OpUtils’ advanced network scanner brings together IP scanning, port scanning, and device discovery capabilities, giving IT teams unified visibility across their network environment. A network scanner probes IP addresses, ports, and connected devices to verify availability, map services, and detect potential risks, enabling faster resolution of network issues.
Designed for modern, dynamic environments, OpUtils' network scanner helps you track devices, users, switch ports, and IP utilization, without relying on manual tools or spreadsheets. With:
OpUtils makes network scanning scalable, accurate, and continuous.
Its intuitive, code-free interface and 30+ bundled network utilities help teams monitor IP infrastructure, detect anomalies, and enrich asset data, enabling faster troubleshooting and more efficient network operations.
On this page, you will understand:
A network scanner is a software tool that automatically discovers devices connected to a network and gathers essential details about them such as IP address, MAC address, hostname, device type, OS hints, and open ports.
Network scanners probe IP ranges, subnets, or entire network segments using techniques such as ICMP, ARP, and TCP scans to determine host availability and collect contextual information.
This helps IT teams maintain an accurate inventory of assets, detect unknown or unauthorized devices, and troubleshoot faster.
Unlike basic discovery tools, advanced network scanners can:
By consolidating these capabilities, a network scanner becomes essential for visibility, network hygiene, and proactive troubleshooting in enterprise environments.
Modern networks are dynamic where devices constantly join or leave, IP assignments shift, and subnets expand. Without an automated network scanner, IT teams lose visibility into these changes, creating operational gaps, troubleshooting delays, and increased security risks.
A network scanner follows a systematic workflow to discover devices, validate their status, and gather intelligence that enriches and maintains an accurate network inventory.
OpUtils is an enterprise-grade network scanner that provides real-time visibility into IP usage, connected devices, and network changes, all through an intuitive, code-free interface. Beyond basic network discovery, OpUtils enhances operational control with integrated IP address management, switch port mapping, rogue device detection, and DNS-DHCP data correlation. You can perform quick scans to validate host availability or leverage its full capabilities to monitor network behavior continuously, enforce asset accountability, and maintain a clean and secure inventory across distributed environments.
OpUtils’ network scanner performs real-time IP scans to determine the status of every IP address. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6, detecting internal and external IPs along with MAC details, OS hints, ping status, response time, and DNS status. All scan insights are consolidated into the OpUtils console for smarter troubleshooting and faster inventory updates.
OpUtils enables you to create and manage multiple IP subnets and flexible subnet hierarchies without switching views. Scheduled scans help you track subnet size, usage, status, and available IPs to maintain accurate utilization data. You can add subnets manually, import via CSV, or auto-discover via routers and Meraki controllers for easier onboarding.
Using ICMP sweeps and SNMP polling, OpUtils maps device-to-port and port-to-switch relationships for complete connectivity visibility. It supports multi-vendor switch environments, automatically retrieving VLAN details and virtual IP address information. This makes it easier to track device movement and troubleshoot connectivity issues.
OpUtils correlates IP scan data with DHCP scopes to provide real-time usage and lease visibility. By tracking leased vs. available addresses, creating policies, manage reservations, and utilization trends, OpUtils' network scanner helps prevent scope exhaustion and improves capacity planning. This integration ensures accurate reporting across dynamic addressing environments.
OpUtils automatically resolves DNS names through forward and reverse lookups to enrich scan results with host identities. This helps admins quickly trace devices, troubleshoot outages, and validate asset ownership without manual DNS queries.
For environments using Microsoft DNS, OpUtils goes a step further by allowing you to create DNS zones and manage DNS records directly from the console. Whether you’re adding, editing, or deleting A/PTR records, OpUtils keeps DNS data synchronized with real-world IP usage, reducing configuration drift and ensuring clean, reliable DNS resolution.
OpUtils maps each detected device to the exact physical switch port using ICMP, SNMP, and ARP. This allows technicians to trace endpoints instantly, detect abandoned or misused ports, and validate VLAN assignments. Detailed port-level visibility significantly reduces time spent troubleshooting connectivity issues.
With periodic scanning, OpUtils identifies unknown or suspicious devices attempting to access your network. It alerts you on the discovery of rogue endpoints such as unauthorized access points, bots, or sniffers, helping prevent security breaches. Automated monitoring ensures proactive detection and remediation before risks escalate.
You can automate subnet and switch scans at scheduled intervals to keep IP and device inventories accurate. Customizable threshold alerts notify you when availability changes, rogue devices appear, or IP utilization crosses limits. This supports proactive management and reduces operational overhead.
OpUtils helps enforce secure network management through role-based access. Administrators receive full control over configuration and scanning, while Operators are granted restricted or read-only access. This minimizes unauthorized changes, improves auditability, and ensures only qualified stakeholders can modify network settings.
Getting started with OpUtils is simple. If you’re exploring its unified DDI and Switch Port Management capabilities for the first time, you can schedule a live demo with a product expert to walk through key workflows, advanced scanning features, and deployment best practices.
Wanted to try it yourself? Download the 30-day free trial and begin scanning in under an hour. OpUtils deploys seamlessly within existing network environments, requiring minimal configuration while delivering immediate visibility into your IP space, devices, and switch ports.
A network scanner is a tool that automatically discovers devices connected to a network and collects details such as IP address, MAC address, hostname, open ports, and operating system hints. It helps IT teams maintain visibility and control over network assets.
Network scanning is used to identify active devices, detect unauthorized or rogue systems, map open ports and services, track IP address usage, and support troubleshooting and capacity planning. It helps maintain secure, organized, and well-managed networks.
Network scanning is important because it provides real-time visibility into devices and traffic, helps detect security risks such as rogue hosts or open ports, keeps IP allocation updated, supports compliance and audit readiness, and reduces manual effort by automating discovery and documentation.
Network scanning is typically done by probing IP ranges or subnets, checking responses via ICMP, ARP, SNMP, and TCP/UDP, collecting endpoint details such as hostname, MAC, vendor, and ports, and compiling results into dashboards or reports. Tools may scan periodically or continuously to keep inventory updated.
A network scanner sends requests to a defined IP range, identifies live hosts based on responses, performs enrichment such as DNS lookup, port scan, OS hints, and MAC vendor match, maps devices to subnets, VLANs, and switch ports, and displays results for monitoring, reporting, and troubleshooting. Advanced scanners integrate with DNS, DHCP, and IPAM to maintain accurate inventory.
Key benefits include automated device discovery and inventory, faster troubleshooting, increased security by detecting unauthorized hosts, easier capacity and IP utilization planning, reduced manual effort, and improved compliance reporting.
Look for a network scanner that offers multi-layer discovery (IP, DNS, MAC, ports, OS), automated and scheduled scanning, IPv4 and IPv6 support, switch-port mapping, alerting for unknown devices, integration with IPAM, DHCP, and DNS, reporting and dashboards, and scalability for large networks. Ensure it fits your environment and security requirements.
