Advanced IP Scanner is a robust and free network scanning software designed for speed and efficiency. It allows users to quickly detect all computers on a network and gain access to them. With features ranging from remote PC shutdown and wake-on-LAN to seamless integration with Radmin for remote control, it’s a versatile tool for network management. This guide will walk you through the essential functionalities of Advanced IP Scanner, ensuring you understand how to use an IP scanner effectively for network discovery and administration.
Understanding Network Scanning with Advanced IP Scanner
Getting Started with Network Scanning
The primary function of Advanced IP Scanner is to scan your network and identify connected devices. Here’s how to initiate a network scan:
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Define your IP Address Range: Locate the “IP” button on the toolbar. Clicking this will assist you in automatically setting the IP address range that corresponds to your network. This feature simplifies the process of specifying the scan range, making it user-friendly even for those less familiar with network configurations.
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Initiate the Scan: Once the IP range is set, click the “Scan” button. Advanced IP Scanner will begin scanning the specified range to identify active devices on your network.
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Review Scan Results: After the scan is complete, Advanced IP Scanner presents a list of all detected computers within the network. This list includes essential information such as IP addresses, device names, and MAC addresses, providing a comprehensive overview of your network’s devices.
Mastering Favorite Lists for Regular Use
For users who frequently interact with specific computers on the network, Advanced IP Scanner offers a “Favorites” feature to streamline access. Here’s how to utilize it:
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Scan Your Network: First, perform a network scan as described above to populate the list of available computers.
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Add to Favorites: Once the scan is complete, select the computers you frequently access. Right-click on your selected computer(s) and choose “Add to “Favorites”” from the context menu. This action adds the chosen computers to your Favorites list for quicker access in the future.
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Access the Favorites Tab: Navigate to the “Favorites” tab within Advanced IP Scanner. Here, you’ll find a curated list of your favorite computers, allowing for immediate access without needing to scan the entire network each time.
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Manually Add Computers to Favorites: You can also manually add computers to your Favorites list. In the “Favorites” tab, select “Actions → Add computer…” from the menu. Enter the computer’s details in the dialog box, and it will be added to your list.
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Saving and Loading Favorite Lists: Advanced IP Scanner allows you to save your Favorites list as an XML, HTML, or CSV file. To save, right-click in the “Favorites” tab and select “Save Selected” or go to “File → Save As…”. To load a saved list, use “File → Load Favorites”. This is particularly useful for backing up your list or transferring it between different installations of Advanced IP Scanner.
Leveraging Advanced IP Scanner with Radmin for Remote Control
Seamless Radmin Integration
Advanced IP Scanner is designed to work seamlessly with Radmin, a popular remote control software, enhancing its utility for network administrators. Radmin allows you to control remote computers as if you were sitting directly in front of them.
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Select a Computer: Choose a computer from either the network scan results or your Favorites list.
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Radmin Detection and Connection: If Radmin Server is installed on the selected remote computer, Advanced IP Scanner will detect it. Right-click the computer, and you’ll see Radmin connection options in the context menu. Select your desired Radmin connection type.
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Radmin Viewer Requirement: To establish a remote connection, Radmin Viewer must be installed on your computer. If you don’t have it, you can download it for free from the Radmin website. Advanced IP Scanner conveniently provides a direct link within the software.
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Portable Radmin Viewer: For added flexibility, Advanced IP Scanner supports the use of a portable version of Radmin Viewer. You can enable this option in “Settings → Options… → Miscellaneous” and specify the path to your portable Radmin Viewer executable.
Exploring Advanced IP Scanner’s Tools and Functions
Saving and Loading Computer Lists
Advanced IP Scanner provides functions to save and load computer lists, enhancing efficiency in network management.
- Save List: This feature allows you to save the current list of computers from any active tab (Scan results or Favorites). You can save lists in .xml, .html, or .csv formats. Access this via the right-click menu with “Save Selected” or through the main menu at “File → Save As…”.
- Load List: You can load previously saved computer lists into the “Favorites” list. This function supports .xml files. Access it through the main menu at “File → Load Favorites”.
Toolbar Shortcuts for IP Range Configuration
Advanced IP Scanner’s toolbar includes shortcuts to quickly configure IP address ranges for scanning.
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Class “C” Subnet: Clicking the “Class ‘C’ Subnet” button automatically sets the IP range to a Class C subnet, starting the IP address at
***.***.***.0and ending at***.***.***.255, based on the currently active IP address values. -
Active Computer Subnet (IP Button): The “IP” button configures the IP range based on your computer’s subnet mask, scanning from the starting to the ending IP within your network’s subnet.
Network Troubleshooting Tools: Ping, Tracert, Telnet, SSH
Advanced IP Scanner integrates essential network tools directly into its interface for quick troubleshooting and network analysis.
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Ping: To check network connectivity to a remote computer, use the Ping tool. This opens a command prompt window and executes the ping command. Access via right-click “Tools → Ping” or main menu “Actions → Tools → Ping”.
