PRTG offers free bandwidth monitoring

Many private users want to know if the speed promised by their service providers has actually been delivered. PRTG is professional monitoring software used mainly by companies. These companies rely on PRTG to test their bandwidth. Found out how to test your company’s bandwidth with PRTG. If you’re a private user, this test may be difficult to complete.

Resistance from higher-ups

As a sysadmin, you’re well aware that the company needs a professional network monitoring solution. But when it comes to the budget, your higher-ups may have other ideas. Or else there’s plenty of money, but getting access to it is too much of a hassle. A hard pill to swallow, yes, but there might just be a way around it. On this page, we'll show you how to make the most of 100 free PRTG sensors. Without risk – or hassle.

Small networks

PRTG is used by the IT managers of medium-sized companies. These companies often have extremely complex IT infrastructures. However, even relatively small networks can have their own routers, switches, and workstations. If you have a small network, PRTG can serve as a free bandwidth monitoring tool. With PRTG, the first 100 sensors are free and never expire. And that may be all you need to set up some reliable network monitoring.

Home networks

Many sysadmins also have small home networks that they like to outfit with good, professional hardware. At the same time, they usually want to spend as little money as possible on their bandwidth or network monitoring. Some sysadmins test PRTG at home to get a feel for the software. The free 100-sensor version suffices for most small private networks, provided the user possesses the necessary know-how.

Tip

If you plan on setting up basic monitoring, you’ll want to use the majority of your sensors for those servers, routers, and switches which are most important for the smooth running of your IT infrastructure. Forget about employee workstations for the moment – these components will quickly exhaust your 100 free sensors.

Three sensors for getting started 

Ping Sensor

The PRTG Ping Sensor monitors the overall availability of your network devices. It promptly notifies you in the event of malfunctions. Ping monitoring is a fundamental part of bandwidth monitoring, for if a device is unavailable, then traffic cannot pass through it. More on ping monitoring

SNMP Sensor

Create an SNMP Traffic Sensor for all your most important devices (e.g. servers, routers, and switches). With this sensor, you'll immediately see how much traffic is flowing through your network. It also shows you which applications and servers are putting the greatest strain on your bandwidth. For this sensor to work, the monitored device must support SNMP. PRTG comes with separate SNMP sensors for manufacturers such as Cisco, Dell, and HP. More on SNMP monitoring

Packet Sniffer Sensor

The Packet Sniffer Sensor is ideal for in-depth bandwidth monitoring. It lets you monitor data packets and filter by IP address, protocol, data type, and more. The Packet Sniffer Sensor provides for a precise look at which devices and data are using the most bandwidth. More on packet sniffing

Excellent investment

There’s no doubt about it – PRTG costs money. But as demonstrated by our customer ROI survey, your investment usually pays for itself in no time at all. After all, the costs of crashes, support inquires, and ineffective network management cannot be underestimated. With PRTG, you’ll reduce these costs considerably – or even eliminate them entirely.

➔ To the ROI white paper on PRTG network monitoring software

Provide for wellbeing

When the IT infrastructure is down, the support hotline can quickly become overloaded. Your coworkers are annoyed because they are no longer able to work. Frustration reigns on both sides. PRTG contributes to a stress-free workplace by allowing you to get to the root of problems before crashes arise.  

Think ahead

PRTG performs long-term network monitoring so you can plan for the future. This is not only helpful for bandwidth, but for your entire network infrastructure. Stop playing catch-up – and start planning your resources with intelligence and efficiency.

Start big

When you install PRTG, the Auto Discovery function is launched automatically. With Auto Discovery, PRTG searches for available devices within a certain range of IP addresses and sets up an initial monitoring environment. This feature is designed to facilitate the configuration and maintenance of your monitoring.

Weed out

If you plan on using the 100-sensor version of PRTG, this means you’ll have to delete most of the sensors created by the Auto Discover feature. See our tips above to find out which sensors are most important for bandwidth monitoring.