Published by Shaun Behrens
Last updated on July 22, 2026
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6 minute read
Warehouse automation has become just as central to logistics as it already is to manufacturing. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) glide between racks, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) move pallets without a driver in sight, and warehouse management systems (WMS) orchestrate it all in the background. The more automated a warehouse gets, though, the more there is that can quietly go wrong. And when something does go wrong, whoever's on call needs to know before a customer does. That's where monitoring comes in, and specifically, where Paessler PRTG can bring all these moving parts into a single overview.
Systems in a Warehouse
Before getting into the monitoring side, it helps to lay out what's actually running in a modern, automated warehouse. Broadly, there are three layers:
- Information technology (IT): the standard network backbone, including firewalls, switches, routers, printers.
- Warehouse systems: the software layer, from WMS platforms and inventory management tools to order processing and supply chain management systems.
- Operational technology (OT): the physical automation layer, covering PLCs, industrial PCs, AGVs, AMRs, collaborative robots (cobots), automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) that often power goods-to-person picking, conveyor systems, vertical lift modules, and the SCADA or Distributed Control Systems tying them together.
Add in the data-capture layer, RFID tags, barcode scanners, pick-to-light systems, voice picking, and you've got a warehouse that's practically swimming in sensors and signals. These systems are often interconnected. A WMS running on the IT network might be the thing telling an AGV where to go next, for instance. But each layer is usually monitored separately, if it's monitored at all. For a team trying to keep the whole warehouse running smoothly, that's a problem. What's needed is one holistic view, not five different dashboards open at once.
Bringing in the Components Important for Automation
Here's a look at how PRTG can pull some of the most automation-critical components into that single view.
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
A PLC in a logistics setting typically runs on instructions from the WMS or another warehouse system, and it's the thing actually executing the automation. Think automatic picking arms or conveyor systems shifting into gear. If a PLC goes down, so does whatever it's controlling, so knowing its status in real time isn't optional.
EXAMPLE: The Siemens SIMATIC S7 Controller
Controllers like the S7 speak a proprietary protocol, so they're usually integrated through a gateway (an OPC UA add-on for the PLC is also an option these days). In this case, a Softing gateway handles that translation, exposing the S7's data over OPC UA. PRTG picks this up with its OPC UA sensors, showing not just the PLC's status but the health of the Softing gateway too.
Condition Monitoring in Warehouses
Machines and motors are the backbone of warehouse automation, whether that's a motor driving a conveyor belt or the drivetrain in a picking robot. Just like on a factory floor, keeping tabs on their condition is what keeps maintenance proactive instead of reactive. Condition monitoring, in short, means pulling data from IIoT sensors and machine learning models, increasingly supported by artificial intelligence, comparing it against historical trends to flag a machine before it fails, not after.
There are dedicated systems built specifically for this, and getting their data into your central monitoring dashboard is a solid step toward real-time visibility across the board
EXAMPLE: DATAEAGLE Condition Monitoring System
The DATAEAGLE system uses compact multi-sensors to capture data like vibration or rotation speed straight from a machine or motor. That data goes to a DATAEAGLE IoT gateway, which PRTG connects to over the local network. The result: sensor values show up in PRTG dashboards, thresholds can trigger alerts automatically, and historical data builds up for longer-term predictive maintenance and predictive analytics work.
Wireless Network
Warehouse automation runs on constant communication, and in most modern facilities, that communication happens wirelessly. An AMR that loses its connection mid-pick isn't just an inconvenience, it's a stalled order. The same principles that apply to monitoring wireless networks in industrial settings, covered in more detail in Paessler's guide to monitoring wireless industrial LANs, apply here too. That means keeping an eye on the wireless infrastructure itself, routers, switches, access points, using SNMP or REST APIs, as well as monitoring the devices connecting to it.
Why Real-Time Visibility Matters for Warehouse KPIs
None of this monitoring exists for its own sake. It exists because a handful of KPIs decide whether a warehouse is actually performing:
- Throughput and order fulfillment: if a conveyor system or AS/RS unit stalls, order accuracy and processing times take the hit immediately.
- Inventory visibility and stock levels: losing sight of stock in real time is how stockouts happen, and stockouts are expensive.
- Space utilization and operational efficiency: automated storage only pays off if the systems moving goods around are actually up and running.
Real-time data from RFID readers, barcode scanners, and pick-to-light systems feeds directly into inventory control, but only if the underlying network and OT layer are healthy enough to deliver that data reliably. That's the piece monitoring is responsible for.
A unified overview
The end goal is simple: get all this monitoring data into PRTG for one clear view of the whole operation. That way, the health of the IT network and the automation-critical OT components sits in one place, with thresholds set up to trigger alerts the moment something looks off.
For warehouses spread across multiple sites, consolidating that data matters even more. PRTG remote probes installed at each location feed into one centralized server, so the status of every warehouse is visible at a glance, no matter where the trucks are loading today.
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