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NETSCOUT OPTIVIEW XG EXPT PLUS + 3YR

Mfg # OPVXG-EXPTPLUS-3W CDW # 4138982

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This item was discontinued on July 17, 2020

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NETSCOUT OPTIVIEW XG EXPT PLUS + 3YR is rated3.50 out of5 by2.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from We utilize it to troubleshoot situations, packet analysis, wired and wireless, sifting of traffic, and then accurate analysis.Valuable FeaturesWe use it more or less for the troubleshooting aspect of wires and wireless.Improvements to My OrganizationIt just made it easy to troubleshoot certain situations and to get a quicker resolution, depending on the situation. Basically, we utilize it to troubleshoot situations, packet analysis, wired and wireless, sifting of traffic, and then accurate analysis; when someone says they've got issues with an application. That's generally what we're doing.Room for Improvement* Ease of updating, automated updating.* Basically, based on the unit right now, maybe get it to be a little bit smaller, lighter. That would help.Use of SolutionI have used it for 4+ years.Stability IssuesI have not encountered any stability issues.Scalability IssuesI have not encountered any scalability issues; it's just a good tool. Basically, it's used for troubleshooting, so it's not always used 24/7. When we need to use it, it works.Customer Service and Technical SupportTechnical support is good. I give them a 4 out of 5; no real changes needed.Previous SolutionsBefore, we would use Wireshark ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/wireshark ) and similar products. OptiView just made it a little bit easier. It was a neat package that made it easier to utilize.Initial SetupInitial setup was easy; it wasn't complex.Pricing, Setup Cost and LicensingPreviously, pricing and licensing was easy. We'll see what happens with the change with Netscout.Other Solutions ConsideredWe basically upgraded. We had some legacy versions of this and we upgraded them. There was no evaluation or comparison.Other AdviceJust know that it's a niche product, but it works.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2016-10-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Its network packet analysis and application monitoring help us pinpoint latency issues.Valuable Features* Analysis of the packets across the network* Application monitoringWe use these features for troubleshooting ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/network-troubleshooting ) rogue applications. We look for lost packets when we're having issues across our wide area network.Improvements to My OrganizationBasically, what OptiView XG ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/optiview-xg ) allowed us to do is, when someone says, "Hey, there's a problem, we're experiencing slow latency in a site", we put it on both ends and we look at the traffic going between both ends and see where the latency lies. It gives us an overall view of what's going across that, and we can make adjustments or we can then pinpoint and say “Hey, this thing's going nuts and talk to whoever is responsible for that server or application.”Room for ImprovementNone of my guys have said anything about improving it or doing anything like that. I really wouldn't have any input on that one.Nonetheless, to make the product perfect, Maybe the licensing could come down; the price could come down a little bit, that would be kind of nice. I think it's a little bit expensive, but as far as functionality goes, I'm not too sure about any room for improvement; I'm not the one that uses it every day. I don't have any; I'm the guy that pays for it.Use of SolutionWe have been using it for four years. It supports the 600 users in my company.Stability IssuesAs far as I know, we have not encountered any stability issues.Scalability IssuesAs far as I know, we have not encountered any scalability ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/optiview-xg/by_topic/scalability_issues ) issues. I don't know that it's ever crashed.Customer Service and Technical SupportI haven't had to contact technical support ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/optiview-xg/by_topic/technical_support ), but my guys have. They said it's fine; they've had no problems with tech support when they've called it before.Previous SolutionsI did not previously use a different solution. What we had before the Fluke product, we had the ASUS. Those were in-betweens, and that was just to see what the utilization was. And that's all we ever used, we didn't use anything else. We switched because the ASUS didn't give us much as detail as the OptiView did.Initial SetupWe needed some tweaking from the engineer, so it was a little more complex at the beginning, but once we got the hang of it, everything seemed to go just fine.Pricing, Setup Cost and LicensingIt's expensive.Other Solutions ConsideredBefore choosing this product, we looked at some others; they didn't have a lot of the things that this product had, so that's why we selected this one. We had previous history with Fluke and we had good dealings with them, so that's why we chose this product.Other AdviceThe only thing I could say is make sure that you get help in the beginning to set it up correctly, and then it pretty much runs on its own and you have no problems. That's the only thing my suggestion would be. Make sure you start out at the beginning with someone to help set it up, and then you'll have no issues.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-09-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Enables site surveys and spectrum analysis.What is most valuable?We have only been using it for site survey. I've used spectrum analysis as well, just to see what is on the wireless. I haven't used it too much, but it's on our network.How has it helped my organization?We use it as a site survey tool. I don't hire out, so it's done in-house. I don't use it every day, but only when I need to.What needs improvement?I had some problems generating reports. However, that could be me and not the tool. I don't know. I couldn't get a report out of it for some reason. I have to review that myself.For how long have I used the solution?It's been about two years since we starting using this solution.