Network scanner & speed test for Windows
Vow Network Scanner finds every device on your network in seconds, with its name, maker and type, then measures your real internet speed and tells you in plain words what's slowing it down. No ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
The problem
You just want to know what that unknown device is and why the internet crawls every evening. Instead you get ad-filled apps, cryptic lists of numbers and monthly plans.
Free scanners and speed test sites wrapped in banners and pop-ups, with the real button somewhere underneath.
Want to know when a new device joins your Wi-Fi? On many apps that's a monthly plan.
Classic IP scanners list addresses and MACs, then leave you to guess which one is the TV, the doorbell or a stranger.
Modern phones hide behind private, randomised MAC addresses, so many scanners can't even tell you it's a phone.
Is it the Wi-Fi, the router, the cable or your provider? Most speed tests give you a figure and leave you guessing.
Sign up and log in just to see the devices on your own network, and hope the list stays private.
Vow Network Scanner fixes all of it.
How it works
Every device listed before you've finished reading the screen, and your real speed one button away.
Devices appear as they answer and the list is complete in about 5 to 9 seconds on a home network, each with its name, maker, type, IP and MAC. New ones are marked NEW.
See why it's a phone or a printer, every name it announces, its model, open ports and web page, with Ping, Port scan and Wake-on-LAN one click away.
In about 25 seconds: download, upload, latency, jitter and a bufferbloat grade, what your line is good for, and "Why is it slow?" with what to do about it.
Features
For home users, gamers, parents and the family IT person: simple on top, deep when you need it.
ARP cache, an active ARP request to every address, ping sweep, Bonjour/mDNS, UPnP/SSDP, NetBIOS, reverse DNS and TCP probes, together.
The maker comes from the built-in IEEE registry, the type from a 7-step rule set with its reason shown: phone, laptop, TV, camera, printer and more.
Phones and laptops using randomised Wi-Fi addresses are detected and explained instead of showing up as a mystery.
Multi-connection download and upload on Cloudflare's network, measured after the ramp-up rather than a peak, and able to fill a gigabit line.
Latency under load for download and upload: the hidden reason calls lag and games stutter while someone else downloads.
Checks router and internet ping, DNS time, Wi-Fi signal, band and link rate, a 100 Mbps cable and VPN, each with what to do.
Ping, traceroute with names, port scan with risk notes, DNS lookup, Wake-on-LAN and full network and Wi-Fi details.
With Unlimited it scans every 5 to 60 minutes and shows a Windows notification for every device that has never been on your network before.
With Unlimited: first and last seen, a 30-day online strip, past IPs, a device timeline, and speed history with charts and CSV export.
Everything is read-only: it asks and listens and changes nothing on your network or your PC. No administrator rights needed.
Light & dark theme
Network Scanner comes with a crisp light theme and a calm dark theme. Switch with one click, or let it follow your Windows setting by itself. It remembers your choice.
Screenshots
Real screenshots of the real app, in both of its themes: 9 light, 9 dark. Click any picture to see it full size.
Light theme
Dark theme
Who it's for
See if a neighbour or a stranger is on your network, and get an alert the next time anything new joins.
Check latency, jitter and bufferbloat before blaming the game, the server or your provider.
Find the IP of a camera, plug, printer or speaker in seconds and open its web page.
Find out whether video calls stutter because of the Wi-Fi, the router or the line itself.
Scheduled speed tests build a history with charts and CSV export, the evidence your internet provider asks for.
Port scans, ping, traceroute and Wake-on-LAN for every network you end up looking after.
Compare
What you get when you search for a Wi-Fi scanner or a speed test, side by side.
| Feature | Vow Network Scanner | Typical Wi-Fi scanner & speed test apps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free every day, or $4.95 once | Subscriptions for alerts and monitoring |
| Ads and pop-ups | None, ever | Common on free apps and speed test sites |
| Discovery methods | ARP, ping, mDNS, UPnP, NetBIOS, DNS and port probes together | Often ARP and ping only |
| Says why a device is a phone or a TV | Yes, with the reason shown | Rarely |
| Private (randomised) MACs explained | Yes | Rarely |
| Speed test with bufferbloat grade | Yes, A+ to F | Rarely in the same app |
| "Why is it slow?" diagnosis | Free | Rarely |
| Account or sign-up | Never | Often required |
| Your device list | Stays on your PC | Sometimes synced to their servers |
"Typical" describes what we found across the most-downloaded alternatives when we built Network Scanner. Your mileage with any one of them may vary; ours won't.
