friendly software option available for medium-level customers.
Users recommend purchasing a licensed version of the software for proper functioning. They have found that the licensed version offers better performance and functionality compared to the free version.
Reviewers advise regularly updating the software to resolve any bugs or issues. By keeping the software up-to-date, users have access to the latest features, enhancements, and security patches.
Customers suggest engaging with the user community for troubleshooting assistance. By exploring the user community, users can find solutions to their queries or problems more quickly and benefit from shared tips, tricks, and workarounds.
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Reviews
(1-25 of 25)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
March 28, 2022
PRTG is a need to have tool for IT
We utilize PRTG in the IT department to monitor network devices, servers, and services locally and remotely. PRTG provides real-time information about our system's health by alerting my team when something goes down/offline. I have PRTG Maps displayed on TVs throughout our department so other departments and employees see the status of our infrastructure.
- Monitoring throughput through network devices.
- Monitoring services for a critical application.
- Alerting staff when devices go offline.
- Providing a log of events and system status at any moment in the past.
- PRTG Maps\Web Pages are cumbersome to setup and change.
- The configuration interface is old and is not easy to work with at times.
- Enhanced triggers with more options.
May 27, 2021
Perfect for EASY customization!
PRTG is being used to monitor a number of different IT technologies mainly in the infrastructure realm. There are several key uses:
- Device monitoring (Security, network, telephony, servers, power)
- Device troubleshooting (monitoring statistics of problematic device which could be any network connected device) over time to determine a baseline and solve problems
- Reporting on network utilization for capacity planning
- Netflow reporting for external connections
- Ability to monitor ALMOST anything that is network connected
- Flexibility in monitoring choices (SNMP, Scripts, PINGS, WMI etc)
- Easy to use web GUI for creating monitors, reports, and alerts
- Licensing on a per entity basis can be cumbersome for devices which have a ton of monitoring points like network switches\routers. Each sensor may count against a license, which could be a lot of you were monitoring every TX\RX of an SFP for example
- A better method to easily template\copy monitors across devices
- The navigation in the web GUI could be a little more straightforward in terms of the hierarchy
May 05, 2021
Don't pass on Paessler's PRTG Network Monitor
We use Paessler's PRTG Network Monitor IT operation monitoring. This is used throughout the organization.
We needed a more robust monitoring tool that was capable of delivering more in-depth monitoring of our network devices and other end-user nodes as needed. We had previously set up SNMP on most devices, but the previous free tool had limited reporting.
I was also looking for per-interface traffic stats on my Cisco inventory.
We needed a more robust monitoring tool that was capable of delivering more in-depth monitoring of our network devices and other end-user nodes as needed. We had previously set up SNMP on most devices, but the previous free tool had limited reporting.
I was also looking for per-interface traffic stats on my Cisco inventory.
- Setup was easy.
- Adding devices/sensor is so easy.
- Support is great.
- Cost is reasonable.
- Updates are automatic.
- A more built-in dashboard would be nice.
- Licensing can be tricky since it is not device based. Currently, each sensor (IE interface) counts as a sensor license
April 30, 2021
PRTG Network Monitor Review
My Organization is belongs to Automotive factor, so in Production area we need smooth Network with zero DownTime.
Before PRTG we used multiple solutions but we faced lot of issues in Network, therefore we study and deploy this solution in our organization and now we monitor whole network in a glance and rectify issue As quick as possible.
Before PRTG we used multiple solutions but we faced lot of issues in Network, therefore we study and deploy this solution in our organization and now we monitor whole network in a glance and rectify issue As quick as possible.
- Notification: Device down or up quick notification is prompt.
- Graph, Reporting in a Glance.
- Complex often during troubleshoot
- Interface is very complex for users it can be improve.
- Time tacking configurations(i.e hierarchy etc.)
- community help is not so good
April 05, 2021
The right size for everyone
PRTG Network Monitor is primarily being used by the IT department, however, the electrical department will also receive notifications for some device down notifications. We primarily use it for the notification functionality but also use the dashboard for some things. We work on a large construction site and have multiple locations - it's critical to respond to outages ASAP as they will have a negative effect on the business.
- Prompt notifications when a device goes down.
- Beautiful history graph showing you uptime/statuses
- Interface is a little difficult to navigate if you aren't tech savvy.
- Configuration of hierarchy can take a bit of time to set-up.
We use PRTG for real-time monitoring of all the servers across our various environments. It is, among other tools, a critical part of our infrastructure and alerts us almost instantly when a parameter has exceeded the specified ranges that we have setup. It is a very flexible tool and I have been extremely impressed with it overall.
