Network monitoring tools are indispensable helpers for every system administrator. They enable a quick response to abnormal activity within the LAN as well as for you to be well aware of all the network processes and, therefore, you automate a part of the admin’s everyday activities: This primarily involves those related to ensuring network security. Let’s see which programs for monitoring the local network are the most relevant.
Network Olympus operates as a service and has a web-based interface, which makes for greater flexibility and convenience. Its main feature is the scenario builder that enables you to efficiently organize monitoring schemes of virtually any complexity in order to accurately identify problems and malfunctions as well as automate the process of eliminating them.
A scenario is a kind of workflow that is based on a sensor and, from it, you can construct logic chains that will, depending on the success of a check, generate different notifications and actions that are aimed at addressing the problems. Each chain element can be edited at any time and will immediately apply to all of the devices assigned to the scenario. All network activity will be monitored in the activity log and special reports.
If you have a small network, then you won’t even need to buy a license: The program will work in free mode.
 Pros |
 Cons |
| Free under 100 assets | Web interface only |
| Easy to setup | Only Windows installation |
| Gradual learning curve | No multi-user access |
| Workflow maker | |
| Sensors for groups |
Lansweeper is fully integrated with Windows-based hardware, is essentially a “network scanner”. Remarkably, it’s not necessary for the system administrator to be in the office in order to implement all the network configuration processes, as this can be done remotely. He (or she) won’t even need to install any agents on office equipment: the program automatically identifies all devices that are within the same network.
A useful feature of this application is the ability to schedule tasks in the event log: from regular software updates to scanning assets for viruses, worms and other malicious software. However, the free version of LNI provides very limited capabilities, and paid licenses are pretty expensive.
| Pros |
Cons |
| Free under 100 assets | Price over the limit |
| Ease of setup | Heavy system load |
| Accessibility | Not multi-language |
| Helpdesk | Limited deployment features |
Nagios is an advanced monitoring solution managed through a web interface. It’s not easy to learn, but thanks to its rather large Internet community and well-developed documentation, it can be mastered in a few weeks.
With the help of Nagios, system administrators can remotely adjust the amount of load on user devices or higher level equipment (switches, routers, servers), and also monitor the load on memory reserves in databases, monitor physical parameters of equipment components (e.g. motherboard temperature, after all a burned motherboard is one of the most common failures), etc.
As for the detection of network anomalies, Nagios automatically sends alerts to the address set by the sysadmin, be it an e-mail address or a mobile phone number. Free demo version is available for 60 days.
| Pros |
Cons |
| High flexibility | Time-consuming setup |
| Useful templates | Not for larger organizations |
| Integration with other apps |
This PRTG software component, compatible with Windows devices, is designed for network monitoring. It’s not free (unless you count its 30-day trial period). This software can be used not only to scan devices that are currently connected to the LAN, but also serve as an excellent assistant in detecting attacks.
PRTG's most useful network services include packet inspection, analyzing and storing statistical data into the database, viewing the network map in real time (you can also get historical information about network behavior), collecting technical parameters about devices, as well as analyzing the degree of load on network equipment. For the record, it’s very convenient to use: first of all, thanks to an intuitive user interface, which can be opened using any browser. If necessary, the system administrator can also access the application remotely via a web server.
| Pros |
Cons |
| Lots of features | High price |
| Customizable dashboards | Cumbersome |
| Flexible monitoring | No separate database |
| Network mapper | No group sensors |
Zabbix monitoring system is a universal open source network monitoring solution that can be configured for any network model. Generally, it’s intended for systems that have multi-server architecture (in particular, Zabbix integrates with Linux/FreeBSD/Windows servers).
This application allows you to simultaneously manage hundreds of nodes, which makes it an extremely effective tool for organizing the work of system administrators in large enterprises. To deploy Zabbix on your LAN, you will need to either run software agents (daemons) or use the SNMP protocol (or another protocol for secure remote access). As for its management, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with the web interface for PHP.
In addition, this software provides a complete set of tools for monitoring the status of network hardware. It’s worth mentioning that in order to fully experience all the advantages of this solution, your system administrator will need to have at least basic knowledge of Perl or Python (or any other languages that can be used in conjunction with Zabbix).
| Pros |
Cons |
| Free | Not for Windows |
| Easy to install | Not user-friendly |
| Lots of plugins | Slow under high load |
| Robust customization of alerts | No dashboards |
And here is another tool that completes this list. TNI is an extremely affordable and effective software for inventory and monitoring of computers and servers, demonstrating the perfect balance between convenience and extensive functionality. One of the main components of the professional version of TNI are sensors that perform checks every time you scan devices on the network. Sensors allow you to monitor such parameters as processor load or overheating, free space on hard drives, S.M.A.R.T. disk status, fan speed and other parameters.
Various filters, alerts and assistants will allow you to detect problems in the operation of equipment in time and respond to them in a timely manner.
As for the reports, they contain all the information related to each check carried out by the selected sensor. Prices start from $135 for inventory and monitoring of 25 devices.
| Pros |
Cons |
| Easy to set up | Not the main functionality of the tool |
| Convenient GUI | |
| Inventory module |
Choosing a definite winner and naming the best software for monitoring the local network is difficult. However, Network Olympus has many advantages and a very low entry threshold since it doesn’t require any special training in order to get start working with it. In addition, you won’t find the typical disadvantages of open-source solutions in it, such as the lack of updates and poor compatibility (either with the OS or with hardware). Thanks to this solution you’ll be able to monitor all of the events occurring within your LAN and then react to them in a timely manner.