Documentation — Netwatch by CoreOutpost

Getting Started

Overview Server setup Agent setup Dashboard

Configuration

Reference

Overview

Netwatch is a self-hosted network monitoring tool with three components — a server, an agent and a dashboard. All data stays on your own infrastructure. CoreOutpost has no access to your network data.

Setting up the server

Download NetwatchServer.exe and run it on your always-on PC. No installation needed — just double-click. Verify it is running at http://localhost:5000/api/status.

Keep the server window open — closing it stops the server. Add a shortcut to your Windows Startup folder for automatic restart on boot.

Setting up an agent

Download NetwatchAgent.exe, right-click and select Run as administrator. On first run the GUI setup wizard asks for your server URL, location name, location ID and subnet.

⚠ The Location ID must exactly match the ID you enter in the dashboard Locations tab. Spelling and case both matter.

Opening the dashboard

Go to app.coreoutpost.com in any browser and enter your server URL when prompted. Or install the desktop app for a native Windows experience.

Adding locations

Go to the Locations tab and click Add Location. Enter the same Location ID used during agent setup. Devices appear within 30 seconds of the agent reporting in.

Each browser or device running the dashboard has its own separate locations list — add your locations on each device.

Remote access

For agents at remote locations to reach your server over the internet, set up a free Cloudflare Tunnel pointing to localhost:5000. Remote agents use the tunnel URL as their server URL. No VPN or port forwarding required.

Npcap & Nmap

Npcap

Enables passive traffic fingerprinting for more accurate device identification. Install from npcap.com — check WinPcap API-compatible mode during installation.

Nmap

Enables deep OS fingerprinting for devices the agent cannot identify through other methods. Install from nmap.org. The agent detects Nmap automatically at startup.

Config file

The agent saves its configuration to netwatch-config.json in the same folder. Delete this file and restart to re-run the setup wizard.

{
  "server_url": "http://192.168.1.105:5000",
  "location_id": "main-office",
  "location_name": "Main Office",
  "subnet": "192.168.1",
  "report_interval": 30
}

Stale agent detection

If an agent stops reporting for 90 or more seconds, the server automatically marks all its devices offline. The dashboard shows a red banner indicating which agent went silent and when. Once the agent resumes, everything returns to normal automatically.