See Devices Connected to Your Wi-Fi Access Point in Windows
If you’ve ever accessed your Wi-Fi router’s settings page, you’ve probably seen the word ‘Channel’ there. Most of the time, we just connect the router and it automatically has the right channel selected for us. In some cases, the Wi-Fi connection is quite fast, but the selected channel makes it super slow due to a number of reasons. And while there are multiple ways to increase internet speed, one of the easiest is to switch the default Wi-Fi channel to one that is less congested. But how do you find which channel has the least amount of traffic? This is where NirSoft’s tool WifiChannelMonitor comes to the rescue. This no-frills utility uses Microsoft Network Monitor’s capture driver in monitor mode, and displays real-time information about access points and the Wi-Fi devices connected to them.
Heads-up (2025): Microsoft Network Monitor is an archived product and no longer updated, but the driver is still downloadable and works for WifiChannelMonitor. Also note: many Wi-Fi adapters/drivers on Windows have limited or flaky monitor-mode support. Starting with WifiChannelMonitor v1.55 you can still capture useful info from your own network even if your adapter can’t switch to monitor mode.
WifiChannelMonitor doesn’t require any installation and can work as a standalone application. Its portable design also makes it ideal for using on the go from a USB thumb drive. To get started, download Microsoft Network Monitor 3.x from the official download page and install it on your PC. Once that is done, download WifiChannelMonitor and run the application. It supports 32-bit and 64-bit Windows (see system requirements below).
Using WifiChannelMonitor is ridiculously easy. Once launched, you’ll see a blank window. Press F6 or click Capture to open Capture Options. Choose your wireless adapter, select a channel, and (if available) pick the PHY type. If ‘Automatically switch to monitor mode’ is enabled, specify the channel and band before starting the capture. Tip: begin with one of the classic 2.4 GHz channels 1, 6, or 11 and then adjust as needed.
Click OK and WifiChannelMonitor begins capturing. The program can even show information about Wi-Fi clients that aren’t currently connected to any access point—handy for seeing the SSIDs they’re probing for. If you don’t see data, try switching PHY from 802.11n to 802.11g or vice-versa, or change channels.
As with most NirSoft utilities, data is organized in resizable columns. For each access point you’ll see SSID, MAC address, manufacturer, PHY type (now including 802.11ax and WPA3 detection), frequency, channel, RSSI, security, beacons, probe responses, total data bytes, retransmits, and more. For each client you’ll see MAC address, manufacturer, sent/received bytes, probe counts, and the list of SSIDs it’s trying to connect to—in real time.
You can save results as HTML or CSV for analysis or logging. There’s also an option to auto-start capture on launch and an Advanced Options panel for noise filtering, channel stickiness, and CRC handling.
System requirements & notes (updated)
- Windows: Vista/7/8/10 and Windows Server 2012 (32-bit or 64-bit).
- Driver: Microsoft Network Monitor 3.x must be installed for live capture.
- Adapters: A Wi-Fi adapter/driver that supports monitor mode on Windows gives the best results. If your adapter can’t enter monitor mode, WifiChannelMonitor (v1.55+) can still show traffic for your connected network.
- Formats: You can also open
.pcapcaptures made on Linux (e.g., airodump-ng/Wireshark) without any driver.
If monitor mode won’t work on your PC
Windows driver support for monitor mode is hit-or-miss. If your adapter refuses to cooperate, consider:
- Microsoft Store “WiFi Analyzer” app: quick signal/channel checks without monitor mode. Get WiFi Analyzer.
- Wireshark + Npcap (monitor mode): if your adapter supports it, Npcap can capture raw 802.11 frames. See Npcap user guide.
- NetSpot (Windows): easy channel/signal surveys and heat-mapping. Learn about NetSpot.
WifiChannelMonitor works on supported Windows versions listed above. You can download it for free from the developer’s site.
What’s New in This Update
- Added 2025 notes on Microsoft Network Monitor being archived and how that affects setup.
- Updated system requirements to reflect current support (Vista/7/8/10/2012) and clarified monitor-mode limitations on Windows.
- Mentioned WifiChannelMonitor v1.55+ behavior when monitor mode isn’t available, plus newer detection for WPA3/802.11ax and an 802.11ac option.
- Added practical starting-channel advice (1/6/11) and troubleshooting tips for empty captures.
- Included modern alternatives for Windows users (WiFi Analyzer, Wireshark+Npcap, NetSpot) with external links.
- Fixed typos and minor grammar while preserving the original tone and structure.
Last updated: 2025-10-16
