Fing - Network Scanner Reviews

by MusicMac

UPDATE: (** see “previous update” below”)

Developer contacted me regarding my review. I STILL want my old version back!

To add insult to injury - developer says they’re adding a paid ad-free version. WHAT?! But you’re still getting my data!!! My data is far more valuable to you than ads.

So... no ads for paid version, but you still get valuable data for free! What a racket!! I better be able to opt out of sharing my data if I have to pay for what was use to be a free app with no ads.

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** PREVIOUS UPDATE
Latest update might of had some fixes but it also seems nice little annoying ads were added, too!?? So now - one star!!

I signed up so now this app is capable of gaining and analyzing EVEN more of our personal network and device data and I STILL have to have ads in Fing ?? What now - I have to purchase the device to get rid of advertisements? My data is worth more!!

Boo!!! One star!!

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ORIGINAL REVIEW:
This is this app “limited”?? If this is what limited looks like to these guys then these developers ROCK!

For general network analysis, to be able to see REAL names of items on your network this is more than enough power for the general user. I can’t imagine what power it brings to the pro user.

I have other network tools, “Net Analyzer,” “LAN Scan” and all ‘em cripple even their already scaled down free version. this app? It just works!

by What Fkn Ever

Well seems like this app is doing what he’s supposed to,I think, not sure... I contact tech support and all I seem to get back is an auto response saying I’ve opened a ticket then 2 days later I’ll get another auto response saying “How did we do” word to the wise, If the cable co comes to service your home or business REMOVE this app AND DONT MENTION IT” they came out to my place and I told them the problems I’ve been having and he was very curious on how I knew all this information. I asked if he knew about this app Box, 3 different cable repair men said “ no, what’s that? I’ve never heard of it”! Well when they got upset due to me having a lot more information than him ( so I thought) they all on different days pull out their phones and I see the this app app on their phone! They couldn’t backpedal enough, throw out more lies and leave fast enough saying a supervisor would have to come out. Then they hooked a big box outside to my cable and this app went through all his colors, went off, turns back to white, which is a Reboot mode and it’s never been the same and this app support has not answered any thing I’ve asked sense. I WOULD LIKE TO GET AN EXCHANGE!!! But for now ..... nothing but auto response saying “ Hey, How did we do... would be nice to actually get a human response and a support phone number to contact a human being!!! Technology has passed humanity.. it’s sad ... Mark R.

by Raptor Hawk

Ads now!? And Devs say they have an ad free version now which
expects you to pay a SUBSCRIPTION!? You want to offer an ad free product for a low one-time fee (i.e. $1-$2) then great. I don’t know of any mobile app that deserves ongoing charges. None that I’m willing to pay for ...

Prior Review:
Fing used to be a useful tool. However since Apple apparently changed how MAC addresses can be used I do not find Fing useful anymore. Its not the Dev’s fault, but it does render Fing fairly useless for my purpose. Not being able to map unknown devices via their MACs is unfortunate. If the Devs can somehow update their app to provide this functionality I’d be willing to update my review.

by Kid Rock C

After receiving the request for the petition by the maker of Fing and companion hardware, I have a few questions that I feel need to be addressed.

1) Did the API calls that were used go away only in iOS 11.0.3 or were they already gone in iOS 11.0?

2) If iOS 11.0 caused Fing to lose certain functions, why didn’t the developers realize this much earlier when previews of the OS had been made available? Was the functionality present until the golden master? Shouldn’t the users have been warned by the developers not to upgrade to iOS 11 if they relied on Fing ?

3) Were the API calls under IOS 10 officially documented? If so, I would agree that taking those away in 11 would be unfortunate, but remember my previous point about not knowing at this point how long the developers knew about this. If the developers used undocumented API calls, as some do (it’s a rather tempting thing to do when you come across a useful function call), they should not play victims now.

Anyhow, I don’t think that we know the entire story of how this situation came to be and I wouldn’t put my name onto any petition until the above questions have been answered.

by Stephen.vandyke

This used to be a 5 star app, now I have to bring it down to 3 specifically because they put in ad support in the latest version. From a business perspective I understand why they do it, but without also adding a paid version with no ad support it shows a real “we don’t care about the users”. No one likes ads and a lot of people will pay to get rid of them. Most people who use this tool are IT folks and adding in ads just cheapens the impression of the quality of the product. I love the tool and even have multiple Fingboxes so asking for a couple bucks a year for an ad free version is easy to get behind. Please please please make an ad free version otherwise a lot of people will start looking elsewhere.

by A Anonymous Gamer

The this app app is good for helping scan your network to see what devices are connected. If you decide to create an account with this app, I would HIGHLY SUGGEST that you use Sign In With Apple. Trying to get your account credentials deleted is like pulling teeth. this app provides no account deletion button, and there is no comprehensive support for removing your account. I had to go to the this app community, where I was told there was no way to delete your account until finally, someone gave me a link to someone that could help.

