Colasoft Capsa Professional 10.0

Overview

Anyone working in the IT Industry could benefit from using Capsa Professional, this software is capable of tracking network activity to a very extensive degree. The list of available features goes on and on, with the main feature being detailed packet monitoring, and a tremendous amount of information regarding traffic on your network. Capsa also offers some really helpful guides for new users who aren't familiar with this type of interface. Using this software can help you track down the root cause of a slow or unstable network, and also assist in fixing the problem.

Installation

You can download and install the 15 day trial of Capsa Professional for free, and it is only compatible with Windows. The trial is also limited in features, but you'll still get the look and feel of the full program. No bundled software included, just a regular installation and you're on your way.

Interface

Capsa Professional offers a large, scale-able interface, and is all around pretty easy to navigate once you become acquainted with the software. Most of the tools will open up in a new window, which ensures that your main screen never gets cluttered with different tabs. However, with this much information, it's pretty much guaranteed to be overwhelming at first -- unless you're a seasoned network professional. In general, Colasoft did a great job organizing the extensive list of features, which is not an easy task.

Interface is a major issue with most suite-style network monitoring software, and it's very refreshing to see something as well put together as Capsa.

Pros

Along with the aforementioned packet monitoring capabilities, intelligently organized UI, and the fact that it can narrow down network issues to help find the root cause of a problem, there's plenty more. Capsa Professional can be used to scan all MAC addresses on your network, as well as grab their IPs, names, and information about the manufacturer. You can also monitor a specific network adapter, or multiple, such as your ethernet port, wfii adapter, or both.

The tutorials are fantastic as well, as mentioned above, and there are even specific guides such as "How to monitor Employee Website Visits".

Cons

The program is stable, offers everything you'll need in network monitoring, and there's really nothing I can say that needs work at this point. Obviously the heavy price tag is a bit daunting, but considering this software is really only necessary in a large work environment, it's nothing to complain about.

Alternatives

Network Traffic Monitor Pro is a much smaller program that is directed more towards monitoring traffic from specific applications on your PC. For home users, this is a little more practical than Capsa Professional. Spiceworks offers a completely free to use Network Bandwith Monitor, which is actually very useful in both home and office environments.

Also, Capsa even offers a free version, much more suited towards troubleshooting home network issues.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting network issues can be a major pain for any IT Technician, and I've personally been in that situation numerous times. Using Colasoft Capsa Professional will greatly reduce the time you spend trying to find the cause of these problems, and will help you get the issues resolved much quicker.