Access point monitoring with PRTG
All-in-one monitoring for a trouble-free network
- Monitor the status of all your access points
- Optimize your wireless network and improve security
- Prevent failures and disruptions to save time & money
Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG access point monitoring: What you’ll find on this page
PRTG makes access point monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent Wi-Fi connectivity issues.
4 benefits of access point monitoring with PRTG
Track network traffic & prevent crashes
How much traffic flows through your access points? Is your firmware up to date? By monitoring your access points with Paessler PRTG, you can gain vital insight into your network traffic.
Ensure that work processes at your company run smoothly and error-free. Promptly discover weak spots and prevent failures that not only cost you time, but peace of mind and money.
Optimize your network & improve efficiency
How many data packets pass through an access point? Which packets consume the most bandwidth? Does Wi-Fi connectivity work as it should?
Thanks to targeted network diagnostics, sysadmins can analyze their network in detail and optimize it accordingly. The result is a more efficient network that allows everyone to work faster and better.
Monitor 24/7 & enhance network security
Continuous network monitoring is a requirement for a secure network. PRTG proactively monitors your access points so you can more easily identify and close network security loopholes.
Unusual activity and external attacks are detected quickly and stopped in their tracks. Give everyone in your company peace of mind with PRTG access point monitoring software.
Automated alerts and notifications, 24/7
Our access point management software also lets you customize your notifications to meet the needs of your company network.
You get to define when and how you are notified. Simply set your threshold values which, when exceeded, will trigger an alert by email, SMS, in-app push notification, and other methods.
What access point monitoring looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the availability, health, and connectivity of wireless access points in your WLAN. Show bandwidth usage, access control stats, uptime, the CPU usage of your routers, 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 to troubleshoot Wi-Fi network performance and connectivity issues.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Graph with live traffic data in PRTG
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Start monitoring your wireless access points with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
“All-around winning “The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers” “PRTG Network MonitorIT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
network monitor”
is very hard to beat”
PRTG is much more than just an access point monitoring tool
Centralized and user-friendly monitoring
PRTG not only monitors your access points, but also many other parts of your IT infrastructure from one central location. Its intuitive dashboard makes it easy to keep an eye on both hardware and applications.
All mapping, notification, and report details are unified in one place for straightforward and proactive monitoring.
Proactively prevent failures and disruptions
By monitoring network devices in a targeted and proactive manner, PRTG provides sysadmins with all the information they need to keep their networks running efficiently and error-free.
You'll quickly uncover bottlenecks and detect potential overloads or disruptions before they become a problem and affect your business. This not only simplifies your work as an administrator, but also allows everyone at your company to be more productive and enjoy greater peace of mind.
Customizable monitoring that’s fully flexible
PRTG comes with more than 250 preconfigured sensor templates that are compatible with the most popular manufacturers and service providers. Or use custom sensors and the PRTG API to monitor your access points and your entire network according to your own specific needs.
Our comprehensive network monitoring tool supports SNMP, WMI, SSH, HTTP, ping, packet sniffing, flow (NetFlow, jFlow, sFlow, IPFIX), and many more technologies.
Your access point monitor 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 access point 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, products, and systems
Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s partners
Partnering with innovative vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
With the combination of PRTG and Insys, the monitoring specialist Paessler and the industrial gateway manufacturer INSYS icom offer a practical possibility to merge IT and OT.
INSYS icom
“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”
Infrastructure and Operations Engineer in the Communications Industry, firm size 10B - 30B USD
PRTG makes access point monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent Wi-Fi connectivity issues.
Monitor access points: FAQ
What is a wireless access point?
Along with hubs, routers, switches, and repeaters, wireless access points provide for seamless communication in a network by sending data between the wireless network and the wired network via a wireless adapter. Wireless access points serve as interfaces between wireless communication devices and fixed-line data networks. They increase the area from which a network can be accessed, which is particularly important for larger companies with expansive working environments.
What types of access points are there?
Access points (APs) are devices that provide wireless connectivity for devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Depending on the use case, infrastructure, and specific needs, there are various types of access points available:
- Standalone access points: These are independent, basic access points that are typically used in small networks (like home or small offices) where minimal management is required.
- Controller-based access points (managed): These APs work with a centralized controller, allowing for more extensive network management and scalability. A wireless LAN controller (WLC) manages multiple APs simultaneously.
- Cloud-managed access points: These APs are managed and monitored through a cloud-based platform, allowing administrators to control the network remotely.
- Mesh access points: Mesh APs form a wireless "mesh" network, where multiple APs communicate with one another to extend coverage over a larger area without needing to be hard-wired to the network.
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) access points: PoE APs receive power and network connectivity through a single Ethernet cable, making them easier to install in locations without nearby electrical outlets.
- Enterprise access points: Designed for large organizations, enterprise APs support large numbers of concurrent users, provide advanced security, and offer features like multiple SSIDs, guest networking, and VLAN support.
- Unified access points (unified threat management): These APs combine wireless access with additional security features, such as firewalls, intrusion detection, and malware protection.
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) access points: Wi-Fi 6 APs are the latest generation, offering enhanced speed, efficiency, and capacity. They are designed to handle the growing number of connected devices.
What is access point monitoring?
Access point monitoring refers to the process of observing, tracking, and analyzing the performance and activity of wireless access points (APs) in a network. An access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi. Monitoring these APs ensures optimal performance, security, and network reliability. It is a critical component of network management, particularly in environments with many wireless users or devices, such as businesses, campuses, or public venues.
What are key aspects of access point monitoring?
Access point monitoring can have several focus areas, depending on what you want to particularly keep an eye on. Key aspects include:
Performance tracking:
- Monitoring metrics like signal strength, bandwidth usage, connection speeds, and traffic load.
- Identifying if an access point is overloaded, or if users are experiencing slow or unstable connections.
Device management:
- Tracking which devices are connected to each access point, their IP addresses, MAC addresses, and session durations.
- Allowing for load balancing by distributing connected devices across different access points for optimal performance.
Signal strength monitoring:
- Measuring the quality of the Wi-Fi signal being broadcast by each access point.
- Detecting weak signal areas or "dead zones," where Wi-Fi coverage is inadequate.
Security monitoring:
- Alerting administrators to unauthorized access points or devices attempting to connect to the network (rogue access points).
- Detecting potential intrusions, suspicious activity, and potential security vulnerabilities, such as weak encryption or unauthorized users.
Network health monitoring:
- Providing insights into overall network health by aggregating data from multiple access points.
- Helping with diagnosing network-wide issues, such as latency, packet loss, or congestion.
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: 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
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier. Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network. Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.Still not convinced?
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Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
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Start monitoring your wireless access points 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 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024) |
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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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