Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG makes IP scanning as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent network issues.
The PRTG advantage: IP scanner & network monitor in one solution
Other IP scanners:
Basic network scan
Some system administrators settle for a separate IP scanning tool for a quick check of their network, such as Angry IP Scanner or Advanced IP Scanner.
However, while such IP scanners let you scan devices on your LAN, they are limited in how they can be used and do not offer the functionalities of PRTG.
PRTG: IP scanner &
network monitor all in one
PRTG does not only offer IP network scanning but comprehensively monitors your entire IT infrastructure as well. If there are disruptions or even system failures, you are immediately notified via customizable real-time alerts so that you can troubleshoot the issue as quickly as possible.
Monitor your servers, applications, bandwidth, data traffic – for example, which traffic runs over which IP address – and much more.
Know what's happening in your
IP address range with PRTG
IP scanner
Paessler PRTG comes with a comprehensive auto-discovery feature that scans the private IP address range in the subnet of your PRTG server during installation. All devices that are available in this IP range are automatically added to your monitoring setup. Later, you can start the automatic search in other subnetworks as well.
With the IP scanner PRTG, you can see at a glance which devices are available in your LAN and start monitoring them right away.
IP sensors
Use the PRTG Ping v2 sensor to ping the IP address of a device and see if it is reachable over your network. In case a device cannot be reached and is not available any longer, PRTG immediately displays an error message and sends a notification to your IT team so you can react quickly.
With PRTG, you can work with peace of mind knowing that if there is no alert, all your systems are running smoothly. More about ping monitoring
IP sniffer
Monitor the headers of data packets that pass a local network card with the Packet Sniffer sensor and filter them for IP addresses to identify the top talkers in your network.
With the PRTG IP sniffer, you can always see which devices are responsible for the header traffic in your network. More about packet sniffing
IP traffic
You get numerous pre-configured SNMP sensors in PRTG, including ones for manufacturers such as Cisco, Dell, or HPE. To monitor traffic that flows through your network, use the SNMP Traffic sensor and check if there is high traffic that originates from specific IP addresses.
With IP traffic monitoring in PRTG, you can identify top talkers in your network. More about network traffic analysis
What IP scanning looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the IP addresses of your network devices, including routers, switches, Linux and Windows servers, and other endpoints. Show uptime, response time, traffic by IP address, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need for troubleshooting network issues.
See available devices at a glance
Monitor NetFlow traffic to IP address
Sunburst view in PRTG
Start scanning IP addresses with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
IT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
“All-around winning
network monitor”
“The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers”
“PRTG Network Monitor
is very hard to beat”
The benefits of PRTG network scanning
Top dashboards
- Visualize everything at a glance
- Get access on multiple platforms
- Custom dashboards on-the-go
Top service
- Video tutorials & webinars
- Support available 24 hours a day
- Extensive Knowledge Base
Top performance
- Save time and costs
- Benefit from a high ROI
- Permanently increase reliability
Manual one-time ping command
- The Ping command is a helpful problem-solving tool
- Ping any IP address using the command line and the command "ping IP ADDRESS"
- Use the ping command to check if a target device is available
BUT
- Has to be done manually
- Has to be done individually for each device
PRTG: Automatic IP scanning solution
- Keep a constant eye on your entire network
- Ping the IP addresses of all your network devices automatically
- Benefit from the auto-discovery feature of PRTG that scans your network and automatically creates an initial monitoring setup
- Visualize your IP monitoring data in customizable dashboards
- Receive real-time alerts in case of an issue, for example, if a device is down and not reachable anymore
Your IP address scanner at a glance – even on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG HTTP monitoring solution
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
PRTG is compatible with all major vendors & manufacturers
Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s partners
Partnering with innovative vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
With ScriptRunner, Paessler integrates a powerful event automation platform into PRTG Network Monitor.
ScriptRunner
Remote network scanning & monitoring
PRTG meets the demands of distributed networks
Many system administrators are in charge of remote networks. These networks can be distributed across several buildings as well as entire cities, regions, and countries.
IT managers need a tool that offers centralized network scanning as well as remote network monitoring so they can be notified if a problem occurs at a specific location.
PRTG is such a remote network scanning tool.
Setting up remote probes in PRTG for distributed monitoring
PRTG comes with different types of probes:
- The local probe is automatically set up on your local server when you install PRTG Network Monitor.
- The hosted probe corresponds to the local probe when you use PRTG Hosted Monitor.
- Remote probes need to be installed in distributed networks to access, scan, and integrate these networks into the centralized monitoring of PRTG.
