Monitor local area networks with
the PRTG LAN Scanner feature
PRTG monitors LANs and your entire IT infrastructure
PRTG is an all-in-one monitoring tool with LAN scanner capabilities
PRTG comes with an Auto Discovery feature for setup in just minutes
LAN scanner: Monitor your network with PRTG
Jump to the topic of your choice
- What is a LAN scanner?
- What are the benefits of LAN monitoring with PRTG?
- Which protocols are available for LAN monitoring?
- How do I scan my LAN with PRTG?
- How to use the Auto Discovery feature in PRTG:
- Which sensors are available in PRTG?
- Which parts of the LAN does PRTG scan?
- What are some of the other advantages of PRTG?
- The all-in-one monitoring tool
A local area network (LAN) connects computers and peripheral devices located inside a building or an individual room. In order for employees to stay productive, companies need a monitoring tool with LAN scanner capabilities. Only then can they quickly get to the root of problems and prevent costly failures and downtime.
What is a LAN scanner?
A LAN (or network) scanner is software that detects and sorts the devices in a network
By using a monitoring tool with LAN scanner capabilities, you'll not only obtain a precise overview of your local area network, but also enjoy quicker and more effective troubleshooting. A LAN scanner (or a tool like PRTG) even lets you stop problems in the local network before they arise. As a result, you’ll guarantee uninterrupted availability, the highest level of security, and the best possible performance for your LANs.
What are the benefits of LAN monitoring with PRTG?
Detect bottlenecks
LAN bottlenecks are overloaded routers or switches that affect the entire network. As a rule of thumb, the more devices and systems in a local network, the higher the number of potential bottlenecks – and thus the importance of a LAN scanner. PRTG automatically detects bottlenecks to reduce (or even prevent) downtime.
Optimize network performance
By continually monitoring your LAN, PRTG keeps a constant eye on parameters such as bandwidth. As a result, bandwidth overloads can be detected and resolved before they lead to errors and downtime. With PRTG, networks stay stable and productive. LAN bandwidth monitoring runs conveniently in the background. If something goes wrong, the tool notifies you at once.
Which protocols are available for LAN monitoring?
SNMP, packet sniffing, and NetFlow are some of the protocols used for LAN monitoring.
NetFlow and packet sniffing are used to monitor the traffic in the local area network. SNMP is used to monitor your network and keep you updated on its performance.
PRTG comes with a variety of preconfigured sensors for LAN monitoring.
How do I scan my LAN with PRTG?
With PRTG, setting up your monitoring is easy. Entirely customizable, it lets you start monitoring your LAN in a few short minutes – and make changes to your settings as needed. The Auto Discovery feature scans for all the accessible devices in the LAN and helps you configure your sensors. This scan takes place automatically upon installing PRTG. PRTG shows you the available devices in your network, as well as the sensors that are suitable for their monitoring.
Your network monitoring at a glance
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
How to use the auto discovery feature in PRTG
Step 1
Define a network segment or a range of IP addresses to find network devices via ping, then launch the Auto Discovery feature.
Step 2
During the LAN scan, the software determines which types of devices are found and creates sensors for them. Depending on the size of your network (and the number of devices), the Auto Discovery can sometimes take longer to complete.
Step 3
PRTG creates a device tree for all the available devices and uses built-in templates that already include suitable sensors for several types of devices.
Auto Discovery can be performed once or repeatedly, e.g., via a regular LAN scan. In each case, newly created devices are added to the tree with the corresponding sensors. PRTG notifies you whenever it detects a new device in your network or if an error has occurred.
Which sensors are available in PRTG?
PRTG comes with more than 250 preconfigured sensors for the most popular device manufacturers, as well as for different areas of application (e.g., sensors for general monitoring with default parameters, sensors for bandwidth monitoring, SNMP sensors, etc.). Sensors for LAN monitoring include:
Which parts of the LAN does PRTG scan?
Bandwidth is measured as the amount of data that can be transferred from one point to another within a network in a specific amount of time. Typically, bandwidth is expressed as a bitrate and measured in bits per second (bps). It refers to the transmission capacity of a connection and is an important factor when determining the quality and speed of a network.
Read more
“The greatest advantage of PRTG? You get to rest easy.“
Steffen Ille, Bauhaus-University of Weimar, Germany
Trusted by 500,000 users and recognized
by industry analysts as a leader
“Fantastic network and infrastructure monitoring solution that is easy to deploy and easier still to use. Simply the best available.”
“Software is absolutely perfect, Support is superior. Meets all needs and requirements, this is a must have solution if you are needing any form of monitoring.”
“The tool excels at its primary focus of being a unified infrastructure management and network monitoring service.”
What are some of the other advantages of PRTG?
PRTG makes life easy
Sure, PRTG is super easy to install on a computer. But that’s not all. Its Auto Discovery feature simplifies the initial setup, making the tool ready to use in just a few minutes. What’s more, the LAN scanner in PRTG is intuitive and easy to use.
PRTG saves you money
All licenses for on-premises versions of PRTG are valid for indefinite periods of time. Every license comes with the full range of features. The cloud-based version of PRTG (PRTG Hosted Monitor) also offers subscription-based licenses that can be upgraded (or downgraded) at any time.
PRTG leaves nothing to chance
PRTG monitors around the clock. The network monitoring software runs in the background, keeping a constant eye on all the components in the IT infrastructure so administrators can focus on other work. PRTG provides detailed and comprehensive data and reports – and issues alerts when errors occur or threshold values are exceeded.
The all-in-one monitoring tool
PRTG is perfect for companies of all sizes: whether you use PRTG Network Monitor, PRTG Hosted Monitor, or PRTG Enterprise Monitor, you always get the whole package. Instead of using a multitude of tools to monitor all the aspects of your infrastructure, PRTG easily does the trick. After all, every version of PRTG comes with much more than just a LAN scanner. Our tool monitors your entire IT infrastructure – i.e., your WAN, WLAN, and VPN networks, as well as your physical and virtual environments.
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
Still not convinced?
More than 500,000 sysadmins love PRTG
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.
Still not convinced?
Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.
Try Paessler PRTG for free
Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free. Start now with your trial.
PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 24.3.98.1210 (July 31st, 2024) |
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 |
|