WiFi Tracking with Wireless Network Watcher
Wireless Network Watcher is free to download and use program that scans your network to show all devices that are connected to it. This program can detect devices and provide details like IP addresses, Mac Router, etc. One can also see the type of user that is connected to the network, and see the device name and the type of device it is.
What does Wireless Network Watcher do?
Wireless Network Watcher is a program that monitors and tracks the number of devices that are connected to any particular wireless network. The program can see the number of devices that are connected, the type of device, the company of the network adaptor, the IP addresses, when the device was first and last detected, and more.
It is a simple minimalistic interface that runs a quick scan as you give the command, and lists the devices that are connected. Using this program, one can see the devices that are connected, save the information in an HTML format, and save the information as a reference.
The program also lets you see if the device is active at the current moment, so one is able to determine how many devices as online at the same time. In case of slower download speeds, one can easily monitor the number of connected devices, and see if some can be disconnected to give less load to the wireless network. In case of any intruders too, or unsolicited devices connected, one can monitor them, and take the necessary actions accordingly.
It is possible to save information specifically, for instance, the edit option in the menu bar allows you to copy the lists of IP addresses, MAC addresses, or only the selected items. This allows you to collate specific information about devices that are connected to the network.
What are the best things about Wireless Network Watcher?
The best thing about the program is that it is really easy to use. One simply needs to download it, run the installer, and its good to go. Once the program opens, the window is really just a blank window, where you can run a quick scan, and the list of devices using the network show up. Details like IP Address, MAC details, type of device, etc. make it really easy to know more about the devices connected, and which device is connected currently.
A simple refresh using F5 or from the menu bar refreshes the view and detects if any new device has been disconnected or connected to the network. This is a great tracker in case the network is low on bandwidth and there are too many devices burdening the network, this slowing down the download speeds.
One can select and copy specific information about the devices connected like the IP Addresses, MAC addresses, etc, which can be useful to collate specific about the network performance. While this may seem to be a redundant function in a home environment, it works very well in a public or official domain. A small office network can easily be monitored using this device, as all the listed IPs can easily be tracked. Reports can easily be generated from the program, and be extracted in html/xml/csv/text file formats, for a systematic analysis of the network usage and to find the heavy devices that slow down the network.
Wireless Network Watcher it totally free to download and use, that is a big plus. Important information like network monitoring can easily be retrieved using this free software, and one does not need to pay anything to even extract the reports or the drilled-down information about IPs, MAC addresses, types of devices or any specifically selected items.
What goes against Wireless Network Watcher?
Apart from listing and tracking in real-time the list of devices connected to the wireless network, there is little else that the program can do. One cannot connect or disconnect devices using the program, so even if you find an intruder, unless you have a way to remove the device yourself, there isn’t any way through the program to solve the problem.
Upon running the scan, one can notice that a single scan may not be as reliable, and to get a true picture, one needs to run multiple scans and refresh the list a number of times. This is counter-intuitive, as it takes away from the credibility and simplicity of the software. Also, having to run multiple tests and scans results in different reports, so that might also create an issue in terms of data management.
What are the alternatives to Wireless Network Watcher?
Some of the closest and most popular alternatives to Wireless Network Watcher include SoftPerfect Wireless Guard, Who Is On My Wifi, Fing, WiFi Protector, Nmap, Angry IP Scanner, ZenMap, FingBox, Dipiscan, Advanced IP Scanner, and many others. Programs like NMaps, Angry IP Scanner, ZenMap, etc, are also completely free to download and use, and their functionality are actually very similar to Wireless Network Watcher. Apart from some features here and there, the free programs offer similar kinds of information. For more advanced features, which can actually connect to the router, there are paid versions of the alternatives mentioned, and these have more actionable items and offer an even more detailed analysis of the network.
What's the final verdict on Wireless Network Watcher
Wireless Network Watcher is a really useful tool to have in case you suspect an unknown device is on the network, and you are experiencing slow speeds because of too many devices. The program is simple and it is extremely easy to run the scans to achieve a list of all the devices connected to the network. However, one needs to run several scans and refresh a number of times to get the entire picture clearly. Overall, the program is functional and it is hassle-free to extract reports about the network.
