What you will do: confirm that your plan includes Guard, open the Secure Access tab in the Warden dashboard and check that the server’s side of Guard is running. There is no “turn on Guard” switch: once your licence includes Guard, Warden sets it up on the server by itself. Your job is to check that it worked before you invite anyone.
Time: about 5 minutes. You need: Prixl Warden installed on the office server (see Install Warden on your server), the Warden + Guard plan (the dashboard shows this as the Business Guard plan; see pricing), and a Windows administrator account on the server.
Steps
- On the server, double-click the desktop shortcut Prixl Warden Dashboard and click Yes when Windows asks for permission. Use the shortcut rather than a link in an email; email links can open a “Session Expired” page. More detail: Open the dashboard and find your way around.
- In the left sidebar, click Secure Access.
- Check your plan. If the tab is greyed out with a banner that says Not Available on Your Plan and a Contact Prixl to Upgrade button, your licence does not include Guard. Guard needs the Warden + Guard plan (the dashboard shows this as the Business Guard plan); see pricing or use the contact form to upgrade. Once the licence changes, come back to this step.
- If the tab says Guard server is not yet registered. The agent will set it up automatically., Warden is still preparing Guard. In this stage it installs the tunnel software, creates the server’s keys, adds the Windows Firewall rule Prixl-Guard-WireGuard (UDP 51820) and registers the server with Prixl. Leave it running and reopen the tab later; there is nothing for you to click.
- Look at the seat boxes at the top of the tab: Total Seats, In Use and Remaining. A seat is one person’s device that has used an invite code. Seats are counted across your whole organisation, on every Guard server, and invites that have not been used yet do not take a seat. The Remaining number turns amber when two or fewer are left and red at zero.
- Find the server status card. It shows the badge Active and a line After connecting, RDP to: followed by an address and port. Write this address down: it is what your staff will type into Remote Desktop once Guard is connected. Do not assume it is the same as on another office’s server; always use the address shown here.
- Scroll to the Network Status card and read its three rows: Guard interface should say Running; UPnP port mapping and External IP describe your router and internet line. If the card says Network diagnostics have not run yet. They run automatically when Guard starts and every 12 hours., come back a little later.
- Scroll to Secure Access Settings and look at Connection method. On a new install it is Prixl Magic, which needs no router setup. Leave it as it is unless your IT person has a reason to change it (see Change the connection method).
How to read the Network Status card
| What it says | What it means |
|---|---|
| UPnP port mapping: Active | Your router accepted Warden’s request to forward UDP 51820. Only matters for Classic Static IP. |
| UPnP port mapping: No router IGD found – forward UDP 51820 manually | The router does not offer automatic forwarding. With Prixl Magic you can ignore this. With Classic Static IP, your IT person must forward the port by hand. |
| External IP: (public) | The server’s internet connection has a public address. |
| External IP: CGNAT detected | Your internet provider shares one public address among many customers. Port forwarding cannot work, so use Prixl Magic. |
Check it worked
- The Secure Access tab is not greyed out and shows the seat boxes.
- The status card says Active and shows an After connecting, RDP to: address.
- Guard interface on the Network Status card says Running.
- On the Overview tab, a Secure Access (VPN) card now appears. It shows how many of your peers are online.
The status card gains a green Inbound: Verified mark later, after the first staff PC has connected. Its absence now is normal.
If something goes wrong
- It stays on “not yet registered”: check that the server has internet access and that the Warden service is running, then use the contact form.
- Guard interface says “Not running”: use the contact form with a screenshot of the Network Status card.
- Tab greyed out although you bought Guard Secure Access seats: contact support so they can check your licence.
- More problems and fixes: Troubleshooting Guard.
Next
Previous: How Guard works. Next: Invite a staff member. Back to Prixl Guard (Secure Access) guides.