The network monitoring software market is crammed with so many options that it might be tough to decide which one to use. Monitoring solutions for your network provide you with the visibility you need to manage your devices and make sure that they are available when you need them the most.
Due to the large number of variables that must be considered in network administration, it should come as no surprise that there is a large number of tools that fall under the category of “network management tools.” In the case of a LAN analyzer or packet sniffer, which taps into a network and allows you to see the data as it travels, this is a network tool, but it will not monitor all of the aspects that you need to monitor in your role as a network administrator or manager.
Taking these considerations into account, this book will cover a variety of network monitoring tools that can assist you in monitoring the performance of your network, regardless of its size or configuration.
Here is our list of the best network monitoring tools:
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is a network performance monitoring tool (FREE TRIAL) EDITOR’S SELECTION This scanner is much more than just a standard scanner. The majority of network security concerns originate when configurations are updated, and SolarWinds NPM automatically detects and resolves many of these issues for you. This is by far the best choice for network monitoring systems, as it includes comprehensive vulnerability assessment as well as complex capabilities for creating and monitoring policies. Get a free 30-day trial of the software.
Datadog Network Performance Monitoring (FREE TRIAL) provides a clear visual representation of the performance of your network components as well as the network traffic flows between those components. It assists you in identifying and resolving DNS, application, and infrastructure issues.
Auvik is a slang term for “adventurous” (FREE TRIAL) There are two plan levels available, both of which contain system administration tools, for this SaaS system that is built around a network mapper.
Operation Manager (FREE TRIAL) is a network monitor that may be used to keep track of SNMP-enabled devices, switches, servers, and virtualized network services.
Site-wide network monitoring on a 24-hour basis (FREE TRIAL) A cloud-based service that provides access to IT infrastructure, apps, and user behavior monitoring all in one place.
Checkmark (checkmark) (FREE TRIAL) Not only does it provide network monitoring, but it also provides system-wide monitoring, and it is available in both free and premium editions. It can be run on Linux or a physical device.
Progress It is possible to purchase paid add-ons to monitor additional resources. WhatsUp Gold (FREE TRIAL) A network performance monitor that makes use of SNMP to check on network device health and can be expanded to monitor other resources. Installs on a Windows Server operating system.
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor (FREE TRIAL) Free network monitoring software that monitors your network using SNMP, packet sniffer, and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
Nagios Core is a software application that monitors and reports on the health of a computer system. One of the most popular open-source network monitoring tools available today. A dashboard display, an alerting system, community plugins, and other features are included.
Zabbix is a free and open-source network monitoring software that supports SNMP and IPMP protocols. It comes with an alert system as well as community plugins.
Icinga is an open-source network monitoring solution that works with a DSL connection. This package contains extensions.
Connections in Spiceworks are displayed in the Connectivity Dashboard. Free network monitoring software that includes a high-quality dashboard and an easy-to-use alert system, among other features.
The best network monitoring tools
While conducting our comparison, we looked for important network management platform features such as SNMP, network mapping, uptime/downtime monitoring alerting, bandwidth monitoring, network health monitoring dashboards, and more to identify tools that provide an exceptional user experience for their users.
What features and characteristics should you look for when selecting network monitoring tools and software?
We analyzed the network monitoring tools and software market and evaluated the available solutions based on the criteria listed below:
- An autodiscovery mechanism for logging all network devices would be useful.
- A topology mapper for networks
- The capacity to collect real-time network device statuses through the usage of SNMP protocol
- A tool for tracking and analyzing network performance over time.
- Charts and graphs are examples of graphical representations of data.
- A no-risk evaluation can be accomplished by a free trial period, a demo, or a money-back promise.
- When compared to the functions provided, the pricing is reasonable and indicates a good value for money.
- A variety of free paid, and open-source network monitoring software and utilities for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux are included in our evaluation. We’ve also included a list of the most important features in each section to assist you in selecting the most appropriate tool for your network.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (FREE TRIAL)
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is a network performance monitoring tool.
A comprehensive network performance monitoring tool, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor can monitor the state of devices through the use of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It can discover network devices that are linked to your network on their own. The dashboard can be used to keep track of the availability and performance of connected network devices from a broader viewpoint than is possible with other tools.
The following are the main characteristics:
- SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) monitoring
- Discovers all of the network devices that are linked automatically.
- Analysis of network packets
- With NetPath, you can create intelligent network maps.
- Create WiFi heat maps using Google Maps.
- System for sending alerts System for sending reports
Any identified devices, apps, or services can also be displayed on a network topology map, which allows you to understand how your infrastructure is connected. The NetPath function allows you to trace packet transfers hop-by-hop, which can assist you in more efficiently diagnosing the source of network performance issues and their causes.
The custom alerts system allows you to specify the criteria under which alerts should be generated. A notification by email or SMS will be sent to you if the trigger conditions are met, informing you of the occurrence of an event. By visiting the All Active Alerts page, the user will be able to see a comprehensive list of alerts organized according to their severity.
- Designed with big and enterprise networks in mind, the advantages are numerous.
- Automatic discovery, which creates network topology maps and inventory lists in real-time based on devices that join the network, is supported.
- It has some of the greatest alerting tools available, and they strike a good mix between effectiveness and usability.
- Supports both SNMP monitoring and packet analysis, allowing you to have more flexibility over monitoring than you would have with similar tools.
- Easily personalize the look and feel of your dashboard by dragging and dropping widgets.
- A robust reporting system that comes pre-configured with compliance templates is available.
- Small LANs and operations may find this to be an overwhelming enterprise tool due to its extensive feature set.
