For SMB IT teams

Network Monitoring & QoX

“The network is slow.” Start with evidence.

Put a monitoring node in the traffic path. Turn packet analysis into performance statistics and diagnostic evidence, then investigate what users experience through reports in NetCollab Central.

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Monitoring node · Layer 2 transparent bridge · Included with NetCollab hardware

Traffic passes through a NetCollab L2 bridge between a router/firewall and an access switch. Statistics and telemetry go to Central in the cloud or locally. — Illustrative placement. Monitor traffic crossing the bridge; explore the resulting evidence in Central.

Observe where it matters

Place a bridge between network components to see the traffic crossing that point. Choose the observation point around the problem you need to investigate.

Test beyond a complaint

Use synthetic tests between nodes or toward the cloud to add active measurements alongside observed network traffic.

Bring evidence to the conversation

Use analyzed traffic statistics, reports and diagnostics to give your team and service providers something concrete to investigate.

Understand the observation point

An L2 bridge. A clearer view between components.

A monitoring node operates as a Layer 2 transparent bridge in the traffic path. It observes traffic traversing that bridge and generates statistics for analysis. It is an observation point, not a claim of visibility into every part of the network.

Between a router/firewall and a switch: observe traffic crossing that link.
Between network segments: investigate a chosen part of the traffic path.
Before a web, email or ERP server: investigate fragmentation, capacity utilization and TCP performance.
Across several observation points: use additional monitoring roles to extend coverage.

Facility network diagram with NetCollab between an ISP modem and the core router/switch, connected to IoT, email and Wi-Fi components. — Example facility topology shown in Central. This is a logical network view, not a physical port map.

From packets to answers

Packet-level insight. Analysis already done.

NetCollab analyzes packets passing through the bridge to generate performance statistics, loss measurements and diagnostic information. Get the packet-level perspective behind an investigation without having to work through a packet trace yourself.

Analyze the traffic crossing your chosen observation point.
Explore the resulting statistics and diagnostic findings in Central.
Packets are not retained or displayed, and there is no downloadable PCAP file.

Explore diagnostics in Central

DPI Traffic Data report with traffic direction, IP localization, VLAN, client IP and layer 3 and 4 protocol charts. — Traffic breakdown from the supplied node report. IP localization is context, not a threat verdict.

Report showing DPI protocol, application and category breakdowns, traffic category timeline and QoX trend. — DPI classifications and QoX alongside the observed traffic timeline.

Report showing response time, policy drops, response timeouts, client count, fragmentation and jitter. — Response and traffic measurements from the supplied report; policy drops are distinct from network packet loss.

TCP report showing round-trip time, out-of-order packets, duplicates and zero-window measurements. — TCP measurements provide evidence for investigation; this is analyzed data, not a stored packet trace.

Observe traffic. Actively test paths.

Test between nodes. Test toward the cloud.

Run scheduled ICMP, DNS and UDP tests between participating nodes or toward suitable cloud endpoints. Choose the path, start time and run window to add active measurements alongside observed traffic.

ICMP: check reachability, round-trip latency, packet loss and jitter.
DNS: investigate resolution response times, timeouts and DNS errors.
UDP: assess throughput under a configured traffic load, with loss, latency and jitter measurements.

See where test results become useful

DNS synthetic-test setup showing node selection, schedule, duration and a client-identity configuration warning. — DNS scheduling example. This setup still requires client identity to be enabled before the test can be created.

Know the health behind the measurements

Monitor the monitor, too.

Node telemetry helps you assess whether the bridge itself is under pressure while you investigate the network. Read resource usage and processing health alongside traffic reports.

CPU, memory and temperature: understand the node’s operating conditions.
Forwarding times, packet drops and receive/transmit pressure: investigate processing health.
Reporting and synthetic-test queues: identify backlogs or dropped work.
Device-health telemetry exports counters and timings, not packet payloads. Traffic reports can separately contain IP addresses and other connection details.

Explore diagnostics in Central

System overview with software version, uptime, link state, CPU, RAM, available disk and temperature gauges. — A snapshot of node health. Displayed readings describe this example, not guaranteed operating values.

Node utilization charts for throughput, frames received, bytes received and flow activity. — Traffic volumes and flow activity over the selected reporting interval.

Performance telemetry charts for background time per frame, forward time, release time and transmit queue residence. — Processing and queue measurements for the selected interval. These chart values are not hardware latency guarantees.

The bridge collects. Central explains.

Choose the question. Choose the node. Schedule the detail.

Enable a specific node to gather the data your investigation needs. Choose reporting granularity, schedule a start time and duration, and filter by protocol, category, IP address or MAC address to keep detailed reports manageable.

Collect focused evidence for security investigations or troubleshooting during a defined time window.
Narrow the traffic of interest before collecting a heavy connection-level report.
Select metrics, Quality of Experience (QoX) and DPI details to match the question. QoX adds context; it does not prove the cause on its own.

Explore reports in NetCollab Central

New report collection setup with node, interval, start time, duration and capture filters including MAC, DPI category, IP and protocol options. — The interface calls this a Capture: it schedules collection of report statistics, not a downloadable PCAP.

Three questions. Three focused reports.

Choose the detail you need, then use filters and a collection window to control the scope.

Investigate security concerns

Gather source IP, IP geolocation, protocol and destination IP. Filter to an IP address or protocol of interest. Geography provides context, not proof that traffic is malicious.

Understand how the network is used

Collect DPI categories, applications and protocols across users. Filter to a category when you want to understand one type of activity more closely.

Troubleshoot individual connections

Use the five-tuple—source and destination IPs, source and destination ports, and protocol—with selected metrics, QoX and DPI. Filter by protocol, category, IP or MAC address and schedule a limited collection window to make a detailed per-connection report manageable.

Two roles included. Room to grow.

Choose your role.
Size your deployment.

NetCollab hardware includes both Guest Wi-Fi & Captive Portal and Network Monitoring & QoX. A slot runs one configured node role; the number of slots determines what you can run at the same time.

Xpresso 1 slot

UAC or Monitor

Choose one role at a time. Both role options are included with the device.

Pro 4 slots

UACMonitorMonitorMonitor

One UAC + three monitoring roles, or four monitoring roles. These are confirmed configuration examples.

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Meet NetCollab Central

The evidence starts here. The bigger picture is in Central.

Explore facility maps, network diagrams, reports and diagnostics in Central—a separate management and reporting product available in the cloud or on your own network.

Explore NetCollab Central

Build around your network

Find the right fit for your deployment.

Choose your hardware, explore pricing, and discuss your use case with us.

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