Avantages
Very good structure and overview of your devices and systems load, usage, availability and traffic
Easy install and use. No deep knowledge of MIB, RMON, LINUX or SNMP necessary
Free for small environments
Very Flexible (google 'prtg netatmo' for an impression :)
Be aware and informed about uprising problems (Mail, SMS, Mobile)
You literally see what your users experience
Inconvénients
Really! I have been thinking, but didn't find that much.
Rather ... nothing?
OK, one: you need a Windows system. That might be an issue for some.
The application has helped us monitor all types of equipment and proactively resolve issues early.
Avantages
This monitoring application has helped us stay on track of what is happening at every corner and for every device on our network, from Storage to network, security and usage statistics and notifications for each, this application has saved us many times in restoring and fixing problems before they get noticed by end users. From our desk and our our phones using the app, we can monitor and get visibility into many device types, including Cisco, Linux, storage systems, Microsoft operating systems just to name a few, with thousands of sensors to choose from. Very powerful and constantly improving.
Inconvénients
While just a few sensors were not performing well, like the Ping 30 for Cisco 1900 routers, PRTG has constantly released new updates that once applied, these issues are rectified.
Hi Ryan,
Thank you for your review!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
We monitor customer routers that we service and their ISP gateways. We can find out rather quickly when a customer goes down, or when a customer is having an issue with just the router, and we do not have to be actively doing it ourselves. We are just notified when there's an issue and jump in and start resolving right it away.
Avantages
It tells me when there is a problem without much overhead on my part, and it puts me ahead of the game before end users start notifying me there is a problem. Its a pretty great feeling being able to call the end user up and tell them that you have already detected a problem and that you were actively working on before they have gotten around to notify you there was even an issue.
Inconvénients
It takes some time to set up and configure the software. Its not as intuitive as I'd like it to be, but its entirely manageable. You just need to invest the time to learn it get it working the way you want and then from that point on its a breeze.
Thank for your review!
Most of my clients are SMB and need a free option to monitor his IT devices, with a free option it's easier.
Avantages
-The free version allows up to 100 sensors to be included on his interface. This feature helps allot of companies IT departments to monitor and compare without limitations.
-Easy installation process for core app, available for SNMP devices (almost every tech device has this option).
-Add devices for a monitor it's easier than other competitors because its agent less and his auto discover feature make deployment process fast and secure.
-Available as web interface with every OS and app for the most important devices (iOS and Android).
Inconvénients
-User guide needs to be adapted for none IT users.
-Reports need an experienced partner to customize executive options.
-Customer Support it's not the best part of this company, sometimes take days to solve an issue that would take minutes on other monitoring software.
with PRTG we can relax and react quickly when something goes wrong in our infrastructure. all in all it a great investment!
Avantages
This software is quite easy and intuitive to set up and use. We have done the installation on our own and have been since then really happy with it. PRTG scans our infrastructure and notifies immediately when something goes wrong. Whenever we install new systems, we look at PRTG and set some basic sensors for each important service, and we are all set. it's a work of a few minutes, you can get most needs coevered with little effort
Inconvénients
the web based UI is much better now, but could still be improved a bit in the usability. selecting multiple objects is a bit awkward and not intuitive. some sensors are buggy and we have stopped using them. but that's only a very low percentage of the total
Hi Matteo,
Thank you for your review!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
This is your one stop shop for a monitoring solution. Best value and most functionality all in one package.
Avantages
Very wide variety of sensors for monitoring of various applications from SQL servers to custom scripts to ping to SNMP and WMI. Can be configured in a distributed configuration to spread out the load that the sensors place on a monitoring server or to consolidate WAN traffic between the central host and branch offices. Can be setup in a cluster for ultra high capacity server. Very robust selection of reports available with the ability to create custom reports. Beautiful Android client with push notifications. If you are looking for a monitoring solution this need be your one and only stop.
Inconvénients
Support can be a little slow to respond often taking a day to respond via email. Only Windows hosts can be used as full sensor probes.
Overall, PRTG rocks! The customer service is fantastic. It's very configurable and once you learn the basic setup it's easy to set up new systems and services.
