How to Use NetGuardian RTUs to Receive SNMP Traps

If you're in charge of remote site monitoring - whether that's for telecom, power utilities, transportation, or government networks - there's something you need to know:

More and more of your gear is talking via SNMP traps. But are you listening?

SNMP traps are the industry-standard way for modern devices to say "hey, there's a problem over here!" When your network infrastructure sends out these SNMP traps, you need to make sure someone - or something - is actually listening and taking action.

If you don't do this, you're missing critical alarms. And the next time something goes offline, you'll only find out when customers start calling.

Let's walk through:

• What SNMP traps are
• Why they're useful
• The common problems when receiving them at remote sites
• How NetGuardian RTUs can help you solve all of it - while improving your visibility and reducing headaches

Your Devices Speak SNMP, But Your RTUs Don't Listen

During the early days of remote monitoring, everything used simple dry contacts. If a door opened, a relay closed. If a power supply failed, another contact changed state. Your RTU saw it all happen and sent alarms back to your NOC.

Those setups still work - and they're still in use today. However, more and more of your critical devices (rectifiers, routers, switches, microwave radios, etc.) are now sending out SNMP traps instead.

These traps are digital messages that announce events like:

• Over-temperature shutdowns
• Lost AC input
• Site entry through a monitored door
• Battery discharge or inverter failure
• Firmware errors or system diagnostics

These messages have a lot of useful info. But if no device is listening for SNMP traps at the remote site, that data never reaches you.

It's like having a fire alarm that only rings inside a locked utility closet. You won't know there's a problem until it's way too late.

SNMP Traps Are a Good Thing - When You Can Receive Them

If you're used to dry contacts, SNMP traps might seem overly complex. But when handled correctly, they offer some big benefits over traditional monitoring:

1. More Detailed Info Per Event

A single trap can include status codes, temperatures, voltages, and event types. That's way more data than just "alarm on/off."

2. Native Integration With Smart Equipment

You don't need extra relays or converters. Your devices send SNMP directly - creating no fuss.

3. Low Bandwidth Overhead

Traps are tiny packets. Even over a satellite or rural cellular link, they're efficient to transmit. There was a time when "bit protocols" (send raw bits) were an important savings compared to verbose SNMP, but both are very tiny messages by today's bandwidth standards.

4. Rapid Event Notification

Traps are event-driven, meaning they're only sent when something important happens. That makes them fast and efficient (at the cost of your reaction time if your SNMP RTU fails in the field, but there are ways to address that).

If you can collect these traps and make sense of them, you'll have a much clearer picture of what's happening at your remote sites.

Why Not Just Use Your Central SNMP Manager?

You're right that a centralized SNMP manager is the most common way to receive traps. In many cases, that's what you'll use.

For other scenarios, though, it pays to have local visibility of SNMP so your RTU can react on-site. This helps with compartmentalization, which pays off when communication is lost during a major incident (like a hurricane or flood).

An SNMP capable RTU (or "agent") can forward traps for many different types of alarms to an SNMP capable master. This eliminates useless network traffic.

SNMP Traps Aren't as Widely Used Within RTUs as They Should Be

So if SNMP traps are so useful, why aren't more people receiving them with their RTUs?

It usually boils down to one of two things:

A. Your RTU Doesn't Support SNMP Trap Reception

Most legacy RTUs are "trap blind." They can send SNMP traps, but they can't receive them. They only handle contact closures and analog voltages.

B. Your Network Is Too Disorganized to Route the Traps

Even if you do have a trap receiver, it may not be configured properly. It's also possible that your SNMP devices aren't sending traps to the correct IP address.

Consider One RTU That Sees Everything at Its Remote Site

There's a better way to manage your network using SNMP Traps:

A single NetGuardian RTU that collects both physical alarms AND SNMP traps - consolidating them all into one stream for your NOC.

Think about how much simpler this makes your alarm handling:

• No more guesswork about what's being monitored
• No more juggling two monitoring systems
• No more missed SNMP events
• No extra trap receiver hardware or licensing costs

Instead, you have a single, unified view of what's going on at each site.

NetGuardian RTUs Receive SNMP Traps at Remote Sites

Let's talk specifics. DPS Telecom's NetGuardian RTUs - particularly models like the NetGuardian 832A G6 and the NetGuardian LT G2 - can do something most RTUs can't:

They can receive SNMP traps from any SNMP-capable device on the LAN.

