Check Network

🌐 by @davehappyminion

Check Network

Scan the home network for connected devices, test internet speed, verify DNS and VPN status, and flag unknown devices.

1. Identify Local Network

Determine the active network interface, local IP, subnet, and gateway. Note whether connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and the SSID if on Wi-Fi.

2. Discover Connected Devices

Scan the local subnet for active hosts. For each device found, record:

• IP address, MAC address, hostname (if resolvable)
• Manufacturer (from MAC prefix if possible)

3. Flag Unknown Devices

Compare discovered devices against any known device list the user has documented. Classify each as Known, New (not seen before), or Unknown. Highlight unknown devices prominently.

4. Test Connectivity and Speed

• Ping a few external targets (e.g., 1.1.1.1, google.com) and report latency and packet loss
• Run a speed test using

  networkQuality

  (built into macOS 12+) or

  speedtest-cli

  if available
• Report download speed, upload speed, and latency
• If previous results exist, flag significant degradation

5. Check DNS and VPN

• Test DNS resolution and report configured DNS servers
• Detect whether a VPN is active and report which one
• Ping the gateway and report latency

6. Present Findings

Summarize in a clean report:

• Connection info (interface, IP, gateway, SSID, DNS, VPN status)
• Speed results
• Device list with known/new/unknown status
• Alerts for any issues (new devices, DNS problems, VPN down, high latency)

Example: "12 devices on network (10 known, 2 new). Internet: 250/25 Mbps. DNS: healthy. VPN: not connected."

Notes

• This workflow is read-only. It does not modify network settings or firewall rules.

• nmap

  gives the best device scan but may not be installed; fall back to

  arp -a

  .
• On macOS,

  networkQuality

  is built in and works without third-party tools.
• If more than 30 devices are found, note the network may be shared.