Network monitoring
Network performance monitoring is the practice of tracking availability, traffic, and device health so you can detect and resolve issues affecting network performance. SolarWinds NPM helps you monitor multi-vendor networks from a single, unified view.
Monitor fault, availability, and performance across routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points in a single console.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) helps you monitor multi-vendor network devices, including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless controllers. Automatically discover devices, track key metrics like response time and packet loss, and quickly spot issues that can impact network performance and user experience.
Use a performance monitor tool to visualize network paths, correlate metrics, and pinpoint where latency, packet loss, or network outages are occurring.
Configure intelligent alerts with dynamic baselines, dependencies, and thresholds so your team can focus on the conditions that matter most.
Track wireless controllers, access points, and clients, and view Wi-Fi maps and hardware health metrics like temperature and fan status.
Map device relationships and dependencies so your team can see how an issue in one network segment may affect other parts of the network.
Understand the metrics, discovery methods, and alerts SolarWinds NPM uses to help you monitor and troubleshoot network performance
Network performance monitoring is the process of tracking the availability, health, and performance of network devices, interfaces, and paths so you can identify and resolve issues that affect connectivity and user experience. Tools like SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) collect metrics such as response time, packet loss, and bandwidth utilization to help IT teams detect anomalies, troubleshoot problems, and optimize network performance.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) helps you monitor routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers, and other network devices across on-premises and hybrid environments. It automatically discovers devices, tracks key performance metrics, builds topology maps, and provides features like NetPath, PerfStack, wireless heat mapping for Cisco wireless access points, alerts, and capacity forecasting so you can see where issues are occurring and address them quickly.
SolarWinds NPM uses industry-standard protocols to poll network devices and collect performance data. It monitors device and interface status, response time, packet loss, bandwidth utilization, errors, and hardware health metrics such as CPU, memory, and temperature. Dashboards and reports let you view this information in real time and over time, drill into specific devices or interfaces, and create alerts based on thresholds and baselines that fit your environment.
Yes. Many modern networks connect on-premises infrastructure with cloud services and SaaS applications. SolarWinds NPM includes NetPath visualizations that help you see performance along these end-to-end paths, including hops across service provider and cloud segments. This can make it easier to determine whether a performance issue originates inside your network, with an ISP, or in a cloud or SaaS environment. For expanded cloud monitoring, consider Observability Self-Hosted.
By continuously monitoring key metrics and setting alerts when thresholds are exceeded, network performance monitoring helps you detect issues early and respond more quickly. With tools like SolarWinds NPM, you can see where congestion, hardware problems, or connectivity issues are starting to appear, investigate the cause using real-time and historical data, and take action to reduce the risk of unexpected downtime for critical applications and services.
Yes. You can start a free trial of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor and monitor your own network devices and interfaces. During the trial, you can explore dashboards, configure alerts, view NetPath and PerfStack, and evaluate how NPM fits into your monitoring workflows. Check the trial sign-up page for the current trial duration and any specific details about what is included.
Get in-depth insights. Download the datasheet today.
Features of the SolarWinds® Orion® module, Network Performance Monitor (NPM) are also available as part of Observability Self-Hosted. Contact Sales for a custom quote.
Metrics that show how your network is performing
Network performance monitoring focuses on metrics that show whether your network is available and delivering a good experience. SolarWinds NPM collects data such as device and interface availability, response time, packet loss, bandwidth utilization, errors and discards, and hardware health indicators like CPU, memory, temperature, and fan speed. By trending these metrics over time, NPM helps you quickly identify when a specific link, device, or site is behaving abnormally so you can investigate and take action before users are impacted.
Metrics that show how your network is performing
Network performance monitoring focuses on metrics that show whether your network is available and delivering a good experience. SolarWinds NPM collects data such as device and interface availability, response time, packet loss, bandwidth utilization, errors and discards, and hardware health indicators like CPU, memory, temperature, and fan speed. By trending these metrics over time, NPM helps you quickly identify when a specific link, device, or site is behaving abnormally so you can investigate and take action before users are impacted.
