Question:

I am looking for a low-cost solution to monitor the performance and availability of three computers that are used for production purposes at a church. These computers are always on and have remote access enabled. I need to be able to see the system uptime, utilization, and running programs of each computer, and ideally receive a notification if any of them goes offline. I am not interested in tracking the activities of the users, only the status of the machines. What are some options that I can consider? I am currently using Google Remote Desktop and Parsec for remote access.

Answer:

How to Monitor the Performance and Availability of Three Computers on a Low Budget

If you are in charge of managing three computers that are used for production purposes at a church, you might want to monitor their performance and availability without spending too much money. These computers are always on and have remote access enabled, so you can access them from anywhere. However, you also need to be able to see the system uptime, utilization, and running programs of each computer, and ideally receive a notification if any of them goes offline. You are not interested in tracking the activities of the users, only the status of the machines. What are some options that you can consider? In this article, we will review some of the best network monitoring tools that can meet your needs and fit your budget.

Network monitoring is the process of collecting, analyzing, and displaying information about the performance and availability of network devices, such as computers, routers, switches, servers, etc. Network monitoring tools can help you to:

• Detect and troubleshoot network problems, such as slow performance, congestion, downtime, etc.
• Optimize network performance and efficiency by identifying bottlenecks, resource utilization, and traffic patterns.
• Ensure network security and compliance by detecting unauthorized access, malicious activity, and policy violations.
• Plan and manage network capacity and growth by forecasting trends, demands, and costs.

What are the Benefits of Network Monitoring?

Network monitoring can provide many benefits for your organization, such as:

• Improved network reliability and availability by reducing downtime and minimizing service disruptions.
• Enhanced network performance and user experience by ensuring optimal network speed, quality, and responsiveness.
• Reduced network costs and risks by preventing network failures, data loss, and security breaches.
• Increased network visibility and control by providing comprehensive and real-time network data and alerts.

What are the Features of Network Monitoring Tools?

Network monitoring tools can vary in their features and functionalities, but some of the common ones are:

• Network discovery and mapping: This feature allows you to automatically scan and discover all the network devices and their connections, and display them in a graphical or hierarchical map. This can help you to get a clear overview of your network topology and structure, and easily locate and identify any network device.
• Network performance and availability monitoring: This feature allows you to measure and monitor various network metrics and parameters, such as uptime, latency, bandwidth, throughput, packet loss, jitter, etc. This can help you to evaluate and compare the performance and availability of different network devices and segments, and detect any network issues or anomalies.
• Network alerting and notification: This feature allows you to set up and customize various network thresholds and rules, and receive alerts and notifications when they are violated or triggered. This can help you to quickly and proactively respond to any network problems or incidents, and take appropriate actions to resolve them.
• Network reporting and analysis: This feature allows you to generate and view various network reports and dashboards, and analyze them using different tools and techniques, such as charts, graphs, tables, filters, etc. This can help you to gain deeper insights and understanding of your network performance and behavior, and identify any patterns, trends, or opportunities for improvement.

What are the Best Network Monitoring Tools for Your Situation?

There are many network monitoring tools available in the market, but not all of them are suitable for your situation. You need to consider several factors, such as:

• Your network size and complexity: How many network devices do you have? How are they connected and configured? How often do they change or update?
• Your network requirements and objectives: What are the main network metrics and parameters that you want to monitor? What are the main network problems or challenges that you want to solve or prevent?
• Your network budget and resources: How much money can you spend on network monitoring tools? How much time and effort can you invest in installing, configuring, and maintaining them?