Since I didn’t use my this app account for much, I wanted to remove my account and use the Sign In With Apple feature, incase this app ever had a data breach in the future, my real email might not be on their servers anymore. After what I had to go through to remove my account, I didn’t have any desire to create a new one; and for this reason, I can only give their app three stars.

In summary:
• This is a good app for seeing all your network devices.
• Use Sign In With Apple unless you don’t mind your account details being on this app servers permanently.

by Waylo

Lots of great info here. I’m a new user and hope that the notifications will work. I tried multiple times to use Fing to sign into the communities to pose a question and it never worked. It always wanted me to sign in. I did.

Nonetheless, I was hoping that there would be a tracking feature for when my internet goes down. I’d love to be able to produce a list of dates and times when my internet was down to send to my provider. Any chance of getting that added in?

Thanks

by KHelton4

Update to four stars: based on the feedback provided, I was able to update the language to English. Not sure why Spanish was the default language? Overall I enjoy Fing and the fingbox and use it to get refunds from spectrum for the time when my internet is out. (At least 5 hours a month during work hours, which is insane)

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Been dealing with this issue after getting the Fingbox on Kickstarter many moons ago. Still no fix. Please!!! Make this an important issue to fix.

by Hpint37

I paid for this due to actual security concerns within the confines of my home. I live with someone I do not feel is a person living on just one side of the law. I cannot leave yet but feel as if there’s someone or some entity that he must have tethered to our WiFi. I know this by running other checks and finding things that make no sense. The this app app was helping me keep track of what was connecting and what it was. As well as when etc. It was helping my peace of mind a little. Now .. I can’t see squat. By reading a previous review .. I see that this is not the developers fault but the company that produces my phone. So I give it 4 stars when it was allowed to do its job. Sometimes our security issues aren’t always strangers. Fing was helping me keep track of the bad guy that lives here. I’m not tech smart with IP security and such. I wish I were. But this had helped a bit.

by Lee2900

If you can stand back a little, you should get a perspective at what this app offers overall,(free,purchased, or both)... here's how I research items purchased, be it this app,book, or automobile..
First, the true intent of the developers, then measurable history, Quality in build (hardware)and performance (software),top reviews from those respected in the industry,
Add to that real-time use, coupled with genuine positive reviews... going to be hard to lose here..
Keep in mind the this app Brothers 🤝(that's what I call 'em)
are definitely not your bait-and-switch kind of company..
I think they (any good company) would understand a few negative reviews might be caused by something out of their jurisdiction at that time..Some problems they can fix, some not at that moment. No need to fret. They'll get it fixed one way or another.. thing is they keep an eye on the prize, quality.. that's why I'm sticking with them.
Don't even think I'm getting paid for this.. I just have a love for machines designed and built with a lot of thought put into it.

by Mac Medix

Really nice network scanner with some innovative features. I bought a couple of Fingboxes (home & work) to go with it, and they make this app even better.

Now using Fingbox ($130) instead of a $20k Network Access Controller. this app alerts me when anything joins the network (with option to block their wifi). You do not need to be in wifi range to use the Fingbox. Anywhere with internet will do. You must have wifi on the network to start, then not necessary.

I mounted the Fingbox with its groovy pulsing circle facing front & center in the server room so visitors can see it featured among a sea of blinky lights as they pass by on plant tours.

by Aguazales

EDIT: after the latest update, I don’t see obtrusive ads in the device list, so resetting to 5 stars again.

I quite like Fingbox as a device, but I am removing two stars because the latest version puts ads the middle of Fing. Fing is the only way to use their hardware device that I already paid $75 for, so the fact that there are ads for random VPN services smack dab in the middle of the device list when you scroll through Fing really annoys me. And they’re not even giving you the option to disable ads for like a one-time $1 purchase (which would still annoy me), they’re just there permanently. Quite distracting too since the Fingbox app has a very minimalistic design and color scheme, and the ads I’ve seen are all garish reds on black backgrounds.

by La Familia Vélez Gutíerrez

I’ve enjoyed this app for quite sometime, I own two of them. One for the office and one for the home. Granular control over devices in real-time has been great for dealing teenagers and excessive internet use at home. In the office, it allows me to provide clients a level of access they need and that I feel comfortable providing. In this last update, I find the UI much more limited and far less useful. I get the feeling from reading about Apple’s security concerns for its services trumping the security interests of its users is forcing developers to cater to ensuring we (users) cannot peer behind the curtain and further, that we cannot interfere with those services by cutting off the data feed. If possible, this app, please look to the previous iteration of Fing and either build some of those functions into the web app or place them back in the iOS app.

