Frequently asked questions about deprecated and discontinued sensors

What does “deprecation” mean?

Deprecation is the step in the lifecycle of a sensor before the discontinuation. If a sensor was deprecated, it still works, but you cannot add new sensors of this type anymore.

What does “discontinuation” mean?

Discontinuation is the final step in the lifecycle of a sensor. If a sensor was discontinued, all sensors of this type stop working and we stop officially supporting the sensor. There are several reasons why we discontinue sensors, for example:

• The usage rates of an old sensor decrease to such an extent that the maintenance of the sensor becomes uneconomical.
• The framework on which the sensor was built does not allow updates or fixing bugs anymore.

Why do you recommend to pause discontinued sensors?

After a sensor was discontinued, it stops working and shows the Down status but still counts towards the total number of sensors that your license allows. If you pause the sensor, you still have access to the historic data of the sensor, but the sensor does not count towards the total number of sensors that your license allows.

Note: PRTG automatically deletes historic sensor data depending on your historic data purging settings. We recommend that you check your settings. For more information, see the PRTG Manual: Core & Probes.

How can I find out if there is an alternative to or successor for a discontinued sensor?

If you want to find out if there is an alternative to or successor for a discontinued sensor, see What sensors are deprecated and what are their successors or alternatives?

You can also check the PRTG Roadmap to find out on which new sensor types we are currently working, or the PRTG Sensor Hub to find device templates, scripts, and sensors.

I want to share my feedback about upcoming sensors with you. How can I do that?

We always appreciate your feedback. The best way to share your feedback with us is via the surveys on the PRTG Roadmap. Watch out for the Ⓢ next to elements in the PRTG Roadmap.

You can also send your feedback to [email protected] or publish a feature request in the Knowledge Base. For more information, see How can I propose new features or sensors for PRTG?

How long is the documentation still available for deprecated sensors?

After a sensor was discontinued, the corresponding documentation disappears from the table of contents of the PRTG Manual but is still available via a direct link. However, we do not update the documentation after the discontinuation anymore.