Here's how it works:

1. You install your NetGuardian RTU at the remote site.
2. You configure your SNMP devices (like rectifiers or switches) to send traps to the NetGuardian's IP address.
3. The NetGuardian receives and logs each trap.
4. You can view trap data via the NetGuardian's local web interface or forward it on to:
   • A DPS T/Mon master station
   • A generic SNMP manager
   • Another network management system (NMS)

You can even filter, log, or convert traps into alarms. This creates a human-friendly summary of what just happened.

Trap Reception + Mediation = Powerful Network Visibility

The NetGuardian doesn't just receive SNMP traps. It can mediate them into other formats. This is incredibly useful when you have:

• SNMPv1/v2c devices, but want to forward data securely via SNMPv3
• Devices sending proprietary MIBs, which you want to translate into readable text
• A need to convert SNMP events into legacy paging, email, or voice alerts

The NetGuardian becomes a translator at the edge of your network. It makes sure that all data, regardless of source, is seen and acted upon.

Example: NetGuardian LT G2 as a Compact SNMP Trap Collector

Suppose you have a small rural site with:

• A modern microwave radio sending SNMP traps
• A few older HVAC units monitored with dry contacts
• A door sensor and smoke detector

You install a NetGuardian LT G2 at the site that:

• Collects the contact closures from your HVAC and sensors
• Receives traps from the microwave radio
• Forwards all events as SNMPv3 traps to your T/Mon LNX master in the NOC
• Lets you view everything from its web interface if you're on-site

Now you have a complete picture - all without adding extra trap receivers or juggling multiple interfaces.

DPS NetGuardians Are Built for SNMP Trap Reception

Selecting a DPS NetGuardian offers more value since SNMP Trap reception isn't just an afterthought feature. DPS has been building intelligent remote monitoring equipment for over 30 years.

Using a NetGuardian RTU is a smart choice since they provide:

Integrated Trap Receiver

There's no need for external servers, trap forwarders, or expensive software licenses.

Secure Protocol Support

Receive SNMPv1/v2c, and send SNMPv3 with encryption to meet modern IT security standards.

Custom Alarm Rules

Create detailed logic: filter by trap OID, severity, text match, or source IP.

Field-Proven Ruggedness

NetGuardians are designed for harsh environments - such as heat, cold, power surges, and EMI. They're built for remote sites.

One Box = Less Complexity

Instead of buying a trap receiver, protocol converter, and RTU separately, you get it all in one device - with one IP address to manage.

Which NetGuardian Models Can Receive SNMP Traps?

Not every RTU has this capability. But many in the DPS lineup do. Here are some of the top models you should consider:

NetGuardian 832A G6

• High-capacity RTU
• Supports SNMP trap reception and forwarding
• Ideal for large remote sites
• DX expansion for more I/O if needed

NetGuardian M16 G2

• Medium-sized unit
• SNMP trap support + intuitive web interface
• Available with optional voice dial-out

NetGuardian LT G2

• Compact model
• Ideal for small sites or trap-mediation tasks
• Can receive traps, mediate them, and forward securely

If you have a unique need, custom firmware and hardware mods are possible. That's what makes working with DPS so different.

Consider Different Trap Reception Use Cases

Still wondering if this applies to your operations? Here are a few use cases where receiving SNMP traps at the RTU makes a huge impact:

• Power utility site with smart meters and modern inverters
• Railroad signal hut with mixed-vendor controllers
• Telco cell site where your new LTE gear only speaks SNMP
• Public safety tower with IP-based security cameras that send SNMP motion alerts
• Data center edge room with environmental sensors using SNMP

Any time your equipment speaks SNMP, your RTU needs to understand it.

Let's Make Sure You're Not Missing Any Alarms

If you're deploying SNMP-capable gear, you can't afford to ignore the trap side of the equation.

Without a proper trap receiver at your remote sites:

• You're missing alarms
• You're reacting too slowly
• You're operating while blind during mission-critical moments

Installing a NetGuardian RTU solves this problem and gives you a future-ready monitoring setup.

Ready to See How It All Works?

At DPS, we're not just a hardware vendor. We're a team of engineers, techs, and support staff who build these systems from scratch - and help you deploy them successfully.

If you want to see exactly how SNMP trap reception works with NetGuardians - or want a personalized recommendation based on your current gear - we're ready to help.

Call us now: 559-454-1600
Or email: sales@dpstele.com

Let's build you a system that captures all your alarms - physical, digital, and SNMP - so you're never caught off guard again.

Andrew Erickson

Andrew Erickson is an Application Engineer at DPS Telecom, a manufacturer of semi-custom remote alarm monitoring systems based in Fresno, California. Andrew brings more than 18 years of experience building site monitoring solutions, developing intuitive user interfaces and documentation, and opt...