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As a network engineer, you know how critical it is to optimize network infrastructure to deliver responsive, reliable connectivity. From supporting business-critical applications to keeping remote workers productive, your users count on the network.
To guarantee quality of service and troubleshoot issues quickly, a robust set of network testing tools is essential.
Network testing tools perform tasks like:
- Generating high volumes of traffic to validate capacity
- Analyzing bandwidth utilization and patterns
- Assessing security vulnerabilities
- Monitoring end-user experience
This guide explores 27+ advanced tools to give you total visibility into both physical and virtual network health.
Network Assessment Types
Effective network testing requires assessing diverse attributes from throughput speeds to infrastructure security. Network testing tools can be categorized by their key evaluation focus:
| Network Assessment Type | Main Functions |
|---|---|
| Traffic Generation | Simulate high loads for capacity planning and load testing |
| Bandwidth Monitoring | Measure utilization, identify trends/peak usage times |
| Protocol Analysis | Inspect packet streams to troubleshoot issues, spot anomalies |
| Vulnerability Scanning | Probe infrastructure devices and systems for security weaknesses |
| User Experience Monitoring | Continuously test services like VoIP, video conferencing from endpoints |
Now let‘s analyze specific solutions available in each network test category.
Traffic Generators Stress Test Bandwidth Limits
Traffic generation tools mimic real-world user and application loads to identify at what point network performance begins slowing due to bottlenecks. This helps determine maximum capacity when planning upgrades and infrastructure changes.
According to Enterprise Management Associates, 87% of organizations surveyed use traffic simulation to validate network engineering initiatives before deployment. Common use cases include:
- Pre-deployment capacity testing – Validate that new networks offer sufficient quality of service before rollout
- Infrastructure stress testing – Load test changes like WAN acceleration devices, upgraded ISP bandwidth, new routers, etc. before adding more traffic
- Intermittent congestion diagnosis – If applications run slowly at certain times of day, run traffic simulations to identify capacity limits
Leading options include:
SolarWinds WAN Killer
SolarWinds WAN Killer can generate over 10 Gbps of simulated throughput comprised of common protocols like HTTP, FTP, DNS, etc. As network load increases, it identifies which links become saturated first indicating infrastructure bottlenecks.
WAN Killer integrates directly with SolarWinds‘ Network Performance Monitor (NPM) for detailed monitoring of issues like packet loss and high latency both before and during traffic generation to isolate root causes.
IxChariot
One of the most advanced commercial load simulation tools, IxChariot accurately mimics over 45 different protocols from VoIP and videoconferencing to databases and messaging middleware. As your network evolves, you can update protocol plugins to ensure tests match your actual traffic composition.
IxChariot scales to over 100,000 emulated endpoints and can run coordinated tests across multiple locations to assess simulated demand across global infrastructure. Centralized management and detailed reporting help technology validate capacity upgrades and gain stakeholder approval for projects.
NetStress
If you need a basic traffic generator for first-level sanity checking without advanced use case testing, open-source NetStress delivers free load testing. You specify test duration, packet size, volume and either TCP or UDP transmission.
Use cases like evaluating new ISP bandwidth upgrades or the impact of security tools on throughput make NetStress a handy utility to keep in your protocol toolbox even when also using heavier commercial solutions like IxChariot or SolarWinds‘ WAN Killer.
Bandwidth Monitoring & Traffic Analysis Provide Utilization Visibility
In addition to simulating maximum loads, understanding normal traffic flows and bandwidth consumption is key to right-sizing ISP and WAN links. Monitoring tools deliver insight into usage patterns, peak hours, top application bandwidth consumers along with alerts when defined capacity thresholds are exceeded.
According to a survey of 300 IT professionals by Enterprise Management Associates:
- 63% lack visibility into root causes of network slowdowns
- 57% do not have monitoring capable of detecting intermittent issues
Leading bandwidth monitoring and traffic analysis tools such as:
SolarWinds Bandwidth Analyzer Pack
SolarWinds Bandwidth Analyzer Pack integrates directly with Network Performance Monitor to provide deep, protocol-level visibility into the applications and users consuming the most bandwidth on network segments and WAN links.
Customizable bandwidth usage reports help identify opportunities to improve usage for activities like software updates and analytics queries that can run during off-peak overnight hours.
PRTG Network Monitor
Paessler‘s PRTG Network Monitor offers quick web-based reviews of bandwidth consumption across devices, traffic types, custom groups and geographic locations. The centralized dashboard simplifies consuming traffic utilization views and setting usage threshold warning alerts when capacity planning assumptions require reassessment.
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
Designed to manage high-volume flow data from infrastructure, ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer identifies which applications, users and protocols are accounting for the most bandwidth. Automatic traffic optimization remediations can prevent usage contention without requiring manual oversight and intervention.
Packet Sniffers & Protocol Analyzers for Troubleshooting & Forensics
Monitoring bandwidth utilization and generating load provides helpful guidance when provisioning infrastructure to meet current and projected demands. But to troubleshoot intermittent slowdowns and outages, deep packet inspection offers an x-ray into network communications.
