A Local Area Network (LAN) monitor is an essential part of any IT service or company and allows users to monitor and manage the traffic flow over certain networks. A good LAN monitoring software can increase efficiency by automating lengthy manual network-checking processes and prevent serious security issues by acting as an early warning system for potentially harmful network operations. It can be daunting to choose the best software for your needs from the large number available, but to help, we’ve rounded up and reviewed the best software below.
Top 5 LAN Network Monitoring Software
- SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor – best software for medium to large established systems
- ManageEngine OpManager – best value software for beginners
- Nagios – best software for flexibility
- Site 24×7 – best software for comprehensive features
- Paessler AG – best software for clear reporting and integrations
1. SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor – best software for medium to large established systems
PRICING: A fixed package price depending on your businesses number of interfaces, nodes, and volumes (altogether classed as ‘elements’) – plans are offered for 1 year with support and maintenance included, starting from $2,955 for 100 elements, increasing to $32,525 for an unlimited number of elements. You will be asked to audit your business before submitting numbers to devise the exact price. If your number of elements increases, you will need to upgrade your plan.
KEY FEATURES:
- Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) operating procedure
- Automatic Network Performance Monitor (NPM) device recognition
- NPM dashboard to gather device statuses
- Easy sharing of reports
REASONS TO USE:
- Smart dashboard functionality ensures all device data is reported meaningfully, reducing the need for extra hours of work
- Ability to set and receive customized alerts when there is a change in the information requests being monitored; this can ensure any potential problems are anticipated and handled quickly before they escalate
- Useful data gathered from multiple sources, reducing time spent on manual analysis and removal of irrelevant information
- Easy drag-and-drop report creation functionality
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The software can only run on Windows devices
- The more expensive or larger the plan, the higher the hardware system requirements are
- Certain technical capabilities are required to host the software
- Can be difficult to accurately audit how many elements you have
2. ManageEngine OpManager – best value software for beginners
PRICING: A free edition letting you monitor 3 devices is available, as well as a free 30-day trial. The entry-level Standard plan begins at $245 and lets you monitor up to 10 devices on a single network. The Professional plan costs $345 for 10 devices with increased support and reporting capabilities. The Enterprise plan costs $11,545 for 250 devices and offers comprehensive reporting features as well as out-of-the-box setup and functionality.
KEY FEATURES:
- Extensive customization of alerts and alarms, triggered by SNMP traps
- Virtual monitoring can be enabled or disabled with a simple command string
- Straightforward, fast, and simple installation procedures
REASONS TO USE:
- Price is much more affordable than competitors, especially if using per-device pricing
- Thorough REST API provided for integrating custom data into the system
- Intuitive interface with a clean layout
- Virtual environments are tracked easily
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Report-building capabilities come with separate software which requires Adobe Flash
- Needs multiple add-ons, which can be time-consuming to install and use
- Limited to only monitoring a local network if using the cheapest plans
- Value for money is negated for larger businesses
3. Nagios – best software for flexibility
PRICING: A free version is available for direct download allowing systems with less than 7 elements to monitor. Prices begin at $1,995 for the Standard edition which allows for 100+ nodes (elements) to be monitored. The Enterprise edition costs $3,495 for unlimited nodes as well as extensive reporting and auditing capabilities. Phone support is not included in any package and must be purchased separately, but is a one-off purchase for lifetime access.
KEY FEATURES:
- Customized notifications and messages as well as the ability to escalate notifications to appropriate members of the organization
- Optional add-ons for scheduling, reporting-building, and lifetime software monitoring
- Specific views for each member of the organization – only show what is appropriate
REASONS TO USE:
- A respectable and well-established name in the LAN industry
- Reliable and well-reviewed customer support
- Open-source software allows user code to be integrated
- Lifetime access to software with plans
- Highly capable features and running speed
- Great at highlighting potential issues before they escalate
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Dated interface – not pleasant to work with
- Adding alternative hosts can be tricky and time-consuming
- Difficult onboarding process – not intuitive to use
- Have to use an intermediary service for SMS messaging functionality
4. Site 24×7 – best software for comprehensive features
PRICING: Dependent on the number of monitors – a 30-day free trial is available for most plans. The Starter plan costs $9/month for 10 basic monitors and 1 advanced monitor – 5 network interfaces and 500MB logs included as standard.
The Pro plan costs $35/month and comprises the same features as above, but includes 40 basic monitors and 3 advanced monitors. The MSP plan costs $45/month and includes 50 basic monitors, 3 advanced monitors, 50 network interfaces, and 1GB of logs.
The Classic plan costs $89/month and offers support for 100 basic monitors and 5 advanced monitors, with 10 network interfaces and 500MB logs.
The Elite plan costs $225/month and includes 250 basic monitors and 10 advanced monitors, 50 network interfaces, and 1GB of logs.
KEY FEATURES:
- Analytics are available for many areas such as bandwidth, CPU, cost, and performance
- Multi-cloud management
- SNMP
- Server monitoring and alert function
REASONS TO USE:
- High level of customization
- Simple to use once accustomed to the software
- A large number of features and capabilities
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Slow customer service
- Steep learning curve
- Alerts can be delayed
- It May be too expensive for smaller systems
5. Paessler AG – best software for clear reporting and integrations
PRICING: Varies depending on several sensors (defined as a single metric on a device, such as CPU). A free trial is available. Pricing is a one-off payment allowing lifetime usage, and starts at $1,500 for 500 sensors, increasing to $15,500 for an unlimited number of sensors.
KEY FEATURES:
- Autodiscovery of devices makes setup quick and easy
- A large number of integrations including the open source capability for those with coding expertise
- Integration with Teams, Slack, SMS, and SNMP traps plus more
- Highly modern interface
REASONS TO USE:
- Able to access real-time and historical data for meaningful reporting
- Visually clear interfaces with impressive and intuitive UI
- A wide array of third-party plugins is available
- An established online user community offering extensive resources in addition to company-provided online guidance
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Requires access to a Microsoft Windows Server machine with a minimum 2 CPU cores and 3GB of RAM with 250GB disk space available – no cloud-based deployment available
- Limited integrations available
- Can quickly become expensive for larger businesses and systems, especially as additional support is charged each year – this comprises a $360 charge for 24 months which increases to $680 for 36 months
- It May require some extra configuration to receive the best value for money
- Can be initially difficult to engage with – some onboarding needed
References and Links
- https://www.dnsstuff.com/lan-monitor-tools
- https://www.comparitech.com/net-admin/lan-monitoring/
- https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/best-lan-monitor/
- https://uk.pcmag.com/cloud-services/73035/manageengine-opmanager
- https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/168192/site24x7
- https://uk.pcmag.com/cloud-services/84134/paessler-prtg-network-monitor