Based on these factors, we have selected some of the best network monitoring tools that can meet your needs and fit your budget. These are:

• Zabbix: Zabbix is an open source and free network monitoring tool that can monitor and track the performance and availability of network devices, servers, web resources, virtual environments, applications, services, and other IT resources. Zabbix can collect network data using various methods, such as SNMP, IPMI, JMX, SSH, Telnet, etc. Zabbix can also provide network alerts, notifications, reports, and dashboards, and support network discovery, mapping, and auto-configuration. Zabbix is suitable for small to large networks, and can scale up to thousands of network devices. Zabbix can run on Linux, Windows, or macOS, and can be accessed via a web browser or a mobile app.
• PRTG Network Monitor: PRTG Network Monitor is a free network monitoring tool for up to 100 network sensors, and a paid network monitoring tool for more than 100 network sensors. PRTG Network Monitor can monitor and measure various network aspects, such as bandwidth, traffic, availability, uptime, devices, applications, etc. PRTG Network Monitor can collect network data using various protocols, such as SNMP, WMI, NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow, etc. PRTG Network Monitor can also provide network alerts, notifications, reports, and dashboards, and support network discovery, mapping, and auto-discovery. PRTG Network Monitor is suitable for small to medium networks, and can monitor up to 10,000 network devices. PRTG Network Monitor can run on Windows, and can be accessed via a web browser, a desktop client, or a mobile app.
• Domotz: Domotz is a cloud-based and subscription-based network monitoring tool that can monitor and manage network devices, such as computers, routers, switches, printers, cameras, smart devices, etc. Domotz can collect network data using SNMP, TCP, ICMP, etc. Domotz can also provide network alerts, notifications, reports, and dashboards, and support network discovery, mapping, and remote access. Domotz is suitable for small to medium networks, and can monitor up to 300 network devices per agent. Domotz can run on various platforms, such as Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, NAS, etc, and can be accessed via a web browser or a mobile app.

How to Choose the Best Network Monitoring Tool for Your Situation?

To choose the best network monitoring tool for your situation, you need to compare and evaluate the features, benefits, and drawbacks of each tool, and see how they match your network size, complexity, requirements, objectives, budget, and resources. Here is a summary table that can help you to make your decision:

Feature | Zabbix | PRTG Network Monitor | Domotz

— | — | — | —

Price | Free | Free for up to 100 sensors, paid for more than 100 sensors | Subscription-based

Platform | Linux, Windows, macOS | Windows | Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, NAS, etc

Access | Web browser, mobile app | Web browser, desktop client, mobile app | Web browser, mobile app

Data collection methods | SNMP, IPMI, JMX, SSH, Telnet, etc | SNMP, WMI, NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow, etc | SNMP, TCP, ICMP, etc

Network discovery and mapping | Yes | Yes | Yes

Network performance and availability monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes

Network alerting and notification | Yes | Yes | Yes

Network reporting and analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes

Network auto-configuration | Yes | Yes | No

Network remote access | No | No | Yes

Network scalability | High | Medium | Low

Network security | High | High | Medium

Network customization | High | Medium | Low

Network ease of use | Medium | High | High

Based on this table, you can see that:

• Zabbix is the best option if you have a large and complex network, and you need a high level of network scalability, security, customization, and auto-configuration. However, Zabbix is also the most difficult option to install, configure, and use, and it does not support network remote access.
• PRTG Network Monitor is the best option if you have a small to medium network, and you need a high level of network ease of use, performance, and availability monitoring. However, PRTG Network Monitor is also the most expensive option if you have more than 100 network sensors, and it does not support network remote access or auto-discovery.
• Domotz is the best option if you have a small to medium network, and you need a high level of network remote access, discovery, and mapping. However, Domotz is also the least scalable and customizable option, and it does not support network auto-configuration or auto-discovery.

Conclusion

In

this article, we have discussed how to monitor the performance and availability of three computers on a low budget. We have explained what network monitoring is, what are its benefits and features, and what are some of the best network monitoring tools that can meet your needs and fit your budget. We have also provided a summary table that can help you to compare and evaluate the features, benefits, and drawbacks of each tool, and see how they match your network size, complexity, requirements, objectives, budget, and resources. We hope that this article has helped you to find the best network monitoring tool for your situation, and to improve your network management and performance.