Wi-Fi Inspector

Wi-Fi Inspector offers two scan levels, which differ in sensitivity, detections, and solutions for vulnerabilities:

• Home: performs a comprehensive network scan that uses increased sensitivity to check your router and all connected devices for vulnerabilities, and verifies your network status. Depending on the number of connected devices, it can be a time-consuming scan and not recommended for use on a public network.
• Public: performs a simple network scan that ensures your device is secure while connected to a public network.

During the scan, you can minimize Avast Antivirus or navigate to other Avast screens. You can also click the Stop Scan button at any time to end the scan early.

You can customize the view of devices and routers while the scan is running:

• Map view: displays the spatial layout of devices as they are discovered and scanned. After a device is scanned, click the relevant icon to see device information.
• List view: displays an itemized list of devices as they are discovered and scanned. After a device is scanned, click the relevant panel to see device information.

The scan results screen in Map view and List view includes the following:

• Your device
• Router
• Discovered devices (not applicable for Public scan, where only your device and the router are scanned).

If a scan detects an issue, click the relevant notification type for your preferred view:

• Map view: when a vulnerability is detected, the affected device/router is marked with a red exclamation point. Click on the device icon to Open Details and see the vulnerability.
• List view: when a vulnerability is detected, the affected device/router panel is marked with a red exclamation point. Click the status Your device is not configured correctly to see the vulnerability.

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.)
• Botnet presence

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. Basic instructions for the most common routers are displayed on the alert screen. For more information, refer to your router’s documentation, support pages, or contact the vendor directly.

To view the information screen for a device/router:

• Map View: select the relevant device icon and click Open Details.
• List view: click the panel for the relevant device/router.

From the information screen for each device/router you can view:

• The device name and its security status.
• The relevant Technical Information listed below:
  • IP address
  • MAC
  • Operating system
  • Vendor
  • Model

Additionally, click Advanced information to check the following:

• Details: the device IP and the MAC address, Vendor, Model, Name, Operating System, and DNS.
• Interfaces: the MAC address of the network interface.
• Services: information about any running services and related network ports.

If necessary, click Change Type in the top-right corner to edit the Device name, Device type, or Model.

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 often to catch vulnerabilities early.

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.

Wi-Fi Inspector is enabled by default. To uninstall it, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ General ▸ Troubleshooting ▸ Add & Modify Components. Untick the box next to Wi-Fi Inspector, then click Change ▸ Yes. Click Restart computer to confirm the change.