Windows 10: how to tell what devices are on my network

how to tell devices on my network

:)

 

What is this network device?


I woke my desktop PC from sleep this morning, clicked on Network and immediately spotted a Phone in the device list that doesn't belong to anyone here (a Blu brand phone which is unusual enough that I would know about it).

I clicked on the device and was able to view the MAC address, but nothing else useful. A couple minutes later it disappeared from the network list.

Then a few minutes later I went and looked at another PC on the same home network and saw the same phone in its Network list. It also disappeared a couple minutes after I clicked open 'Network'.

Scanned both PCs with various anti-malware programs including Malwarebytes - they look clean.

Any suggestions on what I was seeing, and if it's malicious how to deal with it?


UPDATE: It popped back up again. I checked my router's connection list and don't see it there. For now I blocked the MAC address in my router but would still like to know where this is coming from.

 

Network devices listed under Unknown in Device Manager


I have a Dell Inspiron M731R laptop upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Home 64-Bit that suddenly quit connecting to the home network. Was using wireless, so switched to an Ethernet cable, but still no luck. I just discovered that ALL of the network-related devices are now listed under an "Unknown" tab in the Device Manager. A check of properties of each item in that folder says they are all working properly, but that obviously isn't the case. I tried uninstalling each of the 4 items, but when they are recognized again they still show up under the Unknown tab. Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

Network will not show on the last device.

Hi James,

I suggest you to remove all the networks that are connected to your device and check.

If the issue persist, I suggest you to follow the steps below.

An outdated or incompatible network adapter driver can cause connection problems. If you recently upgraded to
Windows 10, it's possible that the current driver was designed for a previous version of Windows. Check to see if an updated driver is available.

• 
  In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select
  Device Manager from the list of results.
  
• 
  In Device Manager, select Network adapters > the network adapter name.
  
• 
  Right-click (or press and hold) the network adapter, and then select Update Driver Software >
  Search automatically for updated driver software. Follow the steps, then select
  Close.
  
• 
  After installing the updated driver, select the Start
  
  button >
  Power > Restart if asked to restart, and see if that fixes the connection issue.
  

If Windows can’t find a new driver for your network adapter, visit the PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest network adapter driver from there. If your PC can't connect to the Internet, you'll need to download a driver on a different PC and save
it to a USB flash drive, so you can install the driver on your PC. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name or number.

Rely us with the status to assist you further.

Regards,

Guru Kiran