Help & FAQ
Answers to common questions about scanning, identifying devices and using LAN Viewer.
Getting started
What does LAN Viewer do?
LAN Viewer scans the Wi-Fi network your phone is connected to and lists the devices it finds — with each device's IP address, MAC address, vendor and (where possible) a name.
It also includes tools to ping a device, check Wi-Fi signal, and keep a local history of what's on your network.
How do I run my first scan?
Connect your phone to the Wi-Fi network you want to inspect, open LAN Viewer, allow the local-network permission when prompted, then tap scan.
The app probes your subnet and fills in each device as it responds.
Why does the app ask for a local-network permission?
Recent Android versions require an explicit permission before an app can communicate with other devices on your Wi-Fi.
LAN Viewer needs this to discover and identify devices. If it's denied, scans will come back empty or time out — you can re-enable it in Android Settings for the app.
Scanning & devices
Why is a device I expected missing from the list?
A device may be asleep, on a different network, or configured not to respond to probes. Some routers also isolate clients from each other ("AP isolation"), which hides devices from any scanner.
Try waking the device, disabling client isolation on your router, and scanning again.
Why do some devices show as "Unknown"?
LAN Viewer names devices from vendor lookup, reverse DNS, mDNS/Bonjour, NetBIOS and hostname patterns. When a device hides its name or uses a randomized MAC address, there's less to go on and it may stay unlabeled.
Rescanning, or checking the device when it's actively in use, can sometimes reveal more.
How does device identification work?
The app combines several signals at once: the MAC-address prefix (matched against a bundled vendor database), names the device advertises over the network, and common naming patterns.
Because it's based on network signals, identification is a best effort and can occasionally be approximate.
Tools
How do I ping a device?
Open a device from the scan results and use the ping tool to send test packets. It reports whether the device responds and how quickly — useful for checking if something is reachable or dropping off.
What does the Wi-Fi signal view show?
It shows the network you're connected to and how strong the signal is, which helps when positioning routers, extenders or access points.
Privacy & data
Does LAN Viewer upload my scan results?
No. Scanning and identification happen on your device, and results are stored locally. They are not sent to our servers.
How do analytics and crash reporting work?
They're optional. On first launch you choose whether to allow anonymous usage analytics and crash reporting. If you decline, nothing is collected.
You can change your choice later in the app's settings, and analytics never include your scan results.
How do I delete my data?
Clear the app's history from within the app, or clear the app's storage in Android Settings. Uninstalling the app removes locally stored data from your device.
Still stuck? We're happy to help — appdavion@gmail.com