This SNMP Remote Terminal Unit Can Cover All Your Alarm Monitoring Needs

NetGuardian SNMP remote terminal unit

NetGuardian 832A SNMP Remote Terminal Unit

The NetGuardian 832A from DPS Telecom does as much as an SNMP remote terminal unit can and then some. Depending on how you want to use it, the NetGuardian is an SNMP proxy agent, a remote terminal unit, or an all-in-one alarm monitoring system — and that's just its most prominent functions. The NetGuardian is one of the best all-around SNMP alarm monitoring solutions we've seen in some time.

Quick Summary Review

Pros: Complete SNMP proxy agent and monitoring system in one SNMP remote terminal unit
Cons: More functionality than you need for smaller sites

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NetGuardian SNMP remote terminal unit application
The NetGuardian 832A mediates 32 discrete alarms, 32 ping alarms, and 8 analog alarms to SNMP traps, and supports multiple SNMP managers at multiple IP addresses.

SNMP proxy agent

The NetGuardian's primary job is to mediate remote site alarms to SNMP traps and forward them to an SNMP manager. If you need to integrate telephone switchgear monitoring and remote site environmentals into your SNMP network management, installing NetGuardians at your remote site is a simple, cost-effective solution.

All NetGuardian inputs can be mediated to SNMP traps — but you can select to not send a trap for each individual alarm, so you can filter out any unimportant stuff.

The analog inputs send traps for four thresholds, plus the SNMP manager can retrieve live actual readings from analog inputs by issuing a GET command. SET commands issued to the NetGuardian will activate the control relays, for turning on-site equipment on and off, locking and unlocking doors, etc.

The NetGuardian can report to up to three SNMP managers at different IP addresses simultaneously, which makes it great for filtering alarms to different departments.

The NetGuardian can also report to DPS' own master unit, the T/Mon Remote Alarm Monitoring System.

Or stand-alone SNMP remote terminal unit

Alongside its SNMP proxy functions, the NetGuardian supports direct access through a Web browser interface.

You can monitor and acknowledge alarms without an SNMP manager or any other equipment. This makes the NetGuardian a very compelling choice for remote site maintenance departments who are required to send all alarms to a central operations center. The NetGuardian will forward alarms to the SNMP manager at the NOC while you still have local alarm visibility of your sites.

Rounding out the NetGuardian's local remote alarm monitoring capabilities is built-in support for pager and email notifications. Field techs in particular will like getting pager alerts directly from their remote sites.

NetGuardian SNMP remote terminal unit back panel

The NetGuardian supports contact closure and analog alarms, plus eight terminal server ports for accessing telephony equipment. (All images courtesy DPS Telecom.)

Capacity

The NetGuardian offers 32 contact closure alarms, eight analog inputs, and eight control relays — enough to provide solid alarm coverage for telecom equipment, power supplies, environmental factors, door alarms, etc., at a medium-sized site.

If you need to monitor more than that, you should check out the NetGuardian Expansion Unit, which adds an additional 48 contact closures to the NetGuardian's base capacity. Up to three Expansion Units can be daisy-chained off a base NetGuardian, for a total potential capacity of 176 contact closures.

Cool feature: 32 ping alarms, providing a convenient way to check on IP equipment at your remote sites.

Even cooler feature: The NetGuardian's built-in terminal server, which gives LAN access to remote site routers, PBXs and other telephone switchgear. You can telnet into these devices right from your desktop PC and access their configuration and control interfaces.

Physical unit

The NetGuardian is designed for standard telco operating environments. It's 1 RU in size, mountable in 19” or 23” racks, with dual –48 volt power inputs. NEBS Level 3 certification is available.

NetGuardian 832A Specifications

Alarm capacity: 32 contact closures, 8 analog inputs, 32 ping alarms
Control relays: 8
Dimensions: 1.75"H x 17"W x 12"D
Weight: 4 lbs. 3 oz. (1.9 kg)
Mounting: 19" or 23" rack
Power Input: -48VDC (-40 to -70 VDC)
Current Draw: 200mA
Fuse: 1 Amp GMT
Operating Temperature: 32°-140° F (0°-60° C)
Operating Humidity: 0%-95% noncondensing

Extra features

The NetGuardian supports a variety of accessories to add more functionality, including a visual surveillance camera, a wall-mount alarm notification panel, and a keypad facility entry system.

Bottom line

The NetGuardian concentrates a lot of functions into just one SNMP remote terminal unit, bringing a lot of value to your SNMP alarm monitoring. We recommend the NetGuardian, but with one reservation — if all you need to do is to monitor a small number of contact closures, you don't need the full capacities of the NetGuardian. But you might be interested in some smaller SNMP remotes that we feature in another review.

Get more info on the NetGuardian SNMP remote terminal unit