- Very easy to setup new sensors (new endpoints to monitor).
- High level of customization for various features.
- User-friendly, intuitive web UI.
- Documentation could be a little more thorough/easy to understand.
- Built-in reports could be expanded a little bit more.
- Does not support SSO or more than one Active Directory sync.
January 23, 2020
Dive into the Traffic
Current use is within our infrastructure group. I am a networking engineer and am always looking for a better way to monitor net-flow, SLA and SNMP information. Current use has been net-flow traffic out of several of our locations where we have had bandwidth issues. We've been able to tell who the big users are, times, etc., basically what you get from net-flow. The benefit has been the graphical interface that PRTG presents the information.
- The graphical interface has been excellent in determining bandwidth issues.
- The ease of setup between Cisco equipment and the PRTG.
- Setup itself was particularly easy, I believe I had everything up and running within 10 minutes.
- Granular formatting would be nice. Though I can narrow down several layers, it doesn't allow me to get to the nitty-gritty.
- Security accessing the interface needs to be better. Able to limit access via certain users.
- Template changing.
December 04, 2019
The perfect tool for the little guy
We use PRTG Network Monitor as a central monitoring platform for our 4 corporate sites (including Amazon AWS) as well as all of our customer locations (around 10 sites) that are spread across the USA. It's our primary monitoring tool for our entire organization. It does SNMP monitoring well and it makes remote support (an essential part of our business model) of all of our sites possible will alerts that get sent to whoever needs to be notified when something happens.
- Consistent, real-time alerts.
- A decent repository of MIB's and OID's for quick auto-discovery.
- User-friendly interface.
- Its MIB library could be expanded by quite a lot, I have to spend a lot of time with device manufacturer support when I need to monitor something specific (fan speed, firmware version, etc).
- It's really not that scaleable beyond 10,000 sensors.
November 26, 2019
PRTG is Great for what it's designed to do.
It is used mainly by the network team but is also known to be used by a certain server team, to monitor up/down status of various network devices as well as circuit utilization and other vital stats on the devices.
- Monitor up/down status.
- Provides historical and current data of utilization of circuits.
- Has numerous sensors of different variables to monitor.
- Would like to see a more intuitive user interface.
- Provide backup configs where necessary.
- Update MIBs for more compatibility.
We use PRTG to monitor a fairly large, complex and multi-site network. Monitoring in the region of 4000 sensors over a few hundred servers, network devices, printers, CCTV, Wi-Fi APs, web hosts, etc.
The biggest problem we used to have was that we had several monitoring systems managed by different departments around the business. With the introduction of PRTG, we have been able to consolidate these systems into PRTG and manage it centrally.
PRTG gives us a really good visual overview of all the relevant things we need to monitor to meet customer SLA's and we find that with the help of the email alerts and a visual map on a large screen in the office, we can keep on top of any issues.
The biggest problem we used to have was that we had several monitoring systems managed by different departments around the business. With the introduction of PRTG, we have been able to consolidate these systems into PRTG and manage it centrally.
PRTG gives us a really good visual overview of all the relevant things we need to monitor to meet customer SLA's and we find that with the help of the email alerts and a visual map on a large screen in the office, we can keep on top of any issues.
- Visual overview of the whole network making it easy to spot any issues straightaway.
- Email alerting that is fully customizable.
- Proactive monitoring using hundreds of different types of sensors giving the ability to actively troubleshoot issues before customers are affected.
- The probe service can be quite resource-intensive. This can cause false-positive readings from some sensors sometimes.
- The software gets updated very regularly. Whilst this is usually a good thing to fix bugs etc, it does meantime downtime of the monitoring quite often while they are installed.
- The ability to create Maps from Libraries. Very specific issue but a lot of people have been asking for it for years and it is still not available.
September 27, 2019
An easy to use, cost effective monitoring system
I use PRTG to monitor all infrastructure equipment and servers in our environment. Previously I had multiple products to monitor specific types of systems. I was able to combine these systems into one by implementing PRTG. I have much more flexibility now by using the PRTG mobile app. I can acknowledge alerts when not in the office and check the performance of different sensors.
- PRTG's mobile app is great for me. Previously I would need to be at my computer to acknowledge or pause an alert. I am not able to do that from anywhere.
- I am able to very easily purchase new licenses or renew my licenses through PRTG's website without needing to get a sales pitch. The website also offers upfront pricing. You can see right away what licenses will cost you.
- PRTG's user interface is very intuitive. I am able to even create dashboards to show non-technical admins the current health of our environment. Showing an administrator a red gauge easily gets the point across that something is wrong.
