PRTG Network Monitor — Monitoring That Works Out of the Box
General Information
PRTG is one of those tools people often recommend when someone says, “we need monitoring, but don’t want to spend weeks wiring it together.” It comes from Paessler and runs on Windows, giving a ready-to-go system with sensors, dashboards, and alerts already built in. There’s a free edition with a limited number of sensors — enough for small shops — and commercial licenses for larger environments.
How It Works
The whole idea of PRTG revolves around sensors. A sensor isn’t a device but one metric — CPU usage, ping response, disk free space, or traffic on an interface. Devices can be discovered automatically, and then sensors are applied where needed. Data ends up in PRTG’s own database and is shown in maps, graphs, and dashboards. Alerts come out of the box — email, push notifications, even SMS if configured.
Main Functions
Function | Why It’s Handy |
Auto-discovery | Finds devices and sets up monitoring without much manual work. |
Multi-protocol | SNMP, WMI, SSH, NetFlow, HTTP and more. |
Custom sensors | Script or API-based extensions for special cases. |
Dashboards & maps | Quick visual overview, good for NOC screens. |
Notifications | Built-in alerting that’s easy to configure. |
Coverage | Windows, Linux, VMware, cloud services in one view. |
Installation Notes
PRTG runs on Windows Server. Setup usually goes like this:
1. Download the installer from Paessler.
2. Run it — the package installs the core server and the web interface.
3. Open https://server:8443 in a browser.
4. Enter SNMP or WMI credentials to start pulling data.
For branch offices or remote sites, admins can deploy “probes” that feed back into the main system.
Everyday Use
In daily operations, teams use PRTG to keep an eye on bandwidth, server uptime, and critical apps. The dashboards are popular for wall screens in NOCs, since they update in real time. Reports can be exported for audits or management reviews. For many admins, the best part is that they don’t need to piece together a whole stack — PRTG is ready the same day it’s installed.
Weak Points
It’s not perfect. The server side only runs on Windows, which can be a downside in Linux-first shops. Licensing is tied to sensor count, so costs can climb quickly in big environments. Also, compared to open-source options, you get less freedom to customize deep internals.
Comparison
Tool | Platforms | Strong Side | Best Fit |
PRTG | Windows (server), optional probes | Easy setup, all-in-one dashboards | SMBs to enterprises wanting simplicity |
Zabbix | Multi-platform | Flexible, open-source, strong alerting | Enterprises with skilled admins |
Nagios Core | Linux | Plugin ecosystem, modular | Teams that prefer custom builds |
Observium CE | Linux | Auto-discovery, simple graphs | Small networks, SNMP-heavy use |