Wi-Fi Inspector

Click Network scan to perform a full network scan which checks your router and all devices connected to your network, and verifies your network status. During the scan, you can close Avast Antivirus or navigate to other Avast screens. You can also click the Stop scan button at any time, if you don't want to finish the process.

Wi-Fi Inspector exposes the following vulnerabilities:

• Weak or default passwords (for Wi-Fi and router administration)
• Router firmware vulnerabilities (for most common vendors)
• Non-encrypted, unsecured wireless networks
• DNS hijacking (on devices and routers)
• Open network ports (for remote access, Telnet, etc.)

If a scan detects an issue, click the alert panel under the affected device/router to expand it and read the description of the issue, learn about potential risks, and see the solution. Most issues require you to manually modify your router settings on the router administrator page. Basic instructions for the most common routers are displayed on the alert screen. For more information, refer to your router’s documentation and support pages or contact the vendor.

Note: Wi-Fi Inspector does not have permission to access and modify router settings on your behalf, which means that the scan itself is not able to fix network issues for you. All changes on the router administration page need to be manually performed by you or your router vendor.

The scan results screen includes the following panels:

• Your devices
• Router
• Discovered devices (if there is more than one device connected to the network)

Each panel displays the device name, IP address and security status. Click the panel of any device/router to check the following information:

• Details: shows device IP and the MAC address, Vendor, Model, Name, and DNS name.
• Interfaces: shows the MAC address of the network interface.
• Services (for routers only): shows information about any running services and related network ports.

To improve your network security and prevent network attacks, follow these basic recommendations:

• Open your router settings page and do the following:
  • Ensure that the SSID (or Wireless Network Name) has a unique name.
  • Change the default admin username and password for your router.
  • Turn on WPA2 encryption.
  • Upgrade your router firmware.
  • Disable any remote access services.
• Ensure that only trusted devices are connected to your network.
• Run Wi-Fi Inspector regularly.

If Wi-Fi Inspector displays incorrect or inconsistent data, please ensure all VPN services are disabled on your device when you start scanning. If you experience any router configuration issues, contact the relevant router vendor or refer to the product’s documentation and support pages.

You can disable Wi-Fi Inspector from Settings ▸ Components. Next to Wi-Fi Inspector, click the ON slider so that it changes to OFF.