Accessing the files on your Mac from a Windows PC is quite a bit easier than you might have imagined, once you know the process. For this guide we’re going to assume both of the computers are on the same network.

1. First you’ll need to enable File Sharing in macOS. Click the Apple button in the Menu Bar, and select System Preferences… from the drop-down list. Click the Sharing icon.



2. Place a check in the File Sharing box and make note of the IP address displayed in the blurb below the File Sharing: On notification. You can close out of the System Preferences when you’re done.



3. Open a File Explorer window and click inside of the Address Bar (see screenshot below).



4. Enter \\ followed by the IP address you made note of back in step #2. For example, if the IP address of your Mac is 192.168.1.66, you would enter:
   

   \\192.168.1.66



5. Enter the user name and password that you use to sign into your Mac and then click the OK button. If you don’t want to enter this info each time you connect to your Mac, place a check in the box labeled Remember my credentials



6. Ta-da! You’ll now be able to access all of the files and folders on your Mac, from right within Windows.



7. If you’d like to keep this as a ‘permanent’ part of the File Explorer, you can map it as a Network Drive. To do so, click the Windows Search button, type the phrase map network and then select the Map network drive option when it appears.



8. Choose a drive letter that you’d like your Mac to be represented as. For the sake of this guide, I choose Z: but you can use any letter that isn’t already in use. In the Folder: field enter in \\ followed by your IP address again – but this time you’ll have to add \your_mac_username to the end. If you can’t remember your user name, open a Finder window on your Mac, then choose Go -> Home. Your user name is the name of the highlighted folder.

   Finally, make sure there are check marks in both Reconnect at sign-in and Connect using different credentials and then click the Finish button.



9. You may be prompted to enter the username and password for your Mac again. Then your File Explorer will display the contents of your Mac as a network drive.



10. If you open a File Explorer to the My PC section, your newly created network drive will also be displayed there.



11. NOTE: from time to time your Mac’s IP address may change. When it does, your network drive will not longer work. The fastest way to figure out what IP address your Mac is using so you can remap the drive is to hold down the option key and then click the Wi-Fi icon in the Menu Bar.

The post How Access the Files on Your Mac From Windows appeared first on Simple Help.

Note: if you’re trying to determine your IP address in an older version of Windows (95/98/98SE/ME/NT/2000/XP) see this guide.

1. Click the Windows 10 “Start” button and select Settings



2. Select Network & Internet from the Settings panel.



3. Select Status from the column on the left side of the window, and then Change connection properties from the right side of the window (you won’t have to change anything).



4. Scroll down to the Properties section. From here you’ll find your IP address (both IPv4 and IPv6, although it’s most likely you were looking for your IPv4 address) in addition to your MAC address and various other Internet related addresses. If you’re currently connected to any kind of home or work network, it will be your ‘internal’ network IP address being shown. If you need to know your external, public IP address, simply visit a site like WhatsMyIP.com (link opens in a new tab/window) where it will be prominently displayed.

The post How to Determine Your IP or MAC Address in Windows 10 appeared first on Simple Help.

While the steps and screenshots in this guide are specific to Windows 10, this software will work with all modern versions of Windows and you should have no trouble following along. Note: We also have a Mac version of this guide.

1. Head over to the WinSCP download page and click the large DOWNLOAD WINSCP button.



2. Once the download has completed, locate the file in your Downloads folder and double-click it to start the installation. You’ll be asked if you want to install the app for all user accounts on the computer you’re using or just for your account. Make the selection based on your needs.



3. Click Accept on the License Agreement window.



4. For the Setup Type select Typical installation (recommended) and then click the Next button.



5. This time select Commander as the User interface style and then click Next



6. Finally, click Install



7. WinSCP will now be installed. It doesn’t take very long so don’t go too far away.



8. On the last WinSCP installation screen make sure there’s a check in the box labelled Launch WinSCP, and make sure there isn’t a check in the Open Getting started page box. Click the Finish button.



