Agents

An agent is the software running at each physical location

Think of an agent as your "monitoring station" at a specific site. It's the Pinger desktop app or Docker container that runs 24/7, checking your local network devices and reporting back to the cloud.

Examples:

• Desktop app running on your office computer
• Docker container on a Raspberry Pi at a remote cabin
• Desktop app on a server at your main campus building

💡 Key Point

Each physical location needs one agent. If you have 3 buildings, you need 3 agents. The free tier includes 1 agent.

Devices

Devices are the network equipment your agent monitors locally

Any networked equipment with an IP address that responds to ping. Your agent checks these devices every few seconds to make sure they're online. These are LOCAL to your network - the agent can reach them even if the internet is down.

Examples:

• Wi-Fi access points (192.168.1.10)
• Network switches and routers
• Servers and NAS devices
• Printers and security cameras
• Smart home hubs and IoT devices

💡 Key Point

Each agent can monitor up to 25 devices on the free tier. Devices are checked locally, so monitoring continues even if your internet goes down.

Monitors

Monitors are cloud-based checks for internet-accessible endpoints

Unlike devices (which are checked locally by your agent), monitors are checked by Pinger's cloud. Use monitors to check websites, APIs, or any public endpoint. Perfect for monitoring your own website uptime or external services you depend on.

Monitor Types:

💡 Key Point

Monitors are unlimited on the free tier and don't require an agent. They're checked from the cloud every 5 minutes.