Avantages
PRTG network monitor works wonderfully. They have a wide range of monitoring elements, from SNMP to SQL Server checks. The software auto updates which is great and I've configured it to send me monthly reports on downtime for certain systems. The general reporting is great and I can keep a lot of uptime history on all my systems and services.
Inconvénients
PRTG takes a little bit to get set up and dialed in to operate efficiently but it's worth the time. If you don't have the parent-child relationships configured correctly it's easy to get bombarded with messages of downtime.
Hi Jason,
Thank you for your review! We love our PRTG fans.
Cheers,
Paessler AG
PRTG is very useful for statistical studies of the behavior of the network, since it keeps historical daily, weekly, monthly and annual, this allows to carry out a detailed and accurate planning, we can also evaluate how a marketing and sales campaign impacts on the links of our network and see if the end customers are making more use of our services.
Avantages
It allows configuring any network element, only with IP address, MIB an OID, and we can monitor from electrical signals, CPU indicators, RAM / ROM memory, UpLink traffic parameters, DownLink, pack discards, traffic overflow and loss. as well as the dating of data, with this indicators, our network is monitored 365 days a year.
Generally in ISPs it is used as a statistical traffic tool which allows to make growth projections in the links of the network of providers, as well as a guide to evaluate post impact work in the network of the ISP company.
Inconvénients
ls disadvantages of PRTG are few, however we must be aware that it is not a monitoring software in real time, it interrogates the network element every 5 minutes, and there is an additional time so we should not use it as a ractive failure tool.
I use PRTG on a daily basis in the company, which has helped me to quickly and easily verify the behavior of the network and that I can view it from anywhere via the web.
Avantages
* I can know what applications are causing high traffic.
* I like the simplicity of its interface, which allows me to configure the monitoring sensors, as well as create reports of bandwidth usage for each one.
* The web interface with the I can give access to the visualization of the graphics and tables to the other members of my telecommunications team.
Inconvénients
PRTG is a software that I use daily and continuously in my work as a network analyst and I have not been inconvenienced, just keep improving it every day. The only thing I can suggest is that they launch a native version for Linux systems.
Basically, PRTG and life! System extremely simple to install and customize, has a very beautiful interface, and most importantly the set of tools that it after boarded and very functional, it is not only with the simple network monitoring, it comes with perpendicular level of the fall of devices, integration of the native sms of the application, alert via email. One of the best things he does and the channel splitting within the sensors that the device has.
Now what really is unbelievable in it, and its mapping system that gives 1000 to 0 in its competitors, is ridiculously easy to assemble map is also very simple and practical to customize them for operation.
In summary PRTG ends up being more than a simple tool tool.
Avantages
Easy installation, extremely low learning curve, highly customizable, best category map editor, simple and clean appearance.
Inconvénients
Really does not have many cons ... Its only disadvantage and not having support for running on linux.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
Overall, PRTG has helped save our schools district a lot of potential downtime when we didn't even know that there was an issue. If you need a network monitor, I suggest PRTG.
Avantages
This software makes it very easy to determine if any node is down on our network. It also has TONS of additional features to monitor bandwidth usage, CPU usage, memory usage, etc., on each node selected if desired. It makes it very simple to know when a server, switch, or wireless AP is down in a matter of seconds with it's email push feature.
Inconvénients
This software is quite difficult to grasp. Since it has SO many features, it also has tons of options to set, but can be picked up by an IT admin in a couple hours if time and effort is put forth.
Hi William, Thank you for your review of PRTG!
Our blog is a great way to stay on top of various monitoring topics and the latest features of PRTG.
https://blog.paessler.com/
Cheers,
Greg Ross
PRTG Network Monitor has helped me keep tabs on a large network of offices. It is certainly good value for money and very accurate. I love being able to see at glance what is happening on my network and still have the ability to drill down in to the most smallest of detail.
Avantages
The setup of the monitor is very easy, allowing you to customise the deployment and scanning options. There are so many different sensors available you will be certain to find the one you need.
