The Daily App: Network Mapper For Android

For $1.62 from the Android Market, you can install Network Mapper on your Android device and, within minutes, begin scanning a network to take an inventory of every device hooked into it.

We gave it a try in the CRN Test Center lab, and found it provided a comprehensive listing of every device on the network. It also provided the opportunity to scan ports on each device should we wanted to do that. For an extra bonus, we also tried this app out in the lobby of a local hotel. Even though we were not signed on to the hotel’s network, it still provided a lengthy list of devices that were connected and also allowed us to port-scan open devices.

We don’t recommend the latter type of test, but it did show that Network Mapper for Android is an effective tool for doing what it says it does.

For IT professionals, tools like Network Mapper for Android is another example of the utility of smart devices – and their ability to support some management and administration functions once left to laptops that were carted around for basic network scanning and inventory tasks. For a buck and change from the Android Market, it’s an app to check out.