How to Identify and Change the Names of the Computers Connected to the WiFi

Identify computers connected to a WiFi network with Android apps

Surely, if we want to identify the devices that we have connected to our Wi-Fi network, the easiest way to do it is using an Android app. The process to do so is as follows:

1. We open the Play Store.
2. We look for network apps and Wi-Fi analytics.
3. We download and install it.

Currently, most modern versions of Android require permissions to function. This type of apps to identify and change the names of the teams were not going to be less. In this case, what they usually ask us for is the location permit . An important question that some will ask is if it could work without activating it, the answer is yes, but with limitations. For example, it would not show the name of our Wi-Fi network.

As a first example we are going to take NetX Network Tools . This is what would happen to us if we don’t grant location permission:

Right now instead of putting our network name, it has unknown ssid . However, if you accept the location permission, things change as you can see in the next screen.

Instead of putting unknown ssid now puts the name of the network that was currently connected Network. Now it is the turn to identify the devices that are connected to the Wi-Fi network. Here it indicates that it is made up of four teams:

1. An AVM FRITZ! Box router.
2. Desktop PC with Gigabyte board.
3. Oppo smartphone.
4. H100 is the model of a TP-Link smart plug.

In short, the app has done a good job identifying all the devices on my W-Fi network. These types of apps usually recognize the best-known manufacturers without problems. However, sometimes they fail in that sense, but they will show us that there is a connected device, its MAC and other data.

This can be a way to check if you have an intruder on your WiFi network. In case you find one, after making sure that it is not your computer, what you have to do is change the router password. In this article we would recommend putting at least a WPA2 encryption with a password with alphanumeric characters and symbols (% &). If you want to try NetX Network Tools you can download it from here:

On the other hand, if you want to know this app in depth, here is the tutorial.

How to change device names on Android

An Android app does not always detect the name of the device well, or puts the name that we would like. One of the ways would be by modifying the build.prop file. The downside of doing so would be that you need to root your terminal. This implies loss of guarantee and that if it goes wrong you can be left without your Android device.

Therefore, I am going to explain how to do it only with an Android app. Thus, we will change the names of the teams without taking any risk. The changes you make will only remain in that app and will not affect the devices.

This time, as an example we are going to use Network Scanner that you can download from the Google Play Store from here:

This is the main screen of the app.

We are going to focus on the second device which is a Sony. Obviously, as you may have deduced from the manufacturer’s information, it is a smartphone. Here we are going to change its icon and its name or hostname. If we click on the left, where the Sony mobile is located, we will get these options:

The one that interests us is Change Host , and it is the one we are going to press.

Here we have two options:

1. Chage icon : to change the image of the connected equipment. We are going to put the one of an Android mobile.
2. Change host : to put a name that allows it to be better identified. We are going to assign it «Sony Mobile».

Finally, if we compare it with the first screenshot, we see that we have an icon with an Android mobile instead of a monitor. In addition, we also see that our host is Sony Mobile.

If you want to know Network Scanner in depth, you have a tutorial here.

Other Android apps that we can use

From the hand of the developer farproc we have WiFi Analyzer . Among its most outstanding functions, is that it can recommend the best channel for our Wi-Fi network. It does this for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This application is one of the best for scanning Wi-Fi networks. Here, you have an example of how scanning a network works:

It is a free app and you can download it from here:

WiFi Monitor is a free Android app that will allow us to analyze the status of a Wi-Fi network. Thus, we can collect data on its parameters such as signal strength, frequency and connection speed. This application is useful to configure a wireless router. In addition, it is capable of scanning our Wi-Fi network. Here you have it identifying the computers in a network:

If you want to try it, you can download it from here:

In this article we have made both manuals in case you are interested in knowing them.

Change computer names in Windows 10

We can also change the Hostname of our laptop or PC . Thus, for example, when we view the devices connected to a Wi-Fi or local network, that name will appear. To do this, we will follow the following steps:

1. Let’s go to ” Start” .
2. We write « Control Panel » and we give to Enter.
3. We choose ” System and Security “.
4. Next, we click « System «.

At that moment a screen like this will appear:

The next thing we have to do is select Change Settings .

Now we are in the Team name tab and click on Change .

There in ” Computer name ” we can change the names of the computers or host name. If you look closely, in the first image I put in the NetX Network Tools app you can see that this PC was recognized on the network as DESKTOP-OISTM6G.

To finish with this section, Host changes can be observed and maintained. Thus, you can see it both on Windows and Android etc. However, with an app, only the name was kept in that app.

Change the names of the computers on the router

Before starting, it should be noted that this function is not provided by all routers. Generally, the ones that internet providers usually do not offer so many options. In that sense, those from manufacturers such as ASUS or AVM usually offer many more configuration options.

One of them is the possibility of changing the names of the teams in order to better identify them. To be able to explain it better, we are going to take an AVM FRITZ! Box 3490 router as an example. The next thing we are going to do is go to the Wi-Fi section where you can see the devices that are connected at that moment.

Here we can see that at the moment two smart plugs and a smartphone are connected to the Wi-Fi network. We also look at the band they are connected to and their connection speed. In the case that we want that each time we enter the router, that mobile appears with another name, we click on the pencil icon.

In the name we put the one we want and click on Reset . With that we can change the names of the computers in our router.