Smooth network performance is the heartbeat of any modern business – when it slows down, your business feels the pain directly on the bottom line. According to Gartner, just one hour of network downtime can cost over $300,000 for larger enterprises. Even small data center outages can lead to 95% slump in productivity.
To stop network issues from derailing business ops, smart IT teams rely on advanced bandwidth monitoring to track performance 24/7 across the infrastructure. From identifying congestion points to spotting bandwidth hogs, these tools provide actionable insights to keep networks humming smoothly.
In this comprehensive guide, we explore the top 6 bandwidth monitoring tools for aligning network ops with business needs:
The top 6 bandwidth monitoring tools we will cover are:
- ManageEngine
- Paessler PRTG
- SolarWinds
- NetWorX
- Nagios
- BWMonitor
Why is Monitoring Network Bandwidth Critical?
Before exploring the tools, let‘s look at why active monitoring is essential for optimal network ops:
Maintain Performance SLAs
Slow network performance leads to poor app response times and lagging load times – degrading overall workforce productivity. Proactive monitoring helps sustain speeds as per prescribed SLAs.
Lower MTTR
Detecting issues through active monitoring means administrators can start troubleshooting faster. This reduces mean time to resolution (MTTR) before outage impacts swell.
Enhance Capacity Planning
Historical usage data and traffic load analysis from monitoring tools allow better forecasting of bandwidth needs. This helps scale infrastructure seamlessly.
Optimize Costs
Monitoring helps identify unused capacity to cut overhead costs. It also finds sources of congestion letting you target investment to maximum impact.
Improve Security
Continuous inspection of network traffic patterns spots anomalies that could indicate an emerging cyber attack. Early detection allows preventing data loss and outages.
With the rationale clear, let‘s start exploring the 6 bandwidth monitoring tools:
1. ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine OpManager is a robust network monitoring platform designed for large enterprises. The tool provides holistic monitoring spanning servers, virtual infrastructure, network devices, apps, logs, and custom metrics.
For bandwidth visibility specifically, OpManager offers the following capabilities:
Bandwidth Monitoring
- Track volume and speed for upload/download traffic
- Set thresholds with alerts for abnormal usage
- Historical reports to identity trends
Network Mapping
- Automated mapping of network topologies
- Drill-down to node-level interface statistics
- Identify errors and disabled interfaces
Config Audit
- Scan device configs weekly
- Compare current vs baseline versions
- Ensure consistency across network
High Availability
- Monitor critical failover and redundancy links
- Alert on failover events to avoid overload
Integrations
- 1200+ Apps, servers, services pre-configured
- REST APIs for custom metrics and notifications
OpManager Dashboard
Pricing
OpManager pricing starts at $745 annually for 25 devices – making it affordable even for smaller networks. Free trial available.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Customizable dashboards and reporting | Steep learning curve |
| Powerful alert engine | Can be complex to setup |
| Scalable for large networks |
Who is OpManager good for?
With robust features and affordable pricing, OpManager suits both SMBs and larger enterprises looking to consolidate network management. It works well if custom alerts and mapped network topology views are key requirements.
"OpManager‘s automated workflows and easy mass configuration do in minutes what took hours manually earlier." – Sr. Network Administrator, Genesis Health
2. PRTG by Paessler
PRTG by Paessler is one of the industry leaders in network monitoring solutions catering to businesses across verticals.
For monitoring network bandwidth and traffic, PRTG provides following functionalities:
Easy Visualization
- Pre-defined dashboards highlighting usage
- Maps to view size/color coded traffic
- Flexible graph and chart builder
Usage Alerts
- Set traffic volume thresholds
- Get notifications for anomalies
Infrastructure Analysis
- Automatically map network topology
- Track response times by hop
- Identify device-specific bottlenecks
Capacity Planning
- Report on peak historical usage
- Plan budgets for future growth
PRTG Dashboard
Pricing
PRTG pricing is based on the number of sensors starting from 100 sensors for $1,600. Review pricing page for more details.
