v1.1.0 · open source · MIT license

The network scanner for people who install video surveillance.

Plug a Raspberry Pi into the network. It configures itself, finds IP cameras, NVRs, DVRs and network gear, and hands you a report of what is exposed: open Telnet, reachable RTSP, admin panels without HTTPS.

Code on GitHub How to install

Works offline
No telemetry
Linux, Raspberry Pi and Windows
Web dashboard and command line
About 11 seconds for a /24 with 4 devices on a Pi 3B+

https://raspiscanner.local:7332

RaspiScanner dashboard: counters for devices, cameras and issues by severity, network status and the table of devices found

Example data: a Hikvision camera and NVR, a TP-Link router and a Raspberry Pi. Not anyone's real network.

How it works

You don't need to know the network in advance.

Built for the installation you didn't set up: unknown subnet, no documentation, one free port on the switch.

Plug in

Ethernet, Wi-Fi or an active VPN. It tries DHCP; if nothing answers, it tries the most common private subnets and keeps the one where it finds devices. If it finds more than one, it doesn't guess: it asks you.

Scan

For each device: TCP ports and HTTP banners, ONVIF for the real make and model, mDNS, vendor from the MAC with an offline database, reverse DNS, plus LLDP/CDP, SNMP and IPv6 when available.

Read the report

Devices grouped by category, issues found and a risk summary from critical to low. From the dashboard, as CSV or JSON, or from the terminal with --report.

Classification

It can tell a camera from an NVR.

Every device goes through four independent classifiers, and the most specific one wins.

Camera
NVR / DVR
Router
Switch
Access point
Raspberry Pi and IoT
Windows PC
Mac
Phone and tablet
Network printer
Generic

Cameras and recorders are recognized by the protocols they speak, not by the brand in the MAC address.

The report

What is exposed, in plain words.

Active but non-intrusive probes: a normal connection, like anyone on the same network could make.

Critical
Telnet open on a camera or NVRThe favorite port of IoT botnets. High on other devices.
High
Admin panel over HTTP onlyNo encrypted alternative: the password travels in clear text.
Medium
RTSP reachableThe video stream port answers. Credentials are not tested.

$ sudo python3 raspi-scanner.py --report

NETWORK ASSESSMENT
────────────────────────────

Network: 192.168.10.0/24

4 devices discovered
Summary: 1 camera, 1 NVR/DVR, 1 network device,
         5 security findings

SECURITY
  ⚠ Telnet exposed
    192.168.10.10 (Hikvision NVR)
  ⚠ HTTP service detected, no HTTPS available
    192.168.10.1 (TP-Link network device)
  ⚠ RTSP exposed (stream reachability not verified)
    192.168.10.10 (Hikvision NVR)

RISK SUMMARY
  Critical: 1
  High:     0
  Medium:   3
  Low:      1

Stated limits

What it doesn't do.

Better to know before than to find out on site.

Not a vulnerability scanner

No logins, no password guessing, no exploits, no CVE matching. It says what a service exposes, not whether it's actually exploitable.

No MAC beyond the router

ARP doesn't cross routers. Networks reached through routing or VPN are still scanned, but without MAC or vendor.

No multi-hop maps

Topology goes one hop: the gateway and the neighbors announced via LLDP/CDP.

Sends data to no one

No telemetry and no cloud service. Everything it needs, including the TLS certificate, stays on the device.

Installation

Try it in two minutes, install it when you need to.

The trial installs nothing and doesn't touch the network configuration. The installation turns a Raspberry Pi into a dedicated appliance to leave on site.

1Get the code

git clone https://github.com/Scorp1oner0/raspiscanner.git
cd raspiscanner

Without git, or on Windows:

Download the zip

2Start it

Linux and Raspberry Pi

Quick trial

./start.sh

Creates an isolated Python environment and opens the dashboard at https://127.0.0.1:7332. Stop it with Ctrl-C and it leaves nothing behind.

Windows

Double-click

start.bat

Needs Python 3.9 or later from python.org, installed with "Add Python to PATH" checked. The laptop's network is only read, never changed.

Dedicated Raspberry Pi

Installation

sudo ./install.sh

A system service that starts at boot. The Pi configures its own network interface and can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot so you can reach it without a cable.

3First login

On first launch an admin user is created with a random password, which you change right away. With the quick trial the password shows up in the terminal window; with the installation you'll find it in the log:

sudo journalctl -u raspiscanner -n 20 --no-pager

The browser will flag the certificate as untrusted: that's normal for a device reached by IP on a private network, just like routers and NAS boxes.

To also find devices that expose no port at all you need the full ARP scan: on Linux start the trial with sudo -E RASPISCANNER_NO_NETWORK_CONFIG=1 ./start.sh, which still leaves the network untouched; on Windows install Npcap and run start.bat as administrator.

Requirements

Linux, including Raspberry Pi OS, or Windows
Python 3.9 or later
On Linux: python3-venv, plus isc-dhcp-client for the installation
Root only for the installation and the full ARP scan
Optional: nmcli for Wi-Fi and hotspot, Npcap on Windows

Only use it on networks you're authorized to scan. The probes are light but real: they send packets and generate traffic visible on the target network.