Packet sniffers capture traffic data flowing across a network segment including the full content within the packet payloads. Protocol analyzers then allow decoding and interpreting different protocols from raw packet streams to understand the details of alleged malfunctioning communications.
According to Enterprise Management Associates, 96% of network managers rely on specialized packet analysis tools to optimize network efficiency and troubleshoot issues.
Leading solutions include:
Wireshark
The de facto standard packet sniffer for 300,000+ networking professionals, Wireshark provides deep analysis across over 2,000 network protocols.
Filter traffic easily to find anomalies while interactive graphs visualize traffic patterns over time. Wireshark integrates with almost all commercial packet sniffing products to provide analysis capabilities. A command-line version named TShark offers scripted analysis.
While extremely powerful, the immense scale of Wireshark‘s capabilities involves a learning curve. Many network engineers leverage Wireshark daily yet still discover new tips years later given its vast feature set.
SolarWinds Packet Sniffer
For networking professionals using SolarWinds network monitoring products, the integrated Packet Sniffer provides packet capture directly within the web interface. Avoid needing standalone sniffing products saving time and money while benefiting from quick analysis without expertise configuring protocols.
Filtered packet capture playback combined with visualization of communications essential for troubleshooting application latency due to DNS delays, DHCP address assignment issues and server response bottlenecks.
Vulnerability Scanners Uncover Security Exposure
Network vulnerability assessment tools attempt penetration of infrastructure devices and connected systems to detect weaknesses like:
- Unnecessary open ports providing attack vectors
- Missing OS and software security patches easy for attackers to target
- Weak user account credentials vulnerable to brute forcing
- Unauthorized connected devices such as rogue APs, switches and routers
According to Gartner, through 2025 organizations adopting vulnerability management tools will reduce the risk of major breaches due to perimeter security gaps by 80%.
Leading vulnerability management solutions include:
Qualys VM
Qualys VM protects enterprises from security threats by continuously surveying global IT assets across on-prem and cloud environments. Qualys maintains dedicated threat research labs updating its scans as new exposure methods evolve to check your networks for the latest identified risks.
Testing validates security hygiene against mandates like PCI DSS helping achieve compliance certification for payment card processing and healthcare systems handling sensitive patient data securing against HIPAA violations.
Netsparker Enterprise
Netsparker uses proof-based scanning with custom crafted packets to validate the impact potential exposures could have on assets if exploited by intruders. This testing methodology eliminates false positives by only reporting confirmed vulnerabilities after proving the risks.
Smart AI algorithms learn which network segments and systems warrant increased analysis frequency based on the sensitivity of data handled and other contextual enterprise policies. This allows continually adapting to address areas of emerging threat concern.
End-User Experience Monitoring
In addition to evaluating network capacity and endpoints for vulnerabilities, monitoring perceived performance from local and remote users provides a human sensor for potential issues. Modern solutions can emulate common network services like Office 365, VOIP calling and VPN connectivity used to access enterprise resources.
Synthetic user experience monitoring continually tests from beyond the network perimeter to identify:
- Cloud service provider outages
- Domain name resolution failures
- DNS and DHCP configuration issues causing latency
- Excessive jitter, packet loss and latency delaying apps and communications
This outside-in view validates internal teams are the first to know about problems affecting business operations rather than relying on customers to report complaints.
Leading options include:
ThousandEyes
The ThousandEyes cloud platform runs active tests emulating application traffic from over 180 global metro areas to monitor network reliability, latency and packet loss impacting end users. Detailed analytic reports identify abnormal performance changes to distinguish provider/ISP problems from internal infrastructure issues.
Cisco Meraki Insight
While ThousandEyes requires an annual subscription, Cisco Meraki Insight delivers free synthetic WLAN monitoring for wireless networks supporting Meraki access points. Remote packet capture can diagnose Wi-Fi problems like excessive interference and congestion that legacy infrastructure monitoring misses.
ExtraHop Reveal(x) 360
ExtraHop Reveal(x) utilizes AI algorithms to automatically discover network endpoints then continuously analyze traffic. Machine learning detects latent performance issues and suspicious behavior without requiring manual guidance. Enterprise scalability and advanced security analytics provide comprehensive monitoring well beyond basic synthetic testing.
Take Control with Advanced Network Testing
Hopefully this guide has illuminated capabilities for proactively assessing your network. Just as preventative healthcare is far preferable to emergency medical intervention, leveraging traffic simulation, packet sniffing, endpoint monitoring and vulnerability management can avoid performance complaints or outright security breaches.
From bandwidth monitoring providing capacity planning guidance to packet analysis troubleshooting obscure connectivity losses, take advantage of solutions complementing infrastructure device health monitoring. By layering perspective from traffic generation to end-user experience visibility, modern network analytics offers IT comprehensive confidence.
What network testing tools have you found most valuable? What capabilities still leave you seeking better visibility? I welcome your feedback as we all navigate the accelerating complexity of hybrid environments.