- I moved to PRTG from SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor. I was able to save a great deal of money moving to PRTG while still gaining functionality and ease of use.
- I wish the mobile app would allow me to add sensors and devices. I am only able to manage existing sensors.
- Moving from Solarwinds I lost the ability to backup switch configurations. This is the only feature I miss and causes me to utilize other methods.
September 18, 2019
PRTG - Dependable Network Monitoring for an SMB
We are a small, mid-sized firm and many of the network monitoring systems are just too big, too complicated and too expensive to meet our needs. I wouldn't say our needs are simple or simplistic but we don't have a large IT department (1-me) to handle that. I guess you could say we have enterprise needs on a shoestring size firm! We need to monitor servers, switches, storage, essential services almost 7x24. Most of the employees work at least part time remotely and our systems have to be up to support that. It has become part of the business model. PRTG effectively monitors and alerts when things are wrong. It has been a crucial part of our infrastructure.
- Very, very configurable. You can create all kinds of monitors for all kinds of things. Plus it has loads of suggestions out of the box. It can get complicated but monitoring is complicated. Pretty decent interface and good support - active community.
- I really liked how easy it was to add alerts by SMS. So easy to setup.
- I like their sizing models (for purchase). We're actually small enough that we are free. But it's not free as in stripped down - it's free because we don't use many "sensors" and don't honestly have the need.
- Although I like their sizing model for pricing they do need an intermediate level at the lower end. The first jump in the pricing model is too big.
- Because of the complexity of setting up sensors I do have some difficulty understanding what exactly I'm monitoring or what I could monitor. I figure it's there but I just don't have the time or motivation to figure it out. Not entirely sure how to solve that other than educating me...
August 15, 2019
Solid option that sets the standard for its competitors
We are a very small I.T. department so we're stretched thin on a good day. PRTG saves us significant time and trouble through its monitoring capabilities. We currently use PRTG to monitor all our I.T. systems, minus a couple SaaS applications. This allows us to generally stay one step ahead of our users, so when they come in to inform us of a paper jam we can inform them we are already working on it. It also gives us insights into how our systems are performing.
- General monitoring.
- Real-time operations map/dashboard.
- Network traffic monitoring.
- Weak with monitoring SaaS applications.
- Print monitoring could be better.
- Maps need an interface update.
August 14, 2019
PRTG Monitoring System
PRTG was used to monitor small to medium environments. It is being used by a department to monitor segregated instances which we do not monitor in our main monitoring tool. It enables us to quickly and easily add devices to monitoring and receive email alerts for availability and performance issue.
- Simple and Intuitive: PRTG is very easy to use and get into. Its interface is highly intuitive and allows you to very quickly set up credentials and add devices to monitoring.
- Low customization effort required: immediately out of the box, PRTG can provide very good detail monitoring without having to customize or add packages or plugins. It can automatically discover and model many types of device and monitor that device in great details without much tinkering.
- The vendor provides 100 free sensors which make it very easy for you to start using the product without requiring a license and get a very good understanding of the tool before making a purchase decision. The tool allows you to continue to use it for free permanently for the first 100 sensors.
- If you already have a bigger and more powerful tool, PRTG can be very good as a secondary monitoring tool which some times can help you troubleshoot, validate, and compare with your main tool.
- Windows Only: PRTG does not support any other platform. Personally, I do not like tools that run on Windows because Windows requires a frequent update, which means downtime. You want your monitoring tool to be as highly available and low maintenance as possible. That and you also require a server license and Windows consume more hardware resource than other platforms. PRTG needs to add support for Linux.
- Limited ability to do things in bulk. There is no way I know of to mass onboard devices or to mass edit devices. So you will by modifying 1 device at a time. For instance, it would be useful to modify the name or company of 200 devices in one shot.
- Somewhat weak widgets and dashboard. If you put a lot of effort into it, you can probably come out with a very useful dashboard to keep an eye on key systems/devices. However, some widgets can look nice at first but they are not so useful or easy to understand. Again, it can be done, but a lot of effort is needed to get it right.
- White interface only. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you have people who use the tool all the time to keep an eye on the system, it can strain your eyes. Need a dark theme.
July 19, 2019
Enterprise PRTG Network Monitoring Tool
We use PRTG Network Monitor for monitoring, alerting, and troubleshooting circuit utilization within our WAN and LAN environments.
- Gives a graphical output of circuit utilization.
- Gives a home screen that alerts to possible problem areas in our environment.
- Gives a historical overview of utilization over various periods of time.