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?There were no scalability issues that we experienced. It's running pretty well.How is customer service and technical support?I personally have not contacted support. I just haven't had time for anything like that. I had other people use it, and they got the report they were looking for.Which solutions did we use previously?OptiView XG is the first solution that I've gone with. I have not used any other solution yet.How was the initial setup?The setup was straightforward. You turn it on. It's really easy to use, once you understand it a little bit. For the site survey part, it's pretty simple. For the other issues, you do need some training. I took some training for it.Which other solutions did I evaluate?I did not evaluate other options. I went with this solution because I read the reviews on it and they were good. We had shortage of time to purchase the product, so either you purchase now or never. I ended up purchasing it.What other advice do I have?It's a good tool and is pretty simple to use. Once you get the hang of it, it's not too hard to use. You don't have to read a bunch of manuals to get it going, at least for the site survey part.For the other issues, such as the analyzer and the spectrum, you will probably need some training. I've got to use it more often. If I had time to play with it, I would, but I don't have time.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2017-03-07T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from We are looking at packet loss, tracking packets, and figuring out the problems with traffic movement.What is most valuable?We are looking at packet loss, tracking the packets which are going to and from a tap to figure out exactly what the problems are with the traffic movement.How has it helped my organization?We are using this product to improve our view of what is happening with the packets. We can analyze the information there fairly quickly. We can resolve the issue at hand, whether it is a software issue or a hardware issue.What needs improvement?At this time, I can't really think of anything specific. I need to ask my colleagues about that.For how long have I used the solution?I've been using the solution for about three years.What do I think about the stability of the solution?I have not encountered any stability issues.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?I have not encountered any scalability issues.How is customer service and technical support?I have never engaged technical support.Which solutions did we use previously?We didn't use any similar solution previously.How was the initial setup?The setup was straightforward.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?I am not involved in pricing and licensing considerations.Which other solutions did I evaluate?We evaluated Wireshark and some others, but this product was a better fit for our requirements.What other advice do I have?You get what you pay for.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2017-05-12T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from It's a valuable network troubleshooting tool. We'd like it to decode IP tunnels.Valuable FeaturesPacket capture is a valuable feature. It's a network troubleshooting tool.Improvements to My OrganizationWe use it to validate new networks.We use it in our data center.We need it for troubleshooting WAN circuits, which are LAN circuits. We use it to troubleshoot and validate LAN and WAN circuits. We have approximately 300 servers that we use OptiView for.Room for ImprovementWe would like to use it to decode IP tunnels. That would be it, as far as room for improvement. We have a lot of IP-to-IP tunnels. If we can decode the traffic within the IP tunnel, that would be great.Also, if they added some software features to enhance usability. If I wanted to do a simple packet capture, I'd like, for example, an online menu to do that, where I'd connect network here, next set this up to put the IP in, and so on - some kind of simple guide that would systematically guide you through a packet capture.Use of SolutionI have been using this product for about a year.Stability IssuesWe did not encounter any issues with stability.Scalability IssuesWe did not encounter any issues with scalability.Customer Service and Technical SupportWe've only used technical support a few times, and it was just satisfactory. My big problem is training my new employees. I don't remember the online training suite, but we did attend a couple of seminars. Those were pretty good.Previous SolutionsWe switched to OptiView to be a little bit more flexible. We were using Wireshark before, and wanted something a little bit more flexible. It's more portable. It's more accesible, as well, because it has lots of ports on it to do different things.Initial SetupInitial setup was complex. The online training was very helpful with that. Make sure the training seminar's available.