9. The WinSCP app will now open up and the Login panel will appear.



10. From here you’ll need to enter a bunch of information about your server connection, all of which should be provided by the owner/administrator of the FTP/SFTP site itself. First, select either FTP or SFTP from the File protocol: drop-down menu. In the Host name: field enter the name or IP address of your site. If you’re connecting to an FTP site, enter 21 as the Port number: – if you’re connecting to an SFTP site, enter 22. Then enter your username and password in their respective fields. When all of the required fields have been filled out, click the Save button.



11. On the Save session screen give your Site name a descriptive title. If you don’t want to enter your password each time you connect to the site, place a check in the Save password (not recommended) box. You can also have a shortcut created on your desktop that when double-clicked will open WinSCP and start the connection to this site right away, which is very handy. Click the OK button when you’ve made your selections.



12. If you’re making an SFTP connection, when you connect to your site for the first time you’ll be prompted to save a host key to your local cache. Click the Yes button.



13. WinSCP will now finish the connection and display the contents of your S/FTP site in the panel on the right side of the window.



14. The panel on the left side of the WinSCP window contains your local files – ie. your computer. Navigate to the folder that contains the file, files or folder that you want to upload. Select them and then “drag and drop” them onto the panel on the right side of WinSCP – which is the remote S/FTP site.



15. Click the OK button on the Upload confirmation message window.



16. Now your files/folders will upload from your computer to your FTP/SFTP site.



17. When the upload has completed, it’ll display those files/folders in the ‘remote site’ panel on the right.



18. To download files or folders, select them from the ‘remote site’ panel then drag and drop them into the ‘local’ panel.
19. That’s it! Now you can upload and download files using FTP or SFTP in Windows.
20. If you need any further help by all means feel free to leave a comment below, or check out the WinSCP documentation.

The post How to FTP or SFTP in Windows 10 appeared first on Simple Help.

1. Click the Windows ‘Start’ button and scroll down to and select Windows Powershell. Then click the Windows Powershell app.



2. Enter the following command (replacing NETWORK NAME HERE with the Network you want to recover the password from):

   netsh wlan show profile name=”NETWORK NAME HERE” key=clear



3. Look for the Key Content line item in the Security settings section – and there’s your password.



4. That’s it! You can repeat the netsh wlan show profile name=”NETWORK NAME HERE” key=clear command with any and all of the Networks you’ve previously connected to.

The post How to Recover WiFi Network Passwords in Windows 10 appeared first on Simple Help.

1. Make sure that the computer running VLC and the iPhone are on the same wireless network.
2. Head over to the App Store and install Remote 4 VLC (homepage). The App is free and has a few limitations – none of which will stop you from using it as a remote control. I’ve tried a number of these Apps – I found this one to consistently be the most reliable. Once it’s installed, open it up.



3. Tap the Setup Wizard button.



4. It doesn’t matter which option you select on this screen (OS X or Windows/Linux) – the only difference is which images will be displayed in the next few steps – which are all a bit outdated now anyway. Swipe to the left to move to the next step.



5. Now you’ll need to open and configure VLC on your computer. When VLC is open, select Tools and then Preferences from the drop-down list (Note: for macOS users select VLC from the Menu Bar and then Preferences… from the drop-down menu.) Back in the Remote 4 VLC App, swipe left to move to the next step.



6. The instructions displayed in Remote 4 VLC are slightly out of date on this screen, so proceed to step #6 below.



7. In the VLC Preferences, select the All option in the bottom left corner of the screen to display the Advanced Preferences.



8. In the navigation panel on the left side of the VLC Advanced Preferences, click the arrow next to Interface to expand that list. Select Main interfaces from that list. Finally, place a check in the box labelled Web from the list of Extra interface modules on the right side of the screen.



9. Once again the instructions inside of Remote 4 VLC are a tiny bit outdated, so swipe to the left to move to the next step.



