14 free and easy programs that allow you to scan ranges of IP addresses to detect devices and computers connected to the network
Whenever your computer connects to the internet, it is certainly also connected to a LAN. Computers and smartphones in a LAN can see each other, exchange data and files, share folders and resources such as the printer, a network disk, the Fire TV Stick or any other device connected to the router.As seen in another article, once connected to a network via a computer or even a smartphone, it is almost easy enter a PC that is in the same LAN network.
In this article we will show you the best ones free programs to scan a network and that allow you to launch commands and perform checks on computers or other devices found (smartphones, smart TVs and home automation). These programs are especially useful to network administrators because they allow you to find connected computers and launch remote commands.
READ ALSO: Protect your wireless network from intrusions, eavesdropping and espionage
1) How to discover network devices
Scanning a computer network means checking who is connected to all the IP addresses of the same subnet. For example, if the computer used had an IP address 192.168.2.3then you can scan the address range from 192.168.2.1 to 192.168.2.255 and see who is directly connected to the PC.
If desired, in some cases (such as a corporate network), we could also attempt a scan from the IP address 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.255.255, thus also finding devices positioned on a higher level (but only if we have direct access to the segment net).
On this topic we can read our guides on how a home network works: router, ethernet, wifi come on how computers talk to each other over a network using TCP/IP.
2) Programs to scan the network
1) Zenmap is one of the best applications to scan the network and correctly identify all the devices present. It was created as an interface for Nmap Security Scanner and aims to make it easier to use the network scanner designed only to be used via terminal.
2) If instead we are looking for a simpler and more immediate program to scan network IPs we can use Advanced IP Scanner. This application is very popular and allows you to analyze your LAN within a minute. Through this very easy to use tool it is possible to discover network shares, availability for remote control via RDP, detection of the MAC address, connection time to the server and also use the function Wake-On-LAN or turn on your computer remotely.
3) Lizard System Network Scanner allows you to scan your home or business network with a multi-threaded scanning technique that can detect thousands of devices connected to the network in a minute. The only flaw is that the full version is only available as a trial for 10 days.
4) Fing is a great application for detecting all devices connected to the network, be they routers, printers, PCs, cell phones, smartphones and others. This app can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store (therefore from Windows 11 and Windows 10) and allows you to check the connected devices and know all their network parameters, active protocols, open ports, MAC Address etc. Fing can also be downloaded as a free app for iPhone e Android.
5) Nmap is a more complex and expert open source tool for Windows Linux and Mac. It scans a network, draws the network map and provides all the information about the connected devices: ports, operating system, model, IP address, Mac address and much more. NMap scans all TCP and UDP ports on all computers connected to the network, performs follow-up tests on discovered open ports.
6) Free IP Scanner is a Windows PC program that can scan hundreds of computers per second, show NetBIOS information such as hostname, workgroup, etc.
7) Angry IP Scanner it’s a program open source per Windows, Linux e Mac very popular. It allows scanning for hosts on a LAN or WAN, within a specific range of IP addresses and port scanning. You can also select a hostname to search for more in-depth information about a specific device. It also allows you to execute some network commands, ping, telnet and other things.
8) Scanner IP di Spiceworks (free trial) automatically detects devices in the LAN (local network) and is available for Windows, OSX, Linux. You can quickly discover all devices connected to the network to take inventory or discover vulnerabilities. It is free software but requires registration and is aimed at large companies, small businesses and private users. The main purpose of this application is to search for computers in any IP address range and find them on both LANs and WANs. In addition to network scanning it has the ability to scan FTP servers and web servers.
10) IP Scanner it can scan your network and provide information about devices connected to the network.
You can schedule a network scan or run it whenever you want to take inventory of all the devices connected to the LAN or Wifi network, also giving details on the type of computer, operating system and running programs.
11) SoftPerfect Network Scanner It is a complete (under test) solution for scanning the network to extract information about connected nodes and has the ability to perform network operations remotely. Although it has some complex options and features that are beyond the reach of an average user, the interface is very simple for both amateurs and system administrators. You can start by defining a range of IP addresses to begin the generic scanning process. The columns show information such as host name, MAC address, Open ports, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), Windows version.
12) MiTeC Network Scanner is an advanced multi-threaded IP, NetBIOS and SNMP scanner that includes a well-organized interface and powerful tools aimed at network administrators. The scanning process is quite quick and immediately you can read information such as DNS name, NetBIOS names, MAC addresses, shared resources, services, permissions, TCP and UDP ports, operating system, CPU and description. MiTeC Network Scanner is typically a resource-oriented software solution that works perfectly on all versions of Windows, without even asking for administrator privileges on Windows. From the right-click menu you can open the shared folder, perform a Telnet or enter the PC with Windows Explorer.
13) Net Scan is a LAN scanner that displays all active nodes and systems connected to the network providing some useful information such as username, MAC address, IP and HTTP server.
14) If you want a tool network packet capture which provides general statistics then I recommend the program NetWalk which I have already talked about.
Conclusions
Those in the office or on a large LAN can try find out which computers are connected to the network and, in some cases, enter it, spy on files, use shared folders using one of the programs seen above.
These programs are also useful at home, especially if there are multiple computers and devices connected: an excellent way to have a complete view of who uses the network, both wifi and wired, find any intrusions and check the type of computer connected.
To learn more we can read our guide to wifi network scanner app for Android.