<%NUMBERING1%>.<%NUMBERING2%>.<%NUMBERING3%> PRTG Manual: Add a Sensor

icon-i-roundThis documentation refers to the PRTG System Administrator user accessing the PRTG web interface on a master node. If you use other user accounts, interfaces, or nodes, you might not see all of the options in the way described here. If you use a cluster installation, note that failover nodes are read-only by default.

There are several ways to manually add a sensor:

  • Select Sensors | Add Sensor from the main menu.
  • Hover over plus_button and select Add Sensor from the menu.
  • For faster setup, you can select Add Sensor from the context menu of a device to which you want to add the new sensor. This skips step 1 and leads you directly to step 2.
  • You can also click the Add Sensor button at the end of a device's sensor list on the device tree screen or above the geo map on the right.

Step 1: Select Device

Add Sensor Dialog

Add Sensor Dialog

  • Select Add sensor to an existing device (default setting).
  • Choose the device you want to add the new sensor to.
  • Click Continue.

The Add Sensor dialog appears.

Step 2: Choose Sensor

Add Sensor Dialog

Add Sensor Dialog

The Add Sensor dialog helps you choose the correct sensor.

  • Narrow down the sensors:
      • Choose appropriate criteria to filter the shown sensors. Alternative_A
      • Enter (parts of) the name into the search box. Alternative_B
      • Go through the detailed list of sensors matching the selected device. Alternative_C
      • If you cannot find a suitable sensor, search for custom sensors in our PRTG Script World. Just click Looking For More Sensor Types? below the list of sensors or above the search box. See section List of Available Sensor Types—Script World Sensors.
  • Choose which sensor is the best for monitoring the parameters you require.
  • Click the sensor box to select this sensor.

The sensor settings dialog opens.

  • Enter suitable sensor settings.

icon-i-roundPRTG suggests sensors for the selected device. This recommendation is automatically calculated based on the current user's sensor usage and shows the ten most commonly used sensors (if enough sensors are already in use).

icon-i-roundIf you are unsure which sensor provides the information you require, we recommend that you use the filter categories to narrow down your choices step by step.

You can either:

  • Select the type of parameter you want to monitor via Monitor What?. PN_1_gruen
  • Specify the type of target system you want to monitor and see what sensors are available for this type of hardware via Target System Type?. PN_2_gruen
  • Select the technology that you want to use for monitoring (for example SNMP or WMI) via Technology Used?. PN_3_gruen

icon-i-roundAlso consider whether a sensor’s performance impact is high or low by checking the bar in the lower-left corner of the sensor box. For further information, see the Knowledge Base: How to Speed Up PRTG (especially section 4 - Sensor Type and Monitoring).

  • Confirm by clicking Create.

PRTG now creates the sensor and opens the device tree.

icon-book-arrowsFor more information about a sensor, see the section of the respective sensor (directly available via the question mark (?) symbol in the top-right corner). You can also go to the List of Available Sensor Types section to find a comprehensive overview of sensors.

More

Knowledge Base: How can I change the number of entries in most used sensor types?

Knowledge Base: How can I speed up PRTG—especially for large installations?

Keywords: Add,Add Sensor,Sensor,Sensor add