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SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
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What SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) helps IT teams monitor complex, hybrid, multi-vendor networks and investigate performance problems affecting availability and user experience. It discovers routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers, and other network devices, tracking response time, packet loss, bandwidth use, and hardware health. NetPath displays routes hop by hop across on-premises and cloud infrastructure to help locate latency and packet loss. NPM also provides prebuilt and customizable alerts, dependency-aware alerting, reports, and capacity forecasts based on historical trends. Wireless monitoring covers controllers, access points, and clients, with Wi-Fi heat maps for Cisco wireless access points. PerfStack can place network, system, and application metrics on a shared timeline when integrated with other SolarWinds Orion modules. The product is self-hosted and can be deployed on premises or in cloud environments, including through Azure and AWS marketplaces. A fully functional 30-day trial is available without a credit card. Pricing starts at $2,829, and the listed license tier depends on quantity, with custom quotes available.
Who it suits
NPM is aimed at IT teams responsible for complex, hybrid, multi-vendor networks. It may fit teams that need device monitoring, path analysis, wireless visibility, alerts, and capacity forecasting.
What it does well
- Tracks response time, packet loss, bandwidth, and hardware health.
- NetPath shows routes hop by hop.
- Includes customizable and dependency-aware alerts.
- Wireless monitoring includes Cisco access point heat maps.
- Offers a fully functional 30-day trial without a credit card.
What to know first
- No free plan is listed.
- Pricing starts at $2,829.
- PerfStack metric comparison requires integration with other Orion modules.
Limits
There is no free plan. The listed starting price is from $2,829, while the Network Performance Monitor license tier depends on quantity and requires a custom quote.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Network Performance Monitor | License tier depends on quantity; contact sales for a custom quote | On request |
As solarwinds.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor website
- Choose a self-hosted, web, or Windows deployment
- Deploy on premises or through an Azure or AWS marketplace environment
- Start the fully functional 30-day trial without a credit card
- Contact sales for a quantity-based license quote
Verdict
NPM combines device monitoring with path analysis, alerts, wireless visibility, and capacity forecasts. Consider its self-hosted deployment and starting price when assessing whether it fits your network environment.
Questions
Does NPM have a free plan?
No. SolarWinds lists NPM as paid and offers a 30-day free trial instead.
How long is the free trial?
The fully functional trial lasts 30 days and does not require a credit card.
Which platforms can run NPM?
NPM is listed for self-hosted, web, and Windows use.
Can NPM monitor wireless networks?
Yes. It monitors wireless controllers, access points, and clients, and provides Wi-Fi heat maps for Cisco wireless access points.
What network scale does NPM support?
The datasheet says NPM can scale to up to one million elements per instance with appropriate licenses.
Facts from SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor's own pages
- Alerts and capacity
- NPM provides prebuilt and customizable alerts, dependency-aware alerting, reports, and capacity forecasting based on historical trends. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- NPM is a self-hosted SolarWinds Platform product that can be deployed on premises or in cloud environments, including through Azure and AWS marketplaces. · documentation.solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Device monitoring
- It discovers and monitors routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers, and other network devices, tracking measures such as response time, packet loss, bandwidth use, and hardware health. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1999 · solarwinds.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- The datasheet identifies Cisco ACI and Azure vNet gateway support, and names F5 BIG-IP, Cisco ASA, Palo Alto Networks firewalls, and Cisco Nexus among supported advanced devices. · p1.aprimocdn.net, 9 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The product is presented for IT teams monitoring complex, hybrid, and multi-vendor networks. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Metric correlation
- PerfStack lets users compare network, system, and application metrics on a shared timeline when integrated with other SolarWinds Orion modules. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Path analysis
- NetPath visualizes network paths hop by hop across on-premises and cloud infrastructure to help locate latency and packet loss. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- NPM monitors multi-vendor networks so teams can detect and troubleshoot performance issues affecting network availability and user experience. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Scale
- The product datasheet says NPM can scale to up to one million elements per instance with appropriate licenses. · p1.aprimocdn.net, 9 Oct 2026
- Security approach
- SolarWinds describes Secure by Design as its security and cyber-resiliency approach, including a resilient build environment, transparency, security-team reviews, and an assume-breach mindset. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- SolarWinds lists technical support, deployment services, premium support, documentation, training, and its THWACK user community as customer resources. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Trial
- SolarWinds offers a fully functional 30-day free trial, with no credit card required. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Wireless monitoring
- NPM tracks wireless controllers, access points, and clients and provides Wi-Fi heat maps for Cisco wireless access points. · solarwinds.com, 9 Oct 2026
Where SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor stands on Freedom251
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