- Allows the installation of applications to monitor the circuits.
- Needs to have an easier way of adding devices to the application.
- Have seen interface instance numbers change, which results in the renaming of the interface in the application.
February 28, 2019
PRTG is a great monitoring solution for a Windows centric SMB
We use PRTG for almost all of our systems monitoring, i.e., your normal expected web servers, file servers, etc. that we use for Linux and Windows.
We also use it to keep an eye on the random network devices - building automation systems, etc. Like any monitoring system, it's useful for keeping an eye on everything and providing some historical data.
We also use it to keep an eye on the random network devices - building automation systems, etc. Like any monitoring system, it's useful for keeping an eye on everything and providing some historical data.
- Allows multiple sensors - we watch disk space, memory, and services on most servers.
- Alerting works well. We are notified when security cameras and badging systems go offline just as quickly as when the file server is filling up.
- Custom sensors are possible, such as monitoring inodes or web page loading time.
- Like many products, PRTG seems to like Windows better than Linux. As a mostly Linux-based shop, this can be annoying.
- I wish it could run on a Linux server.
- The dashboard isn't as useful or customizable as some products.
February 23, 2019
Best application to monitoring your network assets.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use PRTG to monitor the performance, availability, and latency of the links used by our customers. We generate reports that are used to be able to identify problems in these [links] and correct eventual declines in performance and availability.
- Generate reports
- Monitor network assets.
- View real-time link performance
- Improved web browser access performance
- Generation of reports in pdf
- More intuitive interface
January 29, 2019
PRTG is great for your smaller IT department !
We utilize PRTG for the internal monitoring of all network infrastructure including firewalls, switches, servers, and IP phones. PRTG is a one-stop shop for our monitoring and alerting needs as a small business with limited infrastructure.
- PRTG is extremely useful in reporting the basics.
- Simple interface.
- A number of sensors available to monitor.
- It can be overwhelming for the first-time user. I would like to see additional basic setup features.
April 12, 2018
The true big brother for your systems!!!
Monitoring multiple network devices and servers all over the country. Have used multiple monitoring tools in the past 15 years and this is the best.
- Monitors huge range of systems
- Hierarchical device view summarizes performance data and alerts at every level.
- QR codes corresponding to a particular device or sensor can be printed out and attached to physical hardware for quick monitoring from a mobile app while in the data center.
- Reporting capabilities are a highlight, both in terms of canned reports and the ability to customize to your individual needs
- Some functionality in Enterprise Console redirects you to the web console.
November 22, 2017
My PRTG Review
PRTG Network Monitor is used by my organization to monitor network uptime and downtime of deployed infrastructures including Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), servers, websites, applications, enterprise servers, SaaS deployments, PaaS deployment, and IaaS deployments. Another important offering of PRTG to my organization is the PRTG alerts. This feature has helped us discover warnings and unusual metrics by enabling us to write our own notification scripts by using PRTG advance API.
- Accurate bandwidth monitoring
- Easy to use monitoring capability
- Powerful API integrations
- While PRTG allows you to create maps of your network, it doesn't seem to automatically link devices together.
- Some functionality in the Enterprise Console redirects you to the web console.
- Sensor allocations can get used up quickly.
October 12, 2017
PRTG Review
PRTG is currently monitoring all network devices for our enterprise clients. We have 2 clients being monitored, but have multiple sites with several hundred devices being monitored. We are specifically monitoring from the ISP/MPLS connection, all the way down to the switch and all devices in between.
- Alerting is pretty accurate. Rarely are we getting a false alert due to ping or packet loss.
- Real time bandwidth usage monitors are pretty easy to deal with and being able to see back 365 days is nice.
- Having both a web based UI and fat client is great.
- Well the only issue I have had personally is that the fat client tries to load the previous view point you have been looking at after you closed it last, making the application lock up. This could be due to our implementation of it, so I don't really view this as a con.
- Nothing else to add.
June 10, 2016
Good balance between UI and functionality.
We use PRTG to monitor major backhaul telecommunication links, over 10,000 devices deployed in over 30 points of presence, and a multi-tenanted virtual environment. PRTG provides us event monitoring, alerting to responsible staff and end users, capacity management and uptime reporting. It is a critical piece of infrastructure that allows us to produce metrics for our OLAs and SLAs.