10. Back in VLC’s Advanced Preferences, click the arrow next to Main interfaces in the left navigation panel and then select Lua from the expanded list. Enter the word dummy in the Lua interface field if it isn’t there already, and in the Lua HTTP section, enter 1234 as the password. Finally, click the Save button. Now exit/quit VLC completely.



11. If you’re prompted with a Windows Firewall message, make sure to select Allow access. In the Remote 4 VLC App, swipe left again.



12. Open VLC and start playing a video – any video will do.
13. Finally, click the Auto Connect button.



14. Remote 4 VLC will now magically find your computer running VLC and connect to it. Once the screen refreshes, tap the Now Playing bar at the bottom of the App.



15. Ta-da! You can now control VLC from your iPhone! To view the Settings, tap the “3 dashes” icon (see screenshot below) in the upper-right corner of the App.



16. Select Settings



17. From here you can configure the various parts of Remote 4 VLC – including changing the background wallpaper – if you must :)



18. One other quick tip – if you select the “3 dots” button to the right of the newly added computer running VLC …



19. … and then choose Edit …



20. … you can give that computer a much friendlier (and descriptive) name.



21. That’s it! Enjoy being able to control VLC from your iPhone and not having to get off the couch :)

The post How to Control VLC with an iPhone appeared first on Simple Help.

It’s unlikely I’d be able to introduce this tool better than the folks who created it, so from the Bitdefender Home Scanner page –

Bitdefender Home Scanner is a free tool that scans your Wi-Fi network, maps devices and identifies and highlights network security flaws. Bitdefender Home Scanner looks for weak passwords, as well as vulnerable or poorly encrypted communications. It correlates the information gathered from your connected devices with online vulnerability databases and gives you a thorough report so you can ensure maximum security for your network.

Let’s jump right into installing, setting up and using the app! As long as you’re running Windows 7 SP1 or later, you’re all set.

1. Head over to the Bitdefender Home Scanner page, locate the Free Download button and give it a click. Save the file to your Downloads folder and then run it when the download is complete. When the installer opens make sure to review the Terms of use (yeah right) then place a check in the Terms of use box. If you want to Send anonymous data back to Bitdefender, leave that box checked – otherwise remove it. Finally, click the START INSTALLATION button.



2. After a few minutes the installation should be done. Click the START USING HOME SCANNER button.



3. You’ll need to create an account so enter the required information in the spaces provided and then click the CREATE ACCOUNT button.



4. Now you’re ready for the first scan. Make sure you’re actually connected to your home network and then click the YES, THIS IS MY HOME NETWORK button.



5. When prompted, click CONFIRM



6. Bitdefender will now scan your home network. This may take a few minutes – now wouldn’t be the worst time to grab a cup of tea or coffee.



7. After it’s identified all of the devices on your home network, it will begin to scan each device.


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8. When the scan is complete, Bitdefender will notify you via a small pop-up window. Click the CLOSE button to review the results.



9. The first thing to do is review the column for items that have a POTENTIALLY AT RISK or AT RISK status. If one (or more) devices is displaying one of those statuses, click it to get more information.



10. In all likelihood, there will be a review of the problem with a link to even more info. Make sure to review it all.


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11. Depending on the problem, Bitdefender will probably give you a few ‘next step’ suggestions to resolve any issues.


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12. An additional (and fantastic) feature of Bitdefender Home Scanner is that if you leave it running (in the System Tray) it will notify you each time a new device connects to your home network. You’ll also be given the option to scan that device to check it for any vulnerabilities it may have (which could in turn spread to devices on your network).



13. If you do opt to have a newly connect device scanned, it only takes a small fraction of the time it took to do the initial ‘complete’ scan of your home network.


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14. You can run the App every once in a while to scan your network as new vulnerabilities are discovered etc (it will notify you of any updates when you run it).

The post How to Check Your Entire Home Network for Vulnerabilities appeared first on Simple Help.

Please note: the screenshots used in this guide are from Chrome on a Mac – the steps and actual ‘screen content’ will be identical if you’re using Windows, Linux or Chrome OS.

