Disable Unknown State
As a cybersecurity engineer, I want to avoid unknown states.
We manage a large number of devices across many different sites, and sometimes we lose SNMP data for a specific sensor. When this happens while the sensor is actually in a down state, the status transitions follow this pattern:
Down → Unknown → Down.
This generates a lot of phantom notifications, and even worse, our acknowledged alerts revert to an unacknowledged state.
Could you please add an option to ignore or bypass the unknown state in such cases?
Corentin Negrier
shared this idea
Hi there,
Thank you again for submitting your idea to Paessler. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.
After careful consideration by our team, we've decided to decline this idea at this time.
Please note that we don't have plans to remove the Unknown state, as it is a fundamental part of PRTG's architecture.
Down state occurs when PRTG successfully contacts the target device, but the monitored element is not functioning properly.
Unknown state occurs when PRTG cannot retrieve any information about the sensor's current state, usually due to a disconnected probe or network issue.
In your scenario (Down → Unknown → Down), what's happening is:
- Your sensor is genuinely down (device/interface issue)
- The network path fails (probe-to-device or probe-to-core connection)
- Sensor transitions to Unknown (PRTG cannot retrieve status)
- Connection restores
- Sensor returns to Down (original issue still exists)
While we cannot disable the Unknown state, here are several alternatives to try:
1. Use Dependencies
Configure dependency relationships so child sensors automatically pause when parent connectivity fails: https://www.paessler.com/manuals/prtg/dependencies
2. Adjust Notification Triggers
- Add latency settings to avoid alerts during brief interruptions
- Create separate notification profiles for critical vs. non-critical sensors
3. Increase Scanning Intervals
Give intermittent connections more time to recover before status changes trigger.
While this particular idea won't be moving forward, please don't be discouraged! Your input is incredibly valuable, and we encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and ideas with us.
Thanks for your understanding and for helping us shape the future of Paessler.
Best regards,
The Paessler Product Team