Help Center

SNMP Explorer is distributed as a standalone macOS application.

• Download the app from the product page.
• Move SNMP Explorer.app to your Applications folder.
• On first launch, macOS Gatekeeper may show a warning because the app is not from the App Store. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
• SNMP Explorer requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later.

SNMP Explorer relies on the net-snmp command-line tools. Install them via Homebrew:

• Open Terminal and run: brew install net-snmp
• Verify the installation: snmpwalk --version
• The tools are typically installed at /opt/homebrew/bin/ (Apple Silicon) or /usr/local/bin/ (Intel).
• If Homebrew is not installed, visit brew.sh for instructions.

SNMP Explorer automatically searches common paths for the net-snmp binaries. If the tools are in a non-standard location, the app will prompt you to locate them.

To start querying a network device:

• Click the + button in the device sidebar or use ⌘N.
• Enter a name for the device (e.g. "Core Router").
• Enter the host or IP address (e.g. 10.0.0.1).
• Set the port (default: 161).
• For SNMPv1/v2c, enter the community string (e.g. public).
• Click Test Connection to verify connectivity, then click Save.

Once saved, select the device in the sidebar and use the Walk, Query, or Monitor tabs to start exploring.

All your SNMP devices are listed in the left sidebar.

• Add: Click the + button or press ⌘N.
• Edit: Select a device and click the gear icon, or double-click its name to open the device editor.
• Delete: Right-click a device and choose Delete, or select it and press ⌘⌫.
• Search: Use the search field at the top of the sidebar to filter devices by name or IP address.

Each device stores its name, host, port, SNMP version, credentials, tags, and notes. Tags help you organise devices into groups for quick filtering.

SNMPv3 provides stronger security than v1/v2c. When editing a device, set the SNMP version to v3 to reveal additional fields:

• Security Level:
  • noAuthNoPriv — Username only, no authentication or encryption.
  • authNoPriv — Username + authentication password. No encryption.
  • authPriv — Username + authentication + encryption. Most secure.
• Authentication Protocol: MD5, SHA, or SHA-256.
• Privacy Protocol: DES, AES, or AES-256.
• Enter the username, auth password, and privacy password as configured on your device.

All credentials are stored in your Mac's Keychain and never transmitted outside the app.

An SNMP walk retrieves all OIDs under a given subtree from a device.

• Select a device in the sidebar and switch to the Walk tab.
• Optionally enter a starting OID (e.g. .1.3.6.1.2.1.1 for the system group). Leave empty to walk the entire tree.
• Click Start Walk. Results stream in as they arrive and populate a hierarchical tree view.
• Click Stop at any time to cancel a long-running walk.
• Toggle Numeric OIDs to switch between translated names and raw numeric OIDs.

SNMP Explorer uses snmpbulkwalk for SNMPv2c/v3 (faster) and falls back to snmpwalk for SNMPv1.

Use the Query tab to fetch specific OID values:

• GET — Retrieve the exact OID value.
• GET-NEXT — Retrieve the next OID in the tree (useful for discovery).
• GET-BULK — Retrieve multiple OIDs in a single request (v2c/v3 only).

Enter an OID in the input field and select the operation type. Results appear instantly below the query bar.

Recent queries are saved in a history list. Click any previous query to re-run it. From the results, click Add to Monitor to start polling that OID automatically.

SNMP Explorer translates numeric OIDs into human-readable names using multiple sources:

• Built-in database: Over 100 standard OIDs from system, interfaces, IP, TCP, and UDP groups are translated automatically.
• MIB files: If you have imported MIB files, snmptranslate is used for full MIB-based resolution.
• Batch lookup: Paste or import a list of OIDs and translate them all at once.

Translation results are cached for the session to avoid repeated lookups.

The Monitor tab lets you poll OIDs at regular intervals and track their values over time.

• Switch to the Monitor tab and click + Add OID.
• Enter the OID you want to monitor (e.g. .1.3.6.1.2.1.2.2.1.10.1 for ifInOctets on interface 1).
• Give it a human-readable label (e.g. "WAN In Octets").
• Set the poll interval — choose between seconds, minutes, or hours.
• Click Save. The OID is added to your monitor list but does not start polling until you click Start.

You can also add OIDs to the monitor directly from Walk or Query results using the Add to Monitor button.

When a monitored OID returns numeric values, SNMP Explorer displays a time-series chart built with Swift Charts.

• Each OID stores up to 200 samples. Once the limit is reached, the oldest sample is discarded as new data arrives.
• Hover over any data point to see the exact value and timestamp.
• Charts update in real time as new poll results come in.
• Non-numeric values (e.g. strings) are displayed in a scrolling log view instead of a chart.

When monitoring multiple OIDs, use the bulk controls at the top of the Monitor tab:

• Start All — Begin polling every OID in the monitor list.
• Stop All — Stop all active polls at once.
• Individual OIDs can also be started or stopped independently using the toggle next to each entry.
• Disable an OID (without deleting it) by toggling its Enabled switch off. Disabled OIDs are skipped by Start All.

Custom MIB files let SNMP Explorer translate vendor-specific OIDs into readable names.

• Open the MIB Manager from the menu bar: Tools > MIB Manager.
• Click Import MIB and select one or more .txt or .mib files.
• Imported MIBs are stored at ~/.snmp/mibs/ and are automatically discovered by net-snmp tools.
• After importing, OID translations using the new MIBs are available immediately.

You can also drag and drop MIB files directly onto the MIB Manager window.

SNMP Explorer includes over 100 standard OID descriptions out of the box, covering:

• System group — sysDescr, sysUpTime, sysName, sysContact, sysLocation
• Interfaces — ifNumber, ifDescr, ifType, ifSpeed, ifInOctets, ifOutOctets, ifOperStatus
• IP — ipAdEntAddr, ipForwarding, ipRouteDest
• TCP / UDP — tcpCurrEstab, tcpInSegs, udpInDatagrams
• Vendor-specific — common Cisco, Juniper, and Aruba OIDs

The built-in database is used as a fast first-pass lookup. For full MIB-based translation, import the relevant MIB files.

If SNMP Explorer shows a "net-snmp not found" error, the required command-line tools are missing or not in the expected path.

• Install net-snmp: Open Terminal and run brew install net-snmp.
• Verify installation: Run which snmpwalk. It should return a path like /opt/homebrew/bin/snmpwalk.
• Check PATH: If which snmpwalk returns nothing, your shell PATH may not include the Homebrew directory. Run brew doctor for diagnostics.
• Restart SNMP Explorer after installing net-snmp so it can detect the new binaries.

If queries or walks time out, check the following:

• Firewall rules: Ensure UDP port 161 is open between your Mac and the target device.
• Community string: Verify the community string matches what is configured on the device (case-sensitive).
• SNMPv3 credentials: Double-check the username, auth password, privacy password, and protocol settings.
• IP / hostname: Confirm the device address is correct and reachable. Try ping <host> in Terminal.
• SNMP service: Make sure SNMP is enabled on the target device.

Use the Test Connection button in the device editor to quickly diagnose connectivity issues.

Can't find what you're looking for? We're happy to help.

• Email: info@toz.red
• Please include your macOS version, SNMP Explorer version, net-snmp version (snmpwalk --version), and a description of the issue.
• We aim to respond within 1–2 business days.