1. As with many of the amazing things you can do using Google Chrome, this one is accomplished via an extension, specifically the very descriptively named Secure Shell Extension. It installs as any other Chrome extension – just click the Add to Chrome button on the extension home page.



2. Once the installation has completed, click the new Secure Shell Extension icon from the Chrome Menu.



3. A small window will appear – click the Connection Dialog link.



4. A new browser window will appear. Here you go! You can use the up/down and left/right arrows on your keyboard to navigate to each field – or your mouse.


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5. After you’ve filled in each field (or at least these 3: username@hostname or free form text, username and hostname) hit the enter key on your keyboard (or click the [ENTER] Connect button)


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6. The first time you use Secure Shell Extension you’ll be asked if you’d like to open future SSL links using the Secure Shell Extension extension. If you do, click Allow – otherwise Block (which won’t really block anything, it’ll just leave whatever your current default App for opening SSL links as the default).



7. Now you’ll be connected to the SSL server and be prompted with a request for your password. At this point you’ll be using a fully functional Terminal.


click to enlarge

8. After you’re done and disconnect, you can reconnect by selecting that entry in the Secure Shell Extension menu.

The post How to SSH From Within Google Chrome appeared first on Simple Help.

1. First things first, head over to the ConnectMeNow download page, scroll down a bit and download the App by clicking the large green Download Now button (see screenshot below). The app itself is small (uses very minimal/almost no system resources) and completely free.



2. Once the download has completed, open the .dmg file and drag ConnectMeNow to your Applications folder to install it. After that, open your Applications folder and launch ConnectMeNow by double-clicking it.



3. A new icon will appear in your Menu Bar. Click it and then select Preferences, then Open Preferences from the ‘sub-menu’.



4. The main “configuration” window will open. It’s from within here that we’ll add your first remote computer/drive.



5. In the Defined Shares section, click the Add Share button.



6. Remove the check-mark from the box labelled Automatic naming and then give a ‘name’ to your first share – ideally something descriptive so you’ll know right away which share you’re connecting to.



7. Now select the Server Type pull-down menu and choose the kind of networked drive that you’ll be connecting to. If it’s a Windows networked drive, select SMB. If it’s a Mac, select AFP or if it’s Linux/Unix, select NFS.



8. In the Server Name or IP field enter the IP address of the machine you want to connect to. This can be an internal IP address if it’s on your local network, or a public IP/domain. Though not required, you can also enter the path to the folder you want to open as soon as you open the connection in the Shared Path field.



9. If you need to enter a user/pass to connect to your remote drive, place a check in the box labelled Connect with credentials (Optional) and then enter your username and password in the spaces provided.



10. Finally, click the Test Share button.



11. Assuming all the info was entered correctly, you’ll now connect to your remote drive. You won’t ‘see’ anything happening, the drive will just mount itself and become accessible.



12. Before you close out of the Preferences, place a check in the box labelled Start ConnectMeNow at computer startup so you don’t have to open it each time you restart.



13. From now on, each time you want to connect to that remote drive, just click the ConnectMeNow icon in your Menu Bar and select that drive. It’s that easy!



14. Return to the Preferences section to add additional drives. You can even use separators to organize your networked drives into sections.

The post How to Easily Connect to Remote Drives From Your Mac appeared first on Simple Help.

The short and quick answer is: tap the screen with two fingers. Here’s the problem – it can be bafflingly difficult to accomplish this one seemingly easy gesture. Fortunately, there’s another way.

1. Tap the ‘mouse’ icon from the little navigation bar at the top of the main VNC screen.



2. On the bottom-right corner of the VNC screen, a small “reversed L” ( ⅃ ) is superimposed over the window. The bottom ‘bar’ part of the ⅃ is separated into 3 parts. If you tap the leftmost section, it will send a “left-click” to the VNC window. If you tap the center section, a “middle-click” will be sent. Which leaves the far right section – our sought after “right-click”.



3. When you tap that right-click section, the right-click action will occur wherever the cursor is currently located in the guest operating system, so make sure it’s in the right place first.

