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🚀 NetworkMonitor Installation Guide

This guide will help you install and run NetworkMonitor on your computer in just a few minutes!

📥 Download Options

Option 1: Download from GitHub Releases (Recommended)

  1. Go to Releases Page
  2. Download the latest version for your operating system:
Platform Download Type
Windows NetworkMonitor-Windows-Setup-x.x.x.zip Installer (Recommended)
Windows NetworkMonitor-Windows-x.x.x.zip Portable Version
Linux NetworkMonitor-Linux-x.x.x.tar.gz Executable
macOS NetworkMonitor-macOS-x.x.x.zip Application Bundle

🪟 Windows Installation

Prerequisites (One-Time Setup)

Before running NetworkMonitor, you need Npcap for network packet capture:

  1. Download Npcap from https://npcap.com
  2. Run the installer as Administrator
  3. ✅ Important: Check the box "Install Npcap in WinPcap API-compatible Mode"
  4. Complete the installation

Installing NetworkMonitor

Method A: Using the Installer (Recommended)

  1. Download NetworkMonitor-Windows-Setup-x.x.x.zip
  2. Extract the ZIP file
  3. Right-click NetworkMonitor_Setup.exe and select "Run as administrator"
  4. Follow the installation wizard
  5. Launch from Start Menu or Desktop shortcut

Method B: Portable Version (No Installation)

  1. Download NetworkMonitor-Windows-x.x.x.zip
  2. Extract to any folder (e.g., C:\NetworkMonitor)
  3. Right-click NetworkMonitor.exe and select "Run as administrator"

Running NetworkMonitor

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Always run NetworkMonitor as Administrator!
Right-click → "Run as administrator"
  1. Double-click NetworkMonitor.exe (or use Start Menu shortcut)
  2. A status dashboard will appear
  3. Your web browser will open automatically to http://localhost:5000
  4. You'll see all devices connected to your network!

🐧 Linux Installation

Prerequisites

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y libpcap-dev net-tools iptables

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install -y libpcap-devel net-tools iptables

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S libpcap net-tools iptables

Installation

# 1. Download the latest release
wget https://github.com/umerfarok/networkmonitor/releases/latest/download/NetworkMonitor-Linux-x.x.x.tar.gz

# 2. Extract the archive
tar -xzf NetworkMonitor-Linux-*.tar.gz

# 3. Make it executable
chmod +x NetworkMonitor

# 4. Run with sudo (required for network access)
sudo ./NetworkMonitor

Running

# Always run with sudo for network scanning
sudo ./NetworkMonitor

Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:5000

🍎 macOS Installation

Prerequisites

# Install libpcap (usually pre-installed, but just in case)
brew install libpcap

Installation

  1. Download NetworkMonitor-macOS-x.x.x.zip
  2. Extract the ZIP file
  3. If you see a security warning:
    • Go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy
    • Click "Open Anyway"

Running

# Run with sudo for network access
sudo ./NetworkMonitor

Or right-click the app and select "Open", then enter your password.

Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:5000

🌐 Using the Web Dashboard

Once NetworkMonitor is running, the dashboard provides:

Features

  • 📊 Device List: See all devices on your network
  • 🔍 Device Details: IP, MAC, Hostname, Vendor
  • ⚡ Speed Monitoring: Real-time bandwidth usage
  • 🔒 Protection: Protect devices from ARP attacks
  • ✂️ Network Cut: Disconnect devices from the network
  • 🚦 Speed Limiting: Control bandwidth per device

Dashboard URL

http://localhost:5000

☁️ Using with Vercel-Hosted Frontend

NetworkMonitor supports a hybrid setup where the beautiful dashboard is hosted on Vercel:

How It Works

┌─────────────────────┐         ┌──────────────────────┐
│   Your Computer     │         │    Vercel (Cloud)    │
│                     │         │                      │
│  NetworkMonitor.exe │◄────────│  Web Dashboard       │
│  (Backend API)      │  API    │  (React Frontend)    │
│  :5000              │  calls  │                      │
└─────────────────────┘         └──────────────────────┘

Setup

  1. Start the local backend on your computer:

    # Windows
NetworkMonitor.exe

# Linux/macOS
sudo ./NetworkMonitor

  2. Access the Vercel dashboard:

    • Go to the deployed Vercel URL (e.g., https://your-app.vercel.app)
    • The dashboard connects to http://localhost:5000 automatically

  3. That's it! The cloud dashboard controls your local network.

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Npcap not found" (Windows)

  1. Download Npcap from npcap.com
  2. Run installer as Administrator
  3. ✅ Enable "WinPcap API-compatible Mode"
  4. Restart NetworkMonitor

"Permission denied" (Linux/macOS)

# Must run with sudo
sudo ./NetworkMonitor

"Cannot bind to port 5000"

Another application is using port 5000. Either:

  • Close the other application
  • Or change the port in settings

"No devices found"

  1. Make sure you're connected to a network
  2. Run as Administrator/root
  3. Check firewall settings
  4. Try restarting NetworkMonitor

Dashboard shows "Cannot connect to server"

  1. Make sure NetworkMonitor.exe is running
  2. Check if the firewall is blocking port 5000
  3. Try accessing http://localhost:5000/api/status in your browser

📞 Getting Help

  • GitHub Issues: Report a bug
  • Documentation: Read the docs
  • Logs: Check application logs at:
    • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\NetworkMonitor\logs
    • Linux/macOS: ~/.networkmonitor/logs

🎉 Quick Reference

Action Command/Steps
Start Run NetworkMonitor.exe as Admin
Access Dashboard Open http://localhost:5000
Stop Click "Exit" or close the window
View Logs %LOCALAPPDATA%\NetworkMonitor\logs

⚠️ Important Notes

  1. Administrator/Root Required: Network scanning requires elevated privileges
  2. ARP Scanning: Some networks/routers may flag ARP scanning as suspicious activity
  3. Firewall: Make sure port 5000 is allowed through your firewall
  4. Use Responsibly: Only use on networks you own or have permission to monitor

Happy Network Monitoring! 🎯