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Easy to use. Its effectiveness has improved the way my organization functions.Valuable FeaturesThe device is easy to use and is effective very quickly. I can plug it into a network and troubleshoot it in 15 minutes and pinpoint problems that would take days to do otherwise. It is an expensive device but, if you are going to use it, it pays for itself in time and effectiveness.Improvements to My OrganizationIts effectiveness has improved the way my organization functions.It is hard to say what it takes to analyze a network without this device, and then of course with it. For example, with the wireless. I was able to plug it in and see that the client was using the same channels for communication too close together. They were interfering with each other, causing problems with the client using their laptops. Once we were able to rearrange the channels that the individual access points were using, everything cleared up.Room for ImprovementI cannot even speak to that because normally what it does for me is so well. Then they come out with new features that I cannot even anticipate that make the product more effective. I do not want to say easier to use. Sometimes it is kind of complicated, but they come up with new solutions and they also stay with the market. With fiber and the speeds of fiber, these devices had to become even more powerful to be able to handle that kind of traffic and that kind of testing.They really do stay up with technology. If you keep up with your maintenance, you can easily upgrade, obviously your softwares, and the hardware; trade it back in. It is almost like a lease on a vehicle. You can trade it back in and get a newer one for big discounts, and stay up with the technology that OptiView ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/products/optiview-xg ) offers.Use of SolutionI have used this solution for over 10 years.Stability IssuesI have not had any issues with stability. We have two of them and they are out, and the clients love them. They just love them. Anytime I plug this in and go through testing of a network and you have their network administrators there, they pretty much love the product. I have only had one client who was a naysayer, but otherwise it is extremely effective.Scalability IssuesI have not had any issues with scalability because they built that into their product to handle that. You can capture packets, all of the information, that is coming over the wire, which is immense. You can have these ports that are rather large. Any other testing device can get overwhelmed with too much data but the OptiView does not. They have built into their technology the ability to capture all the packets and not miss any. If you miss any, your capture is basically ineffective because you lose the roadmap. It is an extremely solid product because they know the problems with the industry that they are dealing with. They are right on top of it.Customer Service and Technical SupportTheir support from my standpoint is 10/10, because any time I have called them with a question they have an answer, or can give you the insight to help you solve your problem effectively. I have never been disappointed with their support when I have had questions, or think I have had a problem. They will help you out, and their staff really knows their stuff.Previous SolutionsWe implemented this solution in the first place for testing of wireless, for wireless troubleshooting. We had a lot of problems with our clients implementing their own wireless, and they were doing it wrong. This was a way for me to troubleshoot their wireless infrastructure to offer a road map to make it better. That was my main concern, and then getting into the network testing. After realizing what OptiView can do, I got pulled into basically kind of a white area of testing with it as well.At the time we started using it, there was no effective software for analyzing wireless. Now there are other software products that you can use to analyze bandwidth usage, or another software product to use for capturing packets, but the OptiView has it all in one bundle. You can do the work that the OptiView does with different software products over a longer period of time. It might take me a day, maybe more. The OptiView, you can plug it in and all the tools are there that you need, and it is effective in very little time.Initial SetupTo set it up, you plug it in and it pretty much discovers on its own, maybe it needs a little bit of technical input from myself. All that is really easy.Pricing, Setup Cost and LicensingTheir pricing is expensive. They are the Mercedes. Most people have a problem with that understandably, because if you are only going to use it once, it is hard to justify it. Luckily, a company like us that deals with thousands of clients, it allows it to be effective.Pricing would be your only problem, because it is expensive. It could be cheaper, in my opinion.They really do stay up with technology. If you keep up with your maintenance, you can easily upgrade your software, and the hardware, trade it back in. It is almost like a lease on a vehicle. You can trade it back in and get a newer one for big discounts, and stay up with the technology that OptiView offers.It is a complete package. It is not just a really good testing device, but also the maintenance that goes along with it. There is support when I have questions. Then the continued advancement of the product itself. It is well worth the price quite frankly, if you are in that arena.Other Solutions ConsideredI have used other products ( https://www.itcentralstation.com/categories/network-monitoring-software ). There were no products that did what the OptiView did as well as OptiView.They have no competitors because nobody has done it like them, so they basically own it. That is why you have to buy the device, because there is no other.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2016-08-31T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from The packet capture feature is valuable when there's a troubleshooting issue.What is most valuable?The packet capture feature is valuable when there's a troubleshooting issue. Since this is a data center, there are thousands of servers/users.How has it helped my organization?When there is a performance issue, we do the sniffer capture on the OptiView XG, and then we analyze the captures. If it helps to determine what the problem is, then it improves the server or application performance.What needs improvement?The licensing cost needs to improve since it is very expensive, especially the licensing and maintenance costs.We used to cover the maintenance, but it's too expensive, so we no longer pay on a yearly basis for the maintenance anymore.This product is also too bulky.For how long have I used the solution?I have been using this solution for around four years.What do I think about the stability of the solution?When we first got the second one, there was an issue with the power cable, i.e., when we plugged the power cable into the unit, even if you moved it a little bit, it would turn off. Then we sent it in and it seems a little bit more stable now than it was before. This was a while ago, so it's been fixed.