Inconvénients
It can be overwhelming to see all of the sensors when you do an auto-scan, you just need to realise that you probably don't need to monitor them all and it's better to rather pick and choose the ones that most relevant to your need.
Thanks for your review Donovan!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
Overall, this is a very good tool that has all the functionality of some of the more expensive products without the inflated price tag. I would definitely recommend that any Network Administrator looking for a good monitoring tool give this a try before purchasing something that costs twice as much.
Avantages
I like the variety of alerting features as well as the visualizations available in the dashboard. You can easily produce executive level graphs to analyze trends across your network devices. The ability to customize which processes on each device to monitor makes this tool even more handy.
Inconvénients
While this is an overall excellent product, it can be a little bit clunky to get setup. Also, until you get the alerting tuned right where you want it, it can be a little bit noisy as far as generating emails go.
Dear Ian,
thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this review!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
Free network monitoring on a Windows server.
Avantages
I love the fact it's Windows based and has easy setup features. The biggest pro is the free 100 sensors. If you're running a small business with 10-20 servers, this is the perfect solution to get them monitored for free. We found it to be extremely reliable for this particular use and upgrades were a breeze.
Inconvénients
Once you're out of the 100 sensor free version, the cost jumps into the thousands. So if you're expecting to grow much more, then keep that cost in mind. Also, the software installs far too many sensors per server when using the "auto discovery" feature. It's best to manually setup sensors as needed.
It is an excellent tool, we have managed to solve many incidents on time, we see the graphs in real time how the network and its components are working. The most important we protect the most important asset of the company "The information" applying the corrective to the first alerts.
Avantages
I can monitor the components of the network in real time, one of the most important points is that the alarms that are sent by mail are personalized, you can locate the threshold you want to send and as often as required. We have monitors of all the components and in seconds we know which is alarmed, and we can solve the problem before it becomes serious and stop the operations.
Inconvénients
Change the design of the emails is a bit complex, you had to use an external tool to improve the presentation of the emails.
Thank you for your review!
Cheers
Paessler AG
We manage lots of machines with PRTG, it helps us focus on the important stuff that's going on. Covers divers needs.
Avantages
It's easy to use without getting too technical when you start of, and lets you ramp up and dig deeper as you go. Covers lots of different scenarios, good visualizations, good performance, good features are getting added as we go.
Inconvénients
Windows based, and sometimes it's awkward to manage lots of linux machines with it - especially when the monitoring requires scripts to run on the remote machines.
PRTG Network Monitor will help you easily identify network issues, you will finally know and understand what's going on in the background as you manage your network infrastructure.
Avantages
PRTG offers a wealth of information about your network. This software will monitor every aspect of your IT infrastructure. Everything you wanted to know about your network is now available to you, including a few things you may not have thought of.
Inconvénients
There is so much information available, learning your way around the interface can be a bit daunting until you're up to speed.
Hi Joel,
Thank you for your review! We love our PRTG fans.
Cheers,
Greg
Avantages
PRTG network monitoring is fairly straight forward to configure and even easier to deploy sensors for monitoring components., unlike some other competing products. The reporting and dashboards are comprehensive visually, without being too overloaded with information. Support is very good.
Inconvénients
It is easy to overload the probes, which caused it to shoot out multiple alert messages for different sensors. Had to scale out my deployment, which I had not planned for.
Thank you for your review! Remote probes were designed with the type of scenario you mentioned, allowing you to scale a larger deployment.
Great software overall.
Avantages
It can monitor many if not all of your network devices, such as firewall, printers, access points, along with software status running on pretty much all hardware, such as real time statistics, can create html maps to embed onto your intranet pages such as with Sharepoint, it also has a great built in reporting interface along with email notifications.
Inconvénients
It can take some time to setup sensors the first time, also some of these sensors can be quite complex, requiring the user to call tech support for a viable solution for the expected outcome.
PRTG helps our IT department keep an eye on all of the devices connected to our network. We have about 1000 sensors set up that alert us when devices go offline, when toner is low in our printers, if a device is running too hot, if CPU or memory utilization spikes, etc. There is almost nothing that PRTG can't monitor. The notifications are great too. They can go be emails, text messages, or batch files that are launched. I can't imagine not having PRTG.