- Clean, sleek interface
- Easy to understand from a user perspective
- Good permission functionality, able to provide 'ringed-fence' logins for external users
- Tree interface allows settings and permissions to inherit their way down the tree
- Flexible notification/threshold functionality
- Lots of monitoring options to deploy
- Very easy to update, deploy new probes, move and clone sensors
- Has a 'Library' function that allows you to restructure existing sensors without duplicating them
- PRTG does not protect itself from its own configuration. If you are creating ping sensors that attempt to ping too often that it can collect the results, it can have repercussions, such as grinding the entire system to a halt. PRTG also has a matrix about how many of certain types of sensors you can create on a probe - however the system doesn't have any kind of tracking for it, so the only real way of telling that the probe is overloaded is that it starts slowing down - and this impacts the data collection. The higher importance of your PRTG installation, you will have to have a keen eyed administrator.
- Although PRTG is capable of scaling upwards, once you start to manage thousands of sensors, you need to start rigorously planning your probe deployment. The probe limitations may prevent you from logically grouping your sensor groups at a top level. And you won't notice performance problems until your data collection is already being impacted.
- Our internal users use AD authentication. PRTG has a control that if there are too many failed logins in quick succession, then it delays all logins to protect itself from brute forcing. Unfortunately this does more harm than good when someone's password expires and PRTG is still running on a device somewhere (this happens quite often).
- You can set a desired availability percentage in your settings, which applies to reports. Unfortunately, it's one setting for your entire environments - we want to monitor different availability levels for different services that we monitor!
June 01, 2016
PRTG Rocks
I am using PRTG to monitor all network equipment across 5 locations. I monitor: bandwidth, internet uptime, server performance including, CPU, RAM, disk space and bandwidth utilization. I also use the NetFlow/Sflow and remote sensor features. I've also used PRTG to import custom MIBs for UPS and PDU systems. Some of the more common sensors are the WMI Multi Disk sensors, Ping, Bandwidth and uptime sensors.
- PRTG appears to be plain and simple and you can use it that way if you want. But it has power under the hood and can be used to monitor anything you can think of. I like the fact that it's simple to use, it's truely as easy as auto discover, tweak and forget (or wait until you get PRTG notices via email).
- Alarms are easy to use and you can set them to be granular by error or by group/users.
- PRTG upgrades are a snap with auto update.
- I've set up PRTG in a cluster so that we don't have to log when we take the server down for maintenance for reporting on uptime, etc. Cluster setup is very easy.
- In a previous job, I posted public pages to our IT intranet page so employees could see if there was a server outage. Again, very easy and a nice idea.
- Reporting isn't as nice as I would like it to be. Nothing specific really, but depending on the report it can take quite a bit of time to generate, more time than expected. I think it would also be nice to make it more granular with more presentation options.
- The Desktop application is not as easy and nice as the web interface. I'm a big fan of the web interface and I would consider not even deploying it.
- I really like the notifications, but fine tuning it so that you get reports too often or not enough can take some time. I think the defaults don't work for everyone and making sure you are aware of that can prove embarrassing if you are not on top of it or prepared to explain the notices to everyone you send them to... e.g. IT director.
- The maps have improved greatly over the years. I think there is still room to make them even better. I wish they had a grid view and a way to select all objects and size them equally and alighn them or snap to grid.
February 29, 2016
Use PRTG? Why not; it's free!
We have recently made network changes which we have seen affecting our link states between our corporate location and our remote office. We were noticing the link going down from the provider end. With PRTG we were able to asses this very quickly and determine it was a service provider issue. Once we found out what was going on we were also able to determine we were getting the "paid for" bandwidth on that link. Through continual monitoring we were able to make this link more stable.
- Easy to implement. It almost sets itself up through guidance from you to get you quickly monitoring your network.
- We were able to easily find a communications problem through the sensor which was deployed.
- 100 sensors are included free for life. Why not implement this product just to have this ability.
- Sometimes the areas to add / remove sensors can be a bit confusing.
- It is hard to find where to move a monitored device from one group to another. I had to look this one up in their documentation.
- Better AD integration for use in establishing security roles with PRTG. It is hard to verify it is working properly.
February 16, 2016
PRTG for Remote Server Monitoring
We currently use PRTG to monitor our servers in an off site data center. We currently use it to monitor all the web, database, and application servers at the remote site. It works great at giving us real time performance data on our servers. What I personally like about network monitor are the custom alerts that can be configured for it. It has been a great tool for our organization.
- It has an easy to use interface, that requires no training to use.
- A user can create custom reports and alerts for each server being monitored.
- The system requires little maintenance to keep working properly.
- The web interface can be a little slow to work with.
- It can be difficult to find specific settings needed to configure different nodes.
- There are multiple interfaces, and it can be hard to change into the interface that is best for each user.