Regularly monitoring a network can be challenging. Ping programs are supposed to make this task a lot easier, though many fall short. Ping Monitor Professional is a relatively new networking-monitoring program that performs its intended task well, though also lacks in some areas. If you’re currently searching for a way to monitor a network, Ping Monitor Professional is worth considering for $49.

User-Friendliness and Interface

Ping Monitor Professional comes with a simple interface that doesn’t include a steep learning curve. You will be greeted with a cool blue background, simple drop down boxes, and plenty of self-explanatory selection options. All of these options should be second nature to any IT administrator or other network professional. If you’re not familiar with network terms, you can check out the handy guide that comes with this program for some extra help.

Actually using Ping Monitor Professional is simple too. This program can be put on autopilot and works using a straightforward ping system. The program sends out pings to each system that’s part of a network and waits for a response from each system. When a system doesn’t respond, an alert can be send to a network administrator. Ping Monitor Professional also includes scheduling options that are quite useful. For example, administrators can choose to select times when a system does not need monitoring or when alerts should be sent. User-friendly and interface-wise, Ping Monitor Professional is a great product.

Set Up and Installation

Ping Monitor comes with quick installation software that you will find useful. In order to set up a network, users simply have to provide the IP addresses of all systems that are part of a network. After that, Ping Monitor goes to work detecting and checking on each system. When a system is offline, Ping Monitor will flash a red light that corresponds with that system’s IP address. As soon as a system is back online, the red light indicator will turn off.

It should be pointed out that Ping Monitor can only be installed on a Windows machine. However, Ping Monitor can monitor any kind of system, Windows or otherwise. This small detail might be a drawback for some people, so make sure to keep this in mind when considering purchasing the program. As far as the number of systems that can be tracked with Ping Monitor, you can keep tabs on an unlimited number of network systems with this program. If you opt for the free version, you will be limited to five different systems.

Where This Program Falls Short

Nearly every program has a downfall, and Ping Monitor Professional is not an exception to this rule. The one drawback to Ping Monitor Professional is that this program doesn’t include a lot of extra or advanced features. Considering that other programs in Ping Monitor’s class do come with a mound of features, if you’re looking for advanced features and setting options Ping Monitor will disappoint. Then again, this program is under the $50 mark, so you can’t fault it too much.