The post How to “Right-Click” in VNC Viewer appeared first on Simple Help.

Both the procedure and the software we’ll be using will work whether you’re on Windows or a Mac. The steps and screenshots used below are from Windows, but if you’re using a Mac you’ll be able to follow along with no problem at all.

Set Up Dropbox

The first step, and you only have to do it once – is to create a Dropbox folder that will not sync with your computer. If you’ve already created a folder like that you can skip down to the second part below, Uploading to Dropbox.

1. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer. Somewhere in there – it doesn’t matter where – create a folder where you want to upload files but do not want them to sync with your computer. As illustrated in the screenshot below, I gave my folder a particularly descriptive name – no_sync.



2. Now we’re going to configure Dropbox so that it does not sync that particular folder. Click the Dropbox icon in your system tray and then select Settings (the small “cog” icon) and finally Preferences…



3. Click the Sync tab from the top menu. From the Sync section, click the Selective Sync… button.



4. Now remove the check mark next to the folder you just created – the one that you don’t want to sync with your computer(s). Then click the Update button. Note: Make sure to repeat the last two steps on any other computers you have connected to your Dropbox account – otherwise the new folder will sync with those computers as well. Unless of course you want that new folder to sync with those computers and just not ‘this’ one.

Uploading to Dropbox

Now it’s time for the fun part.

1. Head over to the Cyberduck home page and download the amazing (and free) App that we’ll be using, Cyberduck. The installation is completely standard and straightforward for both the Windows and macOS versions.



2. Once it’s installed, launch it from your Apps menu.



3. When Cyberduck opens the ‘main’ window will appear. Since this is the first time you’re using Cyberduck to connect to Dropbox, a bit of setup is required. Each time you want to upload to Dropbox in the future all you’ll need to do is open Cyberduck and double-click the Dropbox bookmark that we’re about to create.


click to enlarge

4. Select Bookmark from the top menu and then New Bookmark from the drop-down list.



5. The default connection type will be set to FTP and we need to change that. Click the ‘down arrow’ (see screenshot below) to expand the full list of connection types.



6. Select Dropbox from the list.



7. In the Dropbox Account: field enter the email address that your Dropbox account is associated with (the one you used to sign up for Dropbox). Though it’s not required, you may want to change the Nickname that this connection will use. I just shortened mine to “Dropbox”. When you’re ready,
   close this window.



8. The ‘main’ Cyberduck window will now have a new entry in it – Dropbox. Double-click it.



9. This next step is only required this one time. A Cyberduck OAuth2 Authentication window will appear and a browser window will open. Switch to the browser.



10. If you’re prompted to sign into Dropbox, do so. Click the Allow button, granting Cyberduck access to your Dropbox account.



11. Dropbox will now generate a a code for you to use with Cyberduck. Copy that code to your clipboard (select it all so that it’s highlighted, right-click it and select Copy).



12. Back in the OAuth2 Authentication window, paste your Dropbox code in the Authentication Code: field. Make sure that Save password is selected so you don’t need to do this step next time and then click the Login button.



13. Cyberduck will now sign in to your Dropbox account and all of your Dropbox folders will be displayed. Locate the one you created way back at the beginning of this guide and open it.



14. Now just drag-and-drop the files you want to upload into the Cyberduck window.



15. This will upload the files to that folder – and since that folder was configured not to sync with your computer, they won’t!



16. Once the transfers have completed you’ll be notified via the Transfers window.



17. Now you can move/delete the files on your local computer and a copy of them will remain on your Dropbox account. If/when you do wish to access these files you can use either Cyberduck or the Dropbox Web interface.



18. That’s it! Going forward, every time you want to upload files to Dropbox and have them not sync with your computer, just launch Cyberduck and select your Dropbox bookmark.

The post How to Upload to Dropbox Without Syncing appeared first on Simple Help.

If you’re having trouble connecting to a wireless network that you connect to all the time – deleting (or “forgetting”) that network, and then reconnecting to it, will often resolve the problem. Note: you’ll need to re-enter the password for that network after you ‘forget’ it, so make sure you have it handy.

