Figuring out what devices are disconnected from your network can be important for troubleshooting connectivity issues or ensuring security. There are a few different ways to check for disconnected devices depending on your operating system and network setup.
Check Network Connections Page
The quickest way to view currently connected devices on Windows 10 is to open the Network Connections page. This shows all the active connections from your PC to other devices on the local network and the internet.
To open the Network Connections page, right-click the Windows start menu icon or press Windows+X on your keyboard. Select “Network Connections” from the pop-up menu.
This will open the Network Connections window showing all your network adapters and connections. Any disconnected devices will not show up in this view.
You can also access this page by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
Check Connected Devices in Network Settings
Windows, MacOS, Linux, and other operating systems provide an interface in the network settings section to view currently connected devices. This can provide more detail than the basic network connections page.
On Windows 10, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > View your network properties. Under Connected devices, you’ll see any PCs, phones, streaming devices, smart home gadgets, and other equipment linked to your network.
On MacOS, open System Preferences > Network. Click the connection type you want to check, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. In the sidebar, you’ll see a list of devices using that connection to your Mac.
On Linux distributions like Ubuntu, you can install the GNOME Connection Manager app to view connected devices through the GUI. Or use the terminal to list connections with the nmcli command.
Scan Network for Connected Devices
Scanning your network is the most thorough way to check for all connected and disconnected devices. A network scan will identify every active device by looking at responses to TCP and ICMP network requests.
On Windows, you can use the following commands in Command Prompt or PowerShell:
- net view – Displays a list of devices on the network.
- ping {IP address} – Tests connectivity to a specific IP address.
- arp -a – Shows the ARP cache table mapping IP addresses to MAC addresses.
On MacOS or Linux, use these common terminal commands:
- nmap -sL {subnet} – Scans an IP range and lists connected devices.
- ping {IP address} – Verifies connectivity to a target IP device.
- arp -a or ip neigh – Shows IP to MAC mappings.
There are also many third party network scanning tools available such as Advanced IP Scanner, Fing, and SoftPerfect Network Scanner.
Check Your Router Interface
One of the easiest ways to see all devices connected to your local network is by checking your Wi-Fi router admin interface. Most routers have a page showing the list of currently connected devices along with their IP and MAC addresses.
To access your router admin interface, open a web browser and go to the router’s IP address, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Then log in with the admin credentials. Under the status, network map, or attached devices page you will see the list of devices communicating with the router.
This method shows you any device actively communicating on the network, including hardwired devices that might not show up on wireless network scans. However, it won’t reveal devices that are powered off or disconnected.
Use IP Scanning Tools
Dedicated IP scanning tools can also identify every active and inactive device on your network by scanning a range of IP addresses.
Popular IP scanners like Advanced IP Scanner, SoftPerfect Network Scanner, and Angry IP Scanner can ping every IP on your network and list which have live devices and which don’t respond. Most also include handy features like device hostname resolution, operating system detection, and custom scanning options.
Some key benefits of using an IP scanning tool include:
- Finds active and inactive devices.
- Maps device hostnames to IPs.
- Identifies duplicate IPs.
- Shows device operating system and hardware data.
- Allows exporting results to file.
- Includes reporting and filtering
These specialized tools provide the most advanced discovery capabilities for mapping your entire network’s connected and disconnected devices.
Check DHCP Client Lists
If your network uses DHCP for dynamic IP assignment, you can check the DHCP server’s client lists to view currently connected devices. This applies to home routers, business networks, and other systems using DHCP services.
Most consumer routers don’t expose DHCP client data through the admin UI. You would need to log into advanced routers like Ubiquiti UniFi or business-class switches and firewalls like Cisco and FortiGate to access detailed DHCP information.
Enterprise networks with Active Directory can query the DHCP server status with PowerShell to generate a list of clients. For Linux systems, you can check the dhcpd.leases file.
The benefit of reviewing DHCP client lists is it provides a real-time authoritative view of systems requesting and receiving IP addresses from the DHCP server.
Monitor Traffic with Packet Sniffing
Packet sniffing utilities allow you to monitor live network traffic to identify connected devices communicating on the network.
Common packet sniffing tools include Wireshark, tcpdump, Windump, and Microsoft Network Monitor. They put your network interface into promiscuous mode to capture all traffic.
You can use these tools to sniff traffic from a specific device, or capture all traffic going through your router. This gives you insight into what systems are actively communicating on the network at a packet level.
The downside is that packet sniffing is a more advanced technique that requires interpreting TCP/IP traffic. It won’t explicitly display a list of connected devices.
Perform a Wireless Site Survey
For wireless networks, doing a Wi-Fi site survey can map all access points and clients connected to your network.
A wireless site survey either uses APs in promiscuous mode to sniff traffic, or dedicated surveying equipment. It detects nearby Wi-Fi networks, devices connected to your SSID, signal strength, channel overlap, and other wireless data.
Software tools like NetSpot, Ekahau, and AirMagnet Survey provide professional wireless surveys showingconnected Wi-Fi clients across an area.
This gives visibility into portable devices that may connect intermittently like phones, laptops, IoT gadgets. A wireless survey is less effective for showing hardwired endpoints.
Use PowerShell Commands
PowerShell includes several cmdlets that can help retrieve information on connected devices.
For example, Get-NetAdapter shows network adapters and connection status. Get-NetIPAddress reveals all IP addresses assigned to the local computer. Get-CimInstance can pull network configuration data from WMI.
More advanced but useful PowerShell commands include:
- Get-ADComputer – Lists all computers registered with Active Directory.
- Get-DhcpServerv4Lease – Checks DHCP scopes and current leases.
- Get-NetTCPConnection – Displays active TCP connections and listening ports.
PowerShell gives you deep access to Windows networking configuration, services, and data to compile a thorough view of connected devices.
Conclusion
There are many approaches to checking connected and disconnected devices on your network. The right method depends on your specific needs:
- For a quick overview, check your operating system’s network status page or router admin interface.
- To identify active Wi-Fi devices, scan for nearby wireless networks and clients.
- Use IP scanning tools to find all live hosts and map your network.
- Monitor DHCP leases to see devices assigning IP addresses.
- Capture and inspect traffic with packet sniffing for deeper analysis.
- Leverage PowerShell cmdlets to gather Windows networking data.
Combining multiple discovery techniques gives you the most complete view of all the endpoints on your network. This allows proactively detecting inactive and rogue devices for better security and performance.