Thank you!

by Will Come Back

Love Fing , very useful, quick and easy to use, and keeps a history of different networks/locations scanned. Better than other LAN scanners I've used, and better than many PC lan scanners too. Top marks, and so useful, i have held back upgrading my ipad to iOS11 for just Fing functionality. Request: add option to launch browser on identified device, default 80 but option to change port. Request2, get this app to read router Snmp table and ARP tables if iOS11 API no longer gives mac.

by Gpod52

Adding a user avatar would be nice. Looks like a space is there but unusable (or I may be just old and thick headed!). Very minor, no worries. One thing that bugs me is number of devices. I have ten devices at most, yet I have to put in as 256 or all my devices don't show. What is better, use unspecified or use 256? If anyone can help this old guy out I'd appreciate it very much. Cheers!
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Latest version FIXED almost immediately!
WOW! Great customer support by this app engineers by fixing the immediate crashing with previous upgrade. I couldn't ask for better response time and daily email updates from their customer support staff. Back to 5 STARS! Thanks so much everyone.

by Pyrosmiley

I got this years ago when I just needed to check for an IP address and I’ve kept it on every phone I’ve had since. It’s been really nice to see the team behind it work so hard to update and improve it to something way more than a simple network scanner. It IS a pity Apple won’t let them scan MAC addresses but that’s out of any app dev’s hands and I can understand the reasoning behind the policy.

I’m currently using the free version standalone, but these guys’ work has made me want to get their dedicated hardware product when I’m able.

by SDcollegeguy

Honestly, it’s absurd what people expect when an app is free! Gets the job done and quickly helped me establish the issue with my slow internet. For starters, I had no idea just how many devices I had working off my router; including my surveillance cameras. In addition, it picked up my husbands IPad that he rarely uses but keeps connected to the the WiFi! After ruling out my neighbors stealing my WiFi lol... I got to work. Rebooted my router after God knows how long and then disconnected several devices from the WiFi that we rarely use. All in all it does what it claims.

by Jasondotnet

So far used every feature and really like the monitoring feature as well. Personally only need that in trouble WAN(internet) situations when for example a particular ISP says that everything is top-notch or their not having problems with latency or DNS servers always rebooting or going offline for hours… it does come in handy I use multi tools usually like solar winds toolset. I’m a more tech user familiar with advanced network engineering… so I’m just a lil more fluent than most but tools like this make things easy I. My opinion for the norm individual to know some key concepts and basics. EZ in EZ out and KISS PRINCIPLE (keep it simple stupid)

by Nms2008n

I have been a user of this app for year and loved their app. However I recently got an iPad Pro and started using it in my workflow instead of my laptop. My workflow sometimes requires me to hard line inn and do a network scan. I connected the Ethernet adapter verified it was working did a lan scan with this app and it wouldn’t find anything and said WiFi was off. I turned Wi-Fi on and it would only find devices on the WiFi network nothing on LAN.

After that I paid for Network Analyzer Pro and stared using that it can discern between LAN and Wi-Fi and allows me to scan both networks!

by Obadelward

Yes, it loses icons where you've defined them sometimes.. But Fing saves time.. Plenty of time. Also has functionality to test some ports.. Cannot recommend it stronger.

There’s also the support! Post iOS 11 (when Apple masked MAC addresses, I realised that one of my old devices (an iPAD) couldn’t update beyond iOS 9 - anyhow, long story short is, on one of the this app upgrades the iPAD was crashing whenever I ran this app!!
This apparently was not a problem common to all iOS 9 users. Marco at this app support stuck with it until they found out what the problem was and fixed it. This is over about 6 weeks. I’m truly grateful.

by BoltonBob

Fling allows you to see all nodes on a wireless network. You are able to name each node. Allows for troubleshooting of network problems. Recommend for every user of wifi especially anyone responsible for setting up and maintaining networks.

10 Aug 2018 Update: The latest update blew away all my settings. So now I have to start over. Avoid buying this gadget like it was the plague.

2 May 2019 Update: I am annoyed again with the failure of this app to store the detailed names and locations I spent a couple of hours entering. This time the data was lost when the internet cables...not the power cable...was briefly removed in order to straighten out CAT 5 cables coming into my main switch. this app, please fix this issue and stop wasting my time! 👎🏻☹️

by MAP-Dallas

The this app app, combined with the this app hardware, make it so much easier to troubleshoot my home network. I really rely on this device. Troublesome devices which used to cause problems for the whole Network are now easily singled out and fixed.

Enhancement request: I like the periodic automatic testing of my ISP speed. Can you alert me me when the test result comes back less than usual? It’s useful to find weird problems such as my ISP changed my speed (their error) or my router needs to be rebooted.

Thank you for taking out ads for Fingbox users.

by WickSmith

I'm reasonably technical, but I find Fing a little difficult to follow. I also bought the Fingbox and I have been using it to determine which devices are active on my network and what they are. So far, I have not been able to make much progress. Some devices are identified only by Mac address, whereas others are identified only by their IP address. Some devices go on and off my network seemingly randomly, and I have yet to be able to identify them. I will study whatever documentation exists and revisit this review later.