How many devices do you have on your home network? Over time, they tend to grow without you knowing. If you have a wifi network at home or in the office, you'll probably find that connections include a laptop or 2, a couple of smartphones, a router, a printer, maybe your TV, and even an internet radio. I've just recently bought an Amazon Echo, so my network also includes that device, and a couple of smart switches that I can talk to via an Amazon Echo device.

"Alexa, turn on the office light".

But what else is connected to the network? Are there any devices that shouldn't be there? Are there any devices which are running risky applications such as a web server?

To answer all these questions you need an IP scanner, and one of the easiest to use is called Advanced IP Scanner. It currently boasts 22 million users around the world, it's a 9 MB download and it's completely free. It's also free of malware, according to VirusTotal and Web of Trust. And it has the option to run in portable mode too, so there's nothing to install.

The program has recently been updated, so if you're already a user of this software then it's definitely worth downloading the update in order to ensure that you have all the latest features and fixes.

Give it a try, and see what (and who) is really using your home or office network.  Read More