Pricing
That is not a typo. Software this powerful usually means a monthly subscription; Network Scanner is $4.95, once, for life: it's almost a giveaway. Use it free for as long as you like, and unlock Unlimited only if you need more.
Unlimited scans and network tools, 5 speed tests a day.
Almost a giveaway. Less than a coffee for software this powerful: no subscription, no renewals, yours for life on 2 PCs.
New-device alerts, device names and history, schedules, unlimited speed tests.
Payments by Stripe: we never see or store your card. Questions? Ask a real person.
Clean software
Most "free" Windows downloads pay for themselves with ads, bundled extras or your data. Vow Network Scanner doesn't need to: it's paid for honestly, once, by the people who find it useful.
Download Network Scanner freeStep-by-step guide
From "what is that device?" to an answer in under a minute, with nothing to configure.
Step 1: get it freeInstall it free (no administrator rights needed) or use the portable version. The scan starts by itself. If Windows Firewall asks, allow it on private networks.
Every device shows its name, maker, type, IP, MAC and response time. Filter by Computers, Phones, TV & audio, Smart home, Network, Other or New, or search.
Click it to see why it got its type, every name it announces, its open ports and its web page. A private address usually means a phone, tablet or laptop.
Open Speed and press GO. In about 25 seconds you get download, upload, latency, jitter and a bufferbloat grade, plus "Why is it slow?" checks of your router, DNS, Wi-Fi and cable.
With Unlimited, mark your own devices as known and turn on new-device alerts. You get a Windows notification the next time something new joins.
Technical details
FAQ
Yes. Network scans, device identification, port scan, ping, traceroute, DNS lookup, Wake-on-LAN, export and the "Why is it slow?" diagnosis are free without limits, plus 5 speed tests a day. There are no ads and no trial that expires. Unlimited, a one-time $4.95 USD payment, adds unlimited speed tests, new-device alerts, device naming, history and schedules.
Open the app: the scan starts by itself and lists every device in about 5 to 9 seconds on a home network, with its name, maker and type. Anything new today is marked NEW, and clicking a device shows how it was identified.
No. Scans, device names and history stay on your PC, and there is no account or sign-up. The only traffic that leaves your network is the speed test, which downloads and uploads test data to Cloudflare's speed test network.
It uses several connections at once, adding more on fast lines so it can fill a gigabit link, and reports the sustained speed after the ramp-up rather than a peak. Upload counts only what the server confirmed it received. On the test PC's 1000/100 Mbps line it measured 926 to 946 Mbps down and 96.8 to 100 Mbps up.
It is how much your latency rises when the line is busy, the reason video calls and games lag while someone downloads. The app measures latency under load for download and upload and grades it from A+ (under 5 ms extra) to F.
Phones, tablets and laptops often use a private, randomised MAC address on each Wi-Fi network to avoid tracking, so their maker can't be looked up; the app detects this and says so. Some very new hardware may also be missing from the built-in maker list.
Like Advanced IP Scanner, scans, export and the tools are free without limits, but it uses every discovery method at once and explains each device's type. Like Fing it can alert you when a new device joins, for a one-time $4.95 instead of a subscription. It also includes a speed test with a bufferbloat grade and a "Why is it slow?" check.
Yes. It is made and published by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company. It only looks: it changes nothing on your network or your PC. There are no ads and no bundled software, it needs no administrator rights, and it uninstalls cleanly from Windows Settings.
The Vow collection
Same design, same promises, a tiny one-time price. Learn one and you already know them all.
Fix "connected, no internet", DNS errors and Wi-Fi drop-outs, root cause first
Send huge files with one link, straight from your PC
Phone to PC and back over your own Wi-Fi, with no app on the phone
Who's on my Wi-Fi, and why is it slow? Answered in seconds. Free to use every day, $4.95 once if you ever want Unlimited.
