NetScope

Nearby Wi-Fi monitoring, analysis & defensive security — for Windows desktop.

A fast, dark-first PySide6 app that scans the Wi-Fi around you, charts it over time, maps the devices on your own network, flags security risks, and keeps a searchable history you can export.

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Scope & ethics. NetScope is a defensive, diagnostic tool. It passively observes Wi-Fi access points in range (like any Wi-Fi analyzer) and performs active inspection (ping sweep, port scan) only on the network you're connected to / authorized to test. It does not crack passwords, capture handshakes, deauth/jam, or intercept anyone else's traffic — and never will.

Features

• Networks — live access-point list with real RSSI (dBm) via the native Windows WLAN API, color-coded security, painted signal bars, search, band and "weak only" filters, and a per-network detail panel with a live signal sparkline.
• Analytics — multi-network signal-over-time chart, per-band channel congestion leaderboard with a recommended channel, band distribution, and an airspace security score.
• LAN — discover devices on your own subnet (ping sweep + ARP), real vendor names from the full IEEE OUI registry, on-demand TCP port/service scan, a topology map, and a live bandwidth readout.
• Security — evil-twin / rogue-AP detection, per-network security scoring with anomaly badges (Open / WEP / Hidden / Randomized-MAC / Unknown-vendor), and a live alerts timeline (new / lost / encryption-changed / evil-twin).
• History — persistent SQLite store across runs, lifetime stats, and one-click CSV / PDF report export.
• Settings — theme, start view, scan interval, alert behaviour, data retention — saved to ~/.netscope/config.json.

Light and dark themes throughout. Locale-resilient (works on a Turkish Windows, etc.).

Screenshots

Analytics	LAN / Devices

Security	History

Run from source

pip install -r requirements.txt

python gui.py            # real scanner on Windows, mock data elsewhere
python gui.py --mock     # force mock data (great for development on any OS)

The real scanner is Windows-only (native WLAN API + netsh fallback). On other platforms the app runs against realistic mock data, so the UI and analysis are fully usable for development.

Build a Windows executable

NetScope ships as a single .exe (no Python needed to run it):

packaging\build_windows.bat

This produces dist\NetScope.exe via PyInstaller (bundling the IEEE OUI database and icon) and, if Inno Setup is installed, dist\NetScope-Setup.exe. See packaging/README.md.

Tests

pytest -q          # 65 unit tests across all subsystems

The architecture is deliberately layered — scanners, models, analysis, persistence and reporting are all UI-independent and pure where possible, which is what keeps them unit-testable without Wi-Fi hardware or a network.

Project layout

gui.py                 # desktop UI entry point
run.py                 # CLI preview entry point
netscope/
  models.py            # AccessPoint, Band, Security
  utils.py             # MAC / vendor (real IEEE OUI) / band / security helpers
  config.py            # user preferences (JSON)
  store.py             # SQLite persistence
  report.py            # CSV / HTML / PDF report builders
  data/oui.tsv.gz      # bundled IEEE OUI registry (~35k vendors)
  scanners/            # mock / native WLAN API / netsh backends
  lan/                 # device discovery, port scan, traffic monitor
  ui/                  # PySide6 views: networks, analytics, lan, security,
                       # history, settings + threading + theming
tests/                 # pytest suite
packaging/             # PyInstaller spec, build script, Inno Setup installer, icon

Tech

Python 3.10+ · PySide6 (Qt) · SQLite (stdlib) · ctypes (native WLAN API) · optional psutil for instant bandwidth · PyInstaller for packaging.

License

MIT © 2026 Berk Aslan