1. Click the Network icon in your Windows 10 notification area (bottom right corner of the screen).



2. Then select Network & Internet settings



3. In the left column, select the Wi-Fi option.



4. Locate the link titled Manage known networks and click it.



5. Now locate the WiFi network you want to forget and select it by clicking on it once. When you do, two buttons will appear – click the one titled Forget



6. The next time you connect to that network you’ll need to re-enter the password (assuming it requires one). Now you know how to delete a wireless network in Windows 10!

While you’re here, why not take a look at some of our other Windows tutorials and pick up another tip or two?

The post How to Delete or “Forget” a Wireless Network in Windows 10 appeared first on Simple Help.

The best part is you don’t need to install any additional software at all! Here goes –

1. Open a Terminal by opening a Finder window and navigating to Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal. Once your Terminal has opened, type in the command:

   ssh -l username domain.com

   but replace username with the user name for your account, and replace domain.com with the name of the server that you’re going to SSH to.


click to enlarge

2. Now enter your password in the space provided. Note: you can ‘paste’ your password into a Terminal using the regular keyboard command of Apple Key + v if you’ve copied it from a ‘password manager’ App or your clipboard.


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3. You may be presented with a ‘Welcome’ message when you connect (as illustrated in the screenshot below, my host automatically displays the last IP address that connected to their server using my account). It’s also entirely possible that no message at all will be displayed, and you’ll be presented with nothing other than a prompt.


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4. You’re pretty much done now :) You’re connected, and can now issue commands.


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5. Here’s a list of some common commands you can (probably) use during an SSH session.


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6. Once you’ve finished your session and have logged off, you can simply Quit the Terminal. That’s it! If you were wondering why the Terminal in this guide looks different than yours, check out this overview on how to customize the Terminal.
7. Related: if you want to use the Chrome web browser to SSH, you can do that too.

The post How to SSH From Your Mac appeared first on Simple Help.

Note: we also have a Windows version of this guide.

1. Start by downloading CyberDuck – a free FTP App for macOS. Open the .dmg file once the download has completed, and drag CyberDuck to your Applications folder to install it. Once it’s installed, launch it from your Applications.



2. Click the Open Connection button.



3. First select the type of connection you want to make. Click the ‘up and down arrows’ button (see screenshot below) to select one.



4. FTP is the default, but FTP-SSL and SFTP are both becoming more popular and common. Refer to the documentation that came with your FTP info to make sure you select the right one.



5. Enter the Server name in the space provided. The server name is usually provided to you by whomever created your FTP account. Enter your Username and Password in the spaces provided. NOTE: if you’re using FTP and not FTP-SSL or SFTP, there may not be a password field on this page. Don’t worry, wait till the next step :)



6. If you weren’t prompted for a password on the previous screen, you will be now. Enter it in the space provided, and place a check in the box labeled Add to Keychain if you don’t want to enter your password each time you connect to this particular FTP/FTP-SSL/SFTP server.



7. And now you’ll connect to your FTP server. It may contain files and folders related to your web site if that’s the FTP server you’ve connected to. The window may be blank or empty if you’ve never uploaded any files or folders.


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8. To create a new folder, select File from the Apple Menu, and then New Folder… from the drop-down list.



9. Enter a name for the folder, and click Create.



10. CyberDuck will now create the folder. Double-click the folder name to ‘enter’ that folder.


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11. To upload files, locate them in your Finder, select the ones you want to upload, and then ‘drag and drop’ them to the main CyberDuck window.


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12. The main Cyberduck window will refresh and the files and/or folders you just uploaded will be listed. Also, the Transfers panel will indicate that everything was successful.



13. To delete a file or folder, right-click it and select Delete from the pop-up menu. You can also rename files this way (select Rename…) etc.



14. If you want to save the FTP server information (so you don’t have to enter it every time you want to connect to it) – click the Bookmarks item from the Apple Menu and then select New Bookmark.



