How to Try or License Andrisoft Wanguard and Wansight

Updated

You can evaluate Andrisoft's software with a free 30-day license key, then license it per Sensor on an annual basis. Wanguard Sensor licenses are listed at $595 per year with volume discounts, the Console is free, and support is included. Because the products are Linux packages that run on your own servers, "trying" and "licensing" both mean installing the software on hardware you control and applying a key — there is no appliance to order and no traffic sent to a third party.

Getting a trial key

The trial path is the same for both products:

  1. Request a trial key from the Andrisoft site ("Get a free 30-day license key").
  2. Install the Linux packages on your own 64-bit Intel or AMD server.
  3. Apply the key to activate the licensed components.

A key is what switches capabilities on and off inside the same packages. Wansight and Wanguard share the same Sensors and Console; the license key decides which features are enabled. That means a Wansight deployment can become Wanguard by applying a Wanguard key, without reinstalling a different product.

If you are already a customer, licensing and account tasks go through the support portal rather than the trial flow.

What you are actually licensing

Licenses are sold per component, not as a single product SKU:

Component Role Licensing note
Console Central management and reporting Free
Wanguard Sensor DDoS detection (and mitigation control) $595/year per Sensor, volume discounts
Wansight Sensor Traffic monitoring and accounting Licensed per Sensor
Wanguard Filter Scrubs diverted attack traffic at line rate on Linux servers Licensed separately
DPDK Engine High-performance packet processing Licensed separately
Console rebranding White-label the Console Separate license
Support plans Support beyond the included baseline Separate plans

Two practical consequences follow from this structure. First, a pure monitoring deployment needs only Wansight Sensor licenses plus the free Console. Second, adding detection and mitigation later is a licensing change, not a migration — the same Sensors and Console are already in place.

Choosing between Wanguard and Wansight

Both products use the same Sensors and Console, so the decision is about capability, not architecture:

  • Wansight gives you bandwidth graphs for large numbers of IPs, top talkers, flow and packet forensics, and 95th-percentile accounting for invoicing. It is the monitoring and billing tool.
  • Wanguard adds DDoS detection and mitigation: Sensors watch NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX or mirrored packets, anomaly checks run every second, and attacks are stopped either on your routers (Flowspec, RTBH) or on Linux filtering servers.

If you only need visibility and billing data, license Wansight. If you need to detect and stop attacks on your own network, license Wanguard. If you are unsure, start with Wansight and upgrade with a key when detection becomes a requirement.

Hardware and deployment prerequisites

The software runs on any 64-bit Intel or AMD server; Andrisoft publishes per-component sizing guidance, tested network cards for 10–100 Gbps, and a note that virtual machines are for trials only. Plan your license count around the number of Sensors you need at those traffic levels, since that is the unit that carries the annual fee.

Common sticking points

  • Assuming the Console costs extra. It is free; the paid units are Sensors, Filters, the DPDK Engine, rebranding, and support plans.
  • Expecting a per-gigabit bill. Pricing is per Sensor license, not per gigabit of traffic.
  • Treating the trial as production. VMs are documented as trial-only; production sizing assumes dedicated servers and tested NICs.
  • Forgetting the upgrade path. Wansight does not need to be replaced to become Wanguard — a key changes what the existing installation does.

For current prices, discount thresholds, and support plan terms, confirm details with Andrisoft directly, since the figures above reflect the published listing rather than a quote for your deployment.