How does PRTG compare?
| Feature | PRTG | OpManager | SolarWinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alert Customization | High | Higher | Highest |
| Support | Email, Web, Phone | Email, Web, Phone | Email, Web |
| Third Party Integration | Medium | High | High |
| Learning Curve | Low | Medium | High |
Integrations
PRTG offers native integration with various systems:
- Cloud Monitoring – AWS, Azure, GCP
- Virtualization – VMWare, Hyper-V
- Ticketing – Jira, SysAid
- ChatOps – Slack, Teams
Check out the 200+ integrations listed here.
Who is PRTG good for?
With it‘s easy-to-use visualization and powerful alerting engine – PRTG is ideal for admins needing to quickly grasp network traffic patterns and set behavioral thresholds. Open API allows tying monitoring to other enterprise systems.
"PRTG saves us time and enables us to rest easy knowing our network is constantly monitored." – Ron Case, Loudoun Water
3. SolarWinds Network Bandwidth Analyzer Pack
SolarWinds is a popular name in network infrastructure monitoring providing powerful tools for enterprises to gain deep visibility.
The Network Bandwidth Analyzer Pack combines two complementary solutions – Network Performance Monitor (NPM) and NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA). Together, they enable comprehensive tracking for network bandwidth and traffic.
Let‘s look at how NPM and NTA monitor bandwidth:
Network Performance Monitor
- Monitor availability and response time for critical network devices
- Threshold-based performance and bandwidth utilization alerts
- Identify and map bandwidth hogs across infrastructure
- Role-based custom dashboards
NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
- Analyze traffic patterns down to port and protocol
- Statistics for every router/switch interface
- Identify malware and DDoS activity
- Capacity forecasting based on historical data
SolarWinds Dashboard
Pricing
SolarWinds pricing starts at $2,995 annually for up to 100 monitored elements. Get full pricing details here.
Who is SolarWinds good for?
With advanced analytics capabilities, SolarWinds Network Bandwidth Analyzer Pack is a powerful option for large enterprises running business-critical networks. The tools provide extensive monitoring to pinpoint congestion and capacity triggers across complex hybrid infrastructure.
"SolarWinds meets our needs to monitor our complex network effectively." – Peter Andrea, Thomson Reuters
4. NetWorx by Softperfect
NetWorx is a simple yet flexible bandwidth monitoring tool by Softperfect – catering to SMBs primarily. Despite being positioned for smaller networks, the tool packs in some nifty capabilities:
Dashboards
- Customizable dashboard designs
- Drag-and-drop widgets for traffic metrics
Bandwidth Tests
- Check current download and upload speeds
- Historical comparison of speed samples
Data Usage Tracking
- Set monthly/daily data quotas
- Get alerts on limit threshold
Activity Analysis
- Top applications by protocol traffic
- Identify bandwidth hogging hosts
- Set QoS policies based on usage
For a low one-time license fee, NetWorx provides all the essential bandwidth monitoring features necessary for optimal network visibility in smaller environments.
NetWorx Dashboard
Pricing
NetWorx is available for only $49 per device. Free 30-day trial can be downloaded here.
Who is NetWorx good for?
NetWorx perfectly suits smaller businesses looking for an affordable tool to stay on top of network performance trends. The customizable dashboard and usage reports provide ample visibility without overwhelming metrics – making it easy for non-technical teams to also review insights.
For large enterprises with complex infrastructure, this tool may not provide the scale or sophistication desired.
"NetWorx gives me the precise bandwidth data I need without any complexity." – Thomas, Local Hosting Company
5. Nagios XI
Nagios XI is likely the most popular free and open-source network monitoring platform. The tool offers strong capabilities for proactive monitoring of bandwidth and infrastructure:
Automatic Mapping
- Discover devices and connections
- Visualize traffic via maps
Usage Alerts
Set alerts for:
- Link failure notifications
- Bandwidth usage limits
- Equipment temperature thresholds
Anomaly Detection
- Configure baseline thresholds
- Get alerts for irregular traffic patterns
Reporting
- Historical usage reports
- Graphical trends
- scheduled PDF delivery
Of course, being an open source tool also means Nagios XI involves a steeper learning curve. But for those willing to climb, it can offer flexibility hard to find in paid tools.
