netdiscover vs Wireless Network Watcher

Struggling to choose between netdiscover and Wireless Network Watcher? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

netdiscover is a Network & Admin solution with tags like network, scanner, arp, discovery.

It boasts features such as Active and passive host discovery, Detects live hosts on a network by sending ARP requests, Prints IP address, MAC address and hostname of discovered devices, Can scan entire subnet or custom IP range, Lightweight and fast host discovery, Open source and cross-platform and pros including Easy to use with simple command line interface, Fast and efficient host discovery, Identifies active hosts accurately, Works on Linux, Mac and Windows, Free and open source.

On the other hand, Wireless Network Watcher is a Network & Admin product tagged with wireless, network, monitoring, troubleshooting, connectivity.

Its standout features include Scans wireless networks and displays connected devices, Shows network name (SSID), MAC address, IP address, and device name, Exports results to HTML or XML file, Allows filtering by criteria like SSID or MAC address, Shows signal quality and channel for wireless networks, Can run on startup and scan periodically, and it shines with pros like Lightweight and easy to use, Helps identify unknown devices on network, Good for troubleshooting connectivity issues, Free and open source.

Feature	netdiscover	Wireless Network Watcher
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Network & Admin	Network & Admin

Product Overview

netdiscover

Description: netdiscover is an open-source network scanner used to actively detect live hosts on a network. It sends ARP requests to identify active devices and prints the IP address, MAC address, and hostname if available.

Wireless Network Watcher

Description: Wireless Network Watcher is a small utility that scans your wireless network and displays the MAC addresses and names of connected network devices. It's useful for identifying unknown devices on your network or troubleshooting connectivity issues.

Key Features Comparison

netdiscover Features

• Active and passive host discovery
• Detects live hosts on a network by sending ARP requests
• Prints IP address, MAC address and hostname of discovered devices
• Can scan entire subnet or custom IP range
• Lightweight and fast host discovery
• Open source and cross-platform

Wireless Network Watcher Features

• Scans wireless networks and displays connected devices
• Shows network name (SSID), MAC address, IP address, and device name
• Exports results to HTML or XML file
• Allows filtering by criteria like SSID or MAC address
• Shows signal quality and channel for wireless networks
• Can run on startup and scan periodically

Pros & Cons Analysis

netdiscover

Pros

• Easy to use with simple command line interface
• Fast and efficient host discovery
• Identifies active hosts accurately
• Works on Linux, Mac and Windows
• Free and open source

Cons

• Only does basic host discovery, no advanced scanning features
• May miss some hosts if ARP requests are blocked by firewall
• Requires root/admin privileges to scan network
• No official graphical user interface

Wireless Network Watcher

Pros

• Lightweight and easy to use
• Helps identify unknown devices on network
• Good for troubleshooting connectivity issues
• Free and open source

Cons

• Basic feature set compared to commercial network scanners
• No active scanning for devices that are off
• Limited to scanning WiFi networks only

Pricing Comparison

netdiscover

• Open Source

Wireless Network Watcher

• Free
• Open Source