All data that remote probes send to the local probe or the hosted probe is secured with SSL/TLS. What's more: It only takes one click to set up a remote probe.
3 use cases for IP scan tools
You have a new job as a sysadmin
- Get a quick overview of your entire IT infrastructure
- Establish a network inventory for better planning of hardware resources
- Instantly monitor all available network devices
Your company is moving
- Check reachable network devices at a new location
- Check how devices are connected with each other via routers and switches
- Quickly set up the new network structure
You want to increase security
- Protect your LAN from cyber attacks
- Monitor open ports and other potential weak spots
- Detect private devices connected to the LAN without prior agreement
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Start IP scanning with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
Other ways to scan & monitor your network with PRTG
Port scanner
Which ports are open or closed? How much network traffic runs via which ports of routers, switches, and other devices? With PRTG as a port scanner, you can benefit from comprehensive port monitoring round the clock.
Server monitoring
Servers are the backbone of any IT infrastructure. Monitor aspects like the hardware health, CPU, or memory of your mail servers, database servers, web servers, virtual servers, and many more with PRTG server monitoring.
Network scanner
Whether during a LAN inventory, a network upgrade, or the calculation of your network costs – always use a network scan with PRTG as the basis for a complete overview of your IT infrastructure.
Remote monitoring
Do you want to monitor your network remotely? With PRTG, you can set up remote probes to monitor your distributed networks and collect all monitoring data in a central overview.
Security monitoring
PRTG helps you to improve network security by identifying weak spots and loopholes. In case there is any unusual activity in your infrastructure, you are immediately alerted and can check if there is a security incident.
IP scanner software: FAQ
What is an IP address?
An IP address (internet protocol address) is a numerical representation that uniquely identifies a specific interface on the network. IP addresses are binary numbers that are typically expressed in decimal form (IPv4) or hexadecimal form (IPv6) to make reading and using them easier for human beings.
What is an IP scan or network scan?
When you perform an IP address scan, you can see the devices that are available in your LAN within a specific IP address range. There are various tools for IP scans that use different scanning techniques.
What free IP scanners are there?
There are many IP scanners available online that come as both freeware and paid software alike. When you compare different IP scanning tools, you should consider the following key features:
- If you want an open-source or a commercial solution
- The pricing for commercial solutions
- The size of your network and the operating systems you use
- If you also want to scan a range of IP addresses
- How deep and detailed your network scan should be, for example, if connected devices should be scanned as well
- The feature set that is offered in addition the IP scan, for example, port scans
Can I discover unknown or hidden devices with an IP scanner?
Yes, you can. Many network administrators run an IP address scan to discover hidden devices, that is, devices which are not officially part of the network. Shadow IT can be a huge risk factor with regards to network security, as unknown devices can be used as the basis for a network attack.
Can I also use an IP scanner to scan my home network?
For home networks, we recommend basic open-source IP scanners, as PRTG is designed for companies. It is too powerful and often too complex for a private network at home. However, if you have the necessary skills, you can use our freeware edition that includes 100 PRTG sensors for monitoring your network at home.
What's a subnet and can I monitor it with PRTG?
Subnets are independent networks within an IP network. They use subnet masks to merge several successive IP addresses. A standard (RFC 950) is used to classify IP networks and subnets.
Upon installing PRTG, the software automatically performs a network scan of the subnet in which the PRTG server is located. Later, you can also perform this scan on other subnets in your LAN or in remote networks.
Which network scanner is best for my operating system?
PRTG itself runs on Windows or you use our cloud-based PRTG product. However, as a cross-platform network monitoring tool, PRTG of course monitors Linux and Mac (macOS) systems as well.
On the Internet, you’ll also find free IP scanners such as Nmap, which was originally developed for Linux.
What is a sensor in PRTG?
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive.
On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
PRTG makes IP scanning as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent network issues.
PRTG makes your job easier
Our monitoring software frees you to focus on other tasks by promptly notifying you of potential issues.
Save effort
PRTG gives you one central monitoring tool for your servers and entire network. Enjoy a quick overview of your whole infrastructure via our dashboard and app.
Save time
Getting started with PRTG is a breeze. Setting up or switching from another network monitoring tool is easy thanks to the auto-discovery and pre-configured device templates.
Save money
80% of our customers report substantial cost savings with network monitoring. Your costs of licenses will likely pay for themselves within weeks.
We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins.
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Still not convinced?
More than 500,000
sysadmins love PRTG
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.
Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.
Start IP scanning with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 25.1.104.1946 (March 18th, 2025) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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