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Tracert: The Tracert tool allows you to trace the route to a remote computer. Similar to Ping, it opens a command prompt and runs the tracert command. Access via right-click “Tools → Tracert” or main menu “Actions → Tools → Tracert”.
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Telnet: For connecting to a remote computer on the standard Telnet port, Advanced IP Scanner provides a Telnet tool. You can specify a custom Telnet client in settings if needed. Access via right-click “Tools → Telnet” or main menu “Actions → Tools → Telnet”.
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SSH: For secure shell connections, the SSH tool lets you connect to a remote computer using a user-defined SSH client, which can be specified in the settings. Access via right-click “Tools → SSH” or main menu “Actions → Tools → SSH”.
Customizing Advanced IP Scanner: Performance and Settings
Optimizing Scan Performance
Advanced IP Scanner allows you to adjust performance settings to balance scan accuracy and speed.
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High Accuracy Scanning: Enabling “High accuracy scanning (slow speed)” in “Settings → Options → Performance” instructs the scanner to scan each computer multiple times, increasing scan accuracy at the cost of scan time.
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Scan Speed Slider: The scan speed slider in the performance settings lets you fine-tune the scanning speed, allowing you to manage processor and network load.
Resource Selection for Faster Scans
You can customize which resources are scanned to decrease scan time. In “Settings → Options → Resources”, you can select specific resources to scan; deselecting resources reduces the time taken for each scan.
{width=653 height=474}
{width=453 height=460}Miscellaneous Settings: Appearance and External Tools
The “Miscellaneous” settings section in “Settings → Options → Miscellaneous” provides options for program appearance and external tool configurations.
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Auto-Update Check: Enable automatic checks for updates to keep your software current.
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External Clients: Configure paths for custom SSH, Telnet, FTP, and HTTP clients.
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Portable Radmin Viewer Path: Set the path for a portable Radmin Viewer.
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Table Color Alternation: Enable alternating colors for table rows for improved readability.
Remote PC Management Features
Advanced IP Scanner extends beyond just scanning, offering features for remote PC management.
Remote Shutdown and Restart
Advanced IP Scanner allows you to remotely shut down or restart computers on your network, provided you have the necessary permissions.
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Initiating Shutdown: Access the shutdown feature via “Actions → Shutdown” in the main menu, “Shutdown” in the right-click menu, or using the “Shutdown” toolbar button.
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Shutdown Options: Upon initiating shutdown, a dialog box appears, offering options such as:
- “Force shutdown” – forcefully shuts down or reboots the computer, even if programs are running with unsaved data warnings.
- “Reboot” – reboots the computer instead of shutting it down.
- “Message” – sends a warning message to the user that their computer will restart in a specified number of seconds.
Canceling Remote Shutdown
If a shutdown command has been issued, you can cancel it using “Actions → Cancel Shutdown” in the main menu, “Cancel Shutdown” in the right-click menu, or the “Cancel Shutdown” toolbar button.
Wake-on-LAN Functionality
The Wake-on-LAN feature allows you to send a “Wake-on-LAN” command to power on a selected computer remotely, provided the computer’s MAC address has been identified during a scan and Wake-on-LAN is enabled on the target machine. Access this via “Actions → Wake-on-LAN”, the right-click menu, or the “Wake-on-LAN” toolbar button.
Exploring Network Shares
The “Explore” function opens Windows Explorer displaying the selected remote computer, allowing you to browse its shared folders, provided you have the necessary network permissions. Access this via “Actions → Explore”, the right-click menu, or the “Explore” toolbar button.
Connecting via HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP
Advanced IP Scanner facilitates connections to remote computers via HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols.
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HTTP/HTTPS Connections: Connect to a computer via HTTP or HTTPS using your default browser or a specified browser client. Access via “Actions → HTTP” or “Actions → HTTPS”, double-clicking the computer icon and selecting HTTP/HTTPS, or using the HTTP/HTTPS toolbar buttons.
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FTP Connections: Connect to a computer via FTP, using either the default FTP client or a custom client specified in settings. Access via “Actions → FTP”, double-clicking the computer icon and selecting FTP, or using the FTP toolbar button.
Connecting Through Radmin
For computers with Radmin Server installed, you can initiate a Radmin connection directly from Advanced IP Scanner. Access via “Actions → Radmin”, the right-click menu, double-clicking the computer icon and selecting Radmin, or a toolbar button that can be added for Radmin.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Connections
Advanced IP Scanner supports Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for connecting to remote Windows computers. Initiate RDP connections via “Actions → RDP”, the right-click menu, double-clicking the computer icon and selecting RDP, or an RDP toolbar button.
Conclusion
Advanced IP Scanner is a powerful, free tool that simplifies network scanning and management. By understanding how to use an IP scanner like Advanced IP Scanner, users can efficiently discover network devices, manage remote computers, and utilize integrated network tools for troubleshooting and administration. Whether for basic network discovery or advanced remote management tasks, Advanced IP Scanner provides a comprehensive suite of features to meet your needs.
