Scanning networks

Find and review Wi-Fi networks in your area.

Discover nearby Wi-Fi networks and gather information about them. You can scan passively without connecting, or connect to a network and explore devices on it.

Prerequisites

  • GhostESP flashed device, powered on with a wireless antenna.

Finding nearby networks

On-device UI

  1. Open Menu → WiFi → Scanning. You should see a menu with scan options.
  2. Choose Scan Access Points. The device will search for networks. Wait for the scan to finish and see a summary.
  3. Select List Access Points. You should see each network listed with its name, channel, signal strength, and device manufacturer.

On-device UI — Optional features

  • Scan APs Live: Watch new networks appear in real time as they’re discovered.
  • Channel Congestion: See how busy the wireless channels are in your area.

Command line

  1. Open the GhostESP terminal (serial connection or on-device terminal).
  2. Run scanap to start a scan. Wait for it to finish and show results.
  3. Run list -a to see the cached list of networks.

Command line — Optional features

  • Run scanap -live to watch networks appear as they’re discovered.

Exploring a network

Once you connect to a network, you can discover devices and services on it.

Connect to a network

  1. Open Menu → WiFi → Connection → Connect to WiFi. Enter the network name and password when prompted.
  2. Wait for the connection to complete. The terminal will show status updates.
  3. To disconnect later, go to Menu → WiFi → Connection → Disconnect.

Connect via command line

  1. Run connect "SSID" "password" (use quotes if the name or password has spaces). The terminal will show connection progress and confirm when connected.
  2. Run connect with no arguments to reconnect to the last network you used.
  3. Run disconnect to leave the network.

Find devices on the network

  1. Open Menu → WiFi → Scanning while connected.
  2. Choose Scan LAN Devices. You should see a list of devices and services on the network.

Find devices via command line

  1. Run scanlocal to discover devices and services. You should see hostnames, service types, and ports.
  2. Run scanarp to find all active devices on the network. You should see IP addresses and device information.

Check for open ports

  1. From the UI, select a device with Select LAN, then choose Scan Open Ports. You should see which ports are responding on that device.
  2. From the command line, run scanports <ip> to check a specific device. You should see open ports listed. Add all to check all ports, or start-end (like 20-1024) for a range.
  3. Run scanssh <ip> to specifically check if a device has SSH enabled.

Troubleshooting

  • No networks found: Move closer to wireless routers and try scanning again.
  • “You Need to Scan APs First” message: Run a scan before trying to select a network.
  • Live scan stops right away: Stop any active Wi-Fi attacks or portals from the menu and try again.

FAQ

  • Can I scan while connected to a network? Yes. The device will pause the connection briefly to scan, then resume.
  • Where do the device vendor names come from? GhostESP looks up the device’s hardware address in a small built-in database to potentially identify the manufacturer.