Avantages
Helps us keep tabs on all of our network equipment.
Inconvénients
I don't have any cons to report. We've had a great overall experience for many years.
Hi Matt,
Thank you for your review!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
is a good monitoring tool using the SNMP protocol
Avantages
It is a good tool that helps you to have monitored all the elements of your network, regardless of the distributor or network layer in which you are. it helps you not only monitor the team's status but also the performance of it
Inconvénients
despite being a good tool if you have the license, you can not have more than 100 sensors.
they give you scale functions in each sensor that can help you and at the same time confuse you or you lose appreciation of what you really want to see
Our previous product (Solar-you-know-what) was a beast to configure and keep up and running. PRTG took away a lot of the maintenance and got us straight down to data. Custom sensors have also helped us out on a few devices that are really specialized and specific to our operations.
Avantages
- Clean interface
- Lightweight/no agents required on endpoints
- Maps feature is super customizable; map rotation lets you set up a NOC-like screen
Inconvénients
Paessler recently changed the pricing structure; the old system was a little bit more budget friendly and in my opinion easier to manage.
we monitor some routers and network devices. We have some remote points. We added our remote points to PRTG.
Avantages
You can add routers and switches with some detailed configurations. Working with web GUI. You can reach from everywhere. You can choose inbound or outbound monitoring options.
Inconvénients
Sometimes you cannot configure easily. You have to need experiences about devices and PRTG.
Thanks for sharing your review with us and the community!
Cheers,
Paessler AG
It helps me to monitorin my network, the traficc, bandwidth. I have the information that I need from my network quickly and easily ! By now i have set up 16 sensors.
Avantages
Provides important information at first sight, Real Time Traficc and bandwidth. It allows me to act quickly when the network falls (DOWN, No response)
Inconvénients
So far the only inconvenience I have had is to create access for different users, by now we all use a web link but without autentication
Thank you for your review! It sounds like you need some help with the authentication and administrative options. Please contact presales@paessler.com to work with one of our engineers on your question.
Overall, I would highly recommend every Network Admin/Engineer to at least try PRTG. Your get a free 30 day trial with unlimited sensors and then 100 sensors after that.
Avantages
PRTG makes it easy to discover and add SNMP devices. I really like the ability to create maps of sensors to visually see your network
Inconvénients
I don't have any real cons for PRTG. most sensors and notifications are tuneable.
Thank you for your review and have a wonderful day!
Cheers
Paessler AG
First of all: Actually (April 2016) the product is free for up to 100 Sensors!
I was searching for an easy solution to monitor the internetconnection of one of my customers from outside. They sporadically experienced strange bandwidth problems and the cable provider didn't solve the problem within months. So while searching for an easy to install and use monitoring (simple ping) solution I found PRTG from Paessler in Nuremberg. I 've heard of it before as the Windows based alternative to Nagios.
What can I say: I expected a solid Dice Game and ended up in Las Vegas!
Installed withing minutes on a small Celeron machine running Windows 7. This runs the core Server and the Probe. You create Groups within the Windows (or Browserbased) Desktop. Within those Groups you create Devices and Sensors (Ping, HTTP, FTP, NTP, SIP, SMTP, SNMP Switch Traffic, ... and I'd say hundreds of others) at Locations you can define and are shown on a map. A configurable HTTPS allows secure Browser and mobile APP access. I use the one for my Windows phone that shows me my favorite (customer) Sensors directly.
Automatically scan your Network (that might create a lot of Devices and Sensors, especially when you are using SNMP ready Switches, but don't worry, just pause them before you run out of your licenses). Monitor Switch Traffic if you wonder how long the Windows 10 updates disturb your other Machines. You can install remote Probes in other networks to monitor them and still collect all data on one central monitoring server.
PS: In the end, the cable provider changed the modem after I sent them several times very clear screenshots from PRTG where you could see the 1800 ms echos all three weeks instead of 32 ms the rest of the time.