Nagios XI Dashboard
Pricing
Nagios XI offers support plans starting from $1,995 per year. However, the free open source core Nagios tool can still be powerful for those willing to set it up.
Who is Nagios XI good for?
Nagios suits technology teams that have broader experience in infrastructure monitoring tools and are up for configuring an open-source platform tailored to specific needs. The savings on licensing costs appeal to frugal SMBs IT departments. Nagios community forums also serve as rich knowledge repositories for troubleshooting during set up stages.
"With Nagios, we could get very granular in setting thresholds for bandwidth utilization alerts." – Jay Michaels, Nutex Communications
6. BWMonitor
Unlike most tools above, BWMonitor specializes exclusively in per-device bandwidth monitoring. This makes it suitable for tracking usage of specific critical devices.
It captures metrics from the installed devices by measuring inbound and outbound traffic down to the NIC level.
Usage Alerts
- Set bandwidth quotas per device
- Get email/SMS for threshold breach
Activity Analysis
- Monitor VPN tunnels activity
- Classify bandwidth by criteria
Traffic Insights
- Real-time utilization views
- Historical usage graphs
So while not suited for overall network visibility,BWMonitor fits neatly for targeted tracking of bandwidth patterns across key devices.
BWMonitor Dashboard
Pricing
BWMonitor is priced at $39 per device. 30-day trial available on website.
Who is BWMonitor for?
BWMonitor perfectly fits the need for granular tracking of critical servers bandwidth consumption. System administrators who need dedicated monitoring of database servers, cache layers, or specific app clusters will find value here.
The ability to classify and filter traffic by various parameters brings good insights. CISO teams could leverage this for monitoring suspicious outbound flows too.
"With BWMonitor, I could validate new firewall policies through classified traffic analysis before enforcing them."
Additional Considerations for Selection
With numerous capable tools available, choosing the right bandwidth monitor for your needs depends on several factors:
1. Network size and architecture – Assess number of locations, capacity, redundancy links while planning monitoring coverage. Multi-vendor environments may need unified tools.
2. Business criticality – Banks and Financial institutions need comprehensive monitoring to meet compliance and minimize business disruption.
3. Analysis needs – Granular insights with correlating device metrics often require advanced analytics capabilities.
4. Team skills – Open source tools offer customization but require internal expertise to implement and customize. Agentless tools are simpler for pure network visibility needs.
Here is a comparison table highlighting what each tool excels at:
| Tool | Key Strength | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|
| OpManager | Unified infrastructure monitoring | Consolidated network ops |
| PRTG | Easy visualization and notifications | Quick insights into traffic |
| SolarWinds | Comprehensive analytics | Mission-critical enterprise infrastructure |
| NetWorx | Custom reporting | SMB networks |
| Nagios XI | Open source flexibility | Tech savvy teams |
| BWMonitor | Device-level tracking | Monitoring remote field gear |
Prepare Budgets for Bandwidth Monitoring
As a thumb rule, IDC estimates bandwidth monitoring tools cost ~$15,000 per $1 billion in company revenue. Here is a breakdown:
- 1 – 99 Employees: $15,000-$30,000
- 100-999 Employees: $30,000-$60,000
- 1000-4999 Employees: $60,000-$150,000
Mid-size banks typically budget ~$40,000 and above depending on branches. Calculate your starting budget with the IDC ROI calculator.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this detailed feature-by-feature analysis for the leading bandwidth monitoring tools helps identify the right fit. When planning your evaluations, consider building 5 critical use cases that map closely to business priorities and data needs.
Leverage available free trials to validate capabilities against standard deployment requirements:
- Ease of getting started
- Default metrics coverage
- Visualization and reporting
- Alert customization
- Accuracy of insights
Stay tuned for more hands-on bandwidth monitoring articles or follow our Guides section for the latest network ops best practices!