15. Most of the info will be populated already, just make sure to give it a Nickname so that you can quickly identify it in the Bookmarks list.



16. Congrats – you can now FTP or SFTP from your Mac! “Click around” in Cyberduck to find its other features, like how to see “hidden” files and folders. If you have any other questions regarding the use of CyberDuck, please feel free to leave a comment below.

The post How to FTP (or SFTP) From Your Mac appeared first on Simple Help.

1. Start out by tapping on the Settings button



2. Select Wi-Fi first, and then tap the name of the network you’re currently connected to.



3. Locate the field named IP Address – there you go.



4. If it’s the public IP you’re looking for, the easiest way to find that is to simply open up your browser of choice on your Android device and visit the site WhatsMyIP.org. At the top of that page, your IP address will be displayed for you to copy/paste.

The post How to Find Your IP Address on Android appeared first on Simple Help.

Using a small and free tool that works on every modern version of Windows, including Windows 10, you can easily see which devices are connected to your home network (or any network for that matter). This tool also allows you to continuously monitor your network for new connections as well, and we’ll provide instructions on how to do that, too.

1. Start out by heading over to the Wireless Network Watcher home page. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page and locate the download link titled “Download Wireless Network Watcher with full install/uninstall support (wnetwatcher_setup.exe)”. Click that link (not the other download link) and save the file to your hard drive. Once the download has completed, run that file to begin the installation process, which will take under a minute. Make sure to leave a check in the box labeled Run NirSoft Wireless Network Watcher and then click Finish



2. Once Wireless Network Watcher (WNW) launches it will begin to scan the network you’re connected to right away. The main WNW window is broken into rows and columns, the first column lists all the IP addresses WNW found on your network. WNW will try to figure out as much information as it can about the device connected to each IP address and then display it to you. As illustrated in the screenshot below, WNW was able to find quite a few devices on my network.


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3. The only ‘issue’ is that not every device will be completely identified. One of the devices it will almost certainly be able to figure out is your router. It should also be able to gather a fair bit of information on the device you’re using to run WNW itself. Scroll through the Device Information column until you find the item named Your Computer. As you’ll see, the text in the User Text field isn’t entirely helpful, so let’s give it an ‘easy to understand’ name. Double click it.



4. From here you can modify the text displayed in the User Text field. I named mine something descriptive – “My Windows 10 Laptop”. Click OK when you’re done.



5. Much better.



6. Some items on the list will be a bit more tricky to completely identify than others. For example, Apple devices are identified, but often only as Apple devices – not specifically an iPhone or iMac. To figure out which of your devices is which, you’ll have to have them handy. As illustrated in the screenshot below, I had an Apple device using the IP address 192.168.1.72, with the MAC address of 58-55-CA-3F-7C-95.



7. So I turned on my Apple TV and went to its settings. Sure enough, it was using the IP address of 192.168.1.72 and its MAC address is 58-55-CA-3F-7C-95. Now that I know it’s my Apple TV, I was able to double-click that item and edit its User Text. Then I looked up the IP addresses on my iPhones and iPads (learn how to do that here) then Android devices (learn how to do that here) and other devices that WMW could only gather some info on.



8. Repeat this over and over until you’re able to identify everything. When in doubt, try powering off a device you know is connected to your network and then see which IP switches to the ‘off’ state. Some devices that are often Internet connected and may be in your home include: computers, laptops, printers, phones, tablets, gaming consoles and handheld devices, DVR/PVR/TiVO and cable boxes, MP3 players, Apple TV and Android TV/Chromecast systems, media centers and even some ‘smart’ appliances like refrigerators and coffee machines. Usually WNW is able to identify the Network Adapter Company, which can be very helpful in identifying an item. For example, if Microsoft is the Network Adapter Company, there’s a good chance that particular device is an X-Box.


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9. Now that you have WNW configured and you’ve identified the devices on your network, you can also set Wireless Network Watcher to actively monitor the network for new devices to join, and notify you when they do.

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