This article applies to PRTG Network Monitor 7 or later

Monitoring Client Computers Offline Using Remote Probes

To monitor a computer that is not always connected to the network, you can install a Remote Probe on this machine. A remote probe monitors the local computer and (optionally) devices in a remote network. As soon as the computer running the remote probe is re-connected to the network, the probe connects to the PRTG core server and sends its monitoring data (see also video tutorial Core Server and Remote Probes).

However, there are some limitations that apply to remote probes:

• A probe can only buffer a maximum of 500,000 sensor results in RAM memory (up to 50 - 200 MB). If there is more data, the probe stops collecting data.
• If the probe (or the computer the probe is running on) is restarted before it can connect to the core server, all buffered data is lost.
• Notifications can only be sent by the core server, not by the probe itself.

Alternative: Use a Freeware Edition

Using remote probes, the monitoring data that was collected while the client was offline, is later integrated into your PRTG's core server monitoring data. If this is not important to you and, due to the limitations, using remote probes is not an option for you, please consider installing a freeware version of PRTG on the client computer.

The Freeware Edition of PRTG supports up to 10 sensors. This can be sufficient for monitoring local disk space, for example. Please note: With this configuration, the client runs its own PRTG core server. You have to configure notifications, such as via email or SMS, for every single core server installation.

See also

• Working with Multiple Probes and Remote Probes in PRTG
• Animated video "Core Server and Remote Probes" on our Video Tutorials page.
• Can I use Remote Probes in a cluster with PRTG?