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?It has not crashed; there were no scalability issues.How is customer service and technical support?When I had the power issue mentioned elsewhere, I contacted them to get it fixed; they sent me a temporary one while they were trying to fix it. So, it was pretty good. I would probably give them a 10/10.Which solutions did we use previously?The new OptiView XGs were purchased because the data center has all 10-gigabit fiber; so that's why we had to purchase that.How was the initial setup?The setup was pretty straightforward.What other advice do I have?Just test it out. We've always used a Fluke (now NETSCOUT), so I can't really compare it to anything else.The maintenance cost is obviously too expensive, so our management is not going to approve that type of maintenance cost on a yearly basis.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2017-02-26T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from We primarily leverage the Wi-Fi analytics software as well as the Wi-Fi survey and design software.Valuable FeaturesWe are leveraging it with the Wi-Fi analytics software, and also Wi-Fi survey and design software. Specific to my group, we're responsible for Wi-Fi design. Those are the features that we use primarily.Improvements to My OrganizationWe use it for all of our predictive Wi-Fi designs. We get standards reports, so we're able to do more of the designs, more quickly, and more consistently.Room for ImprovementI know we're not using it for all of it's capabilities, but what we do use it for certainly a larger screen size would benefit us. We typically attach it to a larger external monitor to assist with that. Also, the overall weight of the product is a lot to carry around for a long period of time. Because we're typically dealing with detailed designs of building layouts, to be able to zoom in and see it would be nice. It's better if we connect it to an external projector or larger monitor.Use of Solution2 yearsStability IssuesNoCustomer Service and Technical SupportIt's been excellent.Not that we've had any issues with the OptiView, but where we've used support, they've been good with communicating what the process is to get things upgraded and the timeliness when we send it back for upgrades. Certainly the ease of doing that.Previous SolutionsWe had not been using a different solution previously and when we looked at this product, we were looking at both the combined analyzer as well as something that was running the design software packages.Initial SetupVery straight forward. Pretty much everything came pre-installed and ready to use. There was very little customization and configuration that we needed to do with it.Other AdviceI think it's a niche product. It isn't something that's easily used on a daily basis by a large number of people. It is rather expensive, so it isn't something that we can support a large number of.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2016-07-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Helps us troubleshoot problems faster than we would normally be able to.Valuable FeaturesIt's too soon to tell.Improvements to My OrganizationOptiView XG helps us troubleshoot problems faster than we would normally be able to.Use of SolutionWe've been using the solution for about 2-3 months.Deployment IssuesWe didn't have any issues with deployment.Stability IssuesWe didn't have any issues with stability.Scalability IssuesWe didn't have any issues with scalability.Customer Service and Technical SupportCustomer Service: I would give it a 9. It's Fantastic.Technical Support: I've never had to use it.Previous SolutionsWe used an earlier version of Optiview and we switched as an upgrade to the solution.Initial SetupThe initial setup was straightforward and simple.Implementation TeamIt was implemented through a vendor team who were excellent. I would give them a 9/10.Pricing, Setup Cost and LicensingI have no advice as licensing and purchase were not an issue for us.Other Solutions ConsideredWe didn't evaluate any other solutions.Other AdviceYou can't go wrong with it!Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2015-06-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Layer 2 trace routing, among other wireless features, allows us to tune our networks as we haven't been able to before.Valuable FeaturesAll the wireless features are valuable. Also, the Layer 2 trace routing is pretty valuable. In general, it's a very nice product, works well, and it does what they say.Improvements to My OrganizationIt allows us to tune our wireless networks in a way that's never been done before.Room for ImprovementI've not used it long enough to determine this.Use of SolutionWe've been using this model since April, and it was an upgrade from the previous model.Deployment IssuesNo issues encountered.Stability IssuesNo issues encountered.Scalability IssuesNo issues encountered.Customer Service and Technical SupportCustomer Service: 10/10.Technical Support: 10/10.Previous SolutionsWe just upgraded from Fluke's previous model.Initial SetupIt was a little complex due to the licensing.Implementation TeamWe implemented it in-house.ROIWe haven't calculated it.Other Solutions ConsideredNo other solutions were evaluated.Other AdviceI would recommend the device.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2015-07-28T00:00:00-04:00

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