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Lantern

  • Mac

Every device on your network, in detail.

A network scanner for your Mac that finds everything on your Wi-Fi and asks each device what it is: the printer's ink, the router's public address, the phone nobody recognises.

  • Every device in seconds
  • Printer ink and pages
  • Router details
  • Health check
  • Nothing leaves your Mac
Lifetime · pay once$9.99onceFree for 7 days. Every update included.
DownloadmacOS 26+ · Apple silicon
Support & FAQ →
Lantern's Health check: 3 things worth a look. WPS is on at your router, 1 port is open to the internet (TCP 32400 to the Archive NAS for Plex), yellow ink is low on the HP OfficeJet, and 4 other networks share your Wi-Fi channel, with channel 153 quieter
Lantern's Devices page on a home network called Maple House: 15 devices online, the list on the left with a TP-Link router, a MacBook Pro, a Synology NAS, a smart plug, an HP printer, a Hue Bridge and a Sonos speaker, and the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e open on the right with Overview, Activity and Technical tabs, a summary saying it has printed 4182 pages and yellow ink is low, and its ink levels (cyan 62%, magenta 48%, yellow 7% in red, black 81%)

Seven seconds later

Everyone on your Wi-Fi, and what they are.

Lantern asks every address on your network who's there, then asks each device what it is, the ways devices already describe themselves.

KindNameAddressMakerHeard by
RouterTP-Link Archer AX55192.168.1.1TP-LinkUPnP
ComputerMaya’s MacBook Pro192.168.1.20AppleThis Mac
PrinterHP OfficeJet Pro 9015e192.168.1.23HPIPP, SNMP
TVLG TV OLED55C4192.168.1.31LGAirPlay
Streaming boxLiving Room192.168.1.32GoogleCast
SpeakerKitchen192.168.1.33SonosUPnP
PhoneMaya’s iPhone192.168.1.40AppleBonjour
UnknownPhone or laptopNew192.168.1.42Private addressARP
Network storageArchive192.168.1.60SynologySMB, SNMP
ComputerSTUDIO-PC192.168.1.61Windows PCNetBIOS

Maple House · 15 online · one seen before · a made-up network, like every picture on this page

  • Ping and a knock

    One ping to every address, and a tap on common ports. A refused door still proves someone's home.

  • The ARP table

    Every device has to answer ARP to use the network, so even quiet ones turn up, with their hardware address.

  • Bonjour

    AirPlay, Cast, printers, Macs and smart-home gear announce themselves by name, with model details.

  • UPnP and SSDP

    Routers, TVs and speakers hand over a description: maker, model, serial number, settings page.

  • IPP and SNMP

    Printers report ink, pages printed, firmware and serial number. Some routers and NAS boxes say more over SNMP.

  • NetBIOS

    Windows PCs, NAS boxes and Samba servers tell you their computer name.

Printers

Ask the printer how much ink is left.

62%Cyan
48%Magenta
7%Yellow
81%Black

Any network printer that works with AirPrint answers over IPP, no password needed: ink or toner in its own colours, firmware, speed, paper loaded and what's wrong if something is. Many add pages printed and the serial number over SNMP, and Lantern counts the pages week by week.

A low tank gets a notification once, not every scan.

Lantern's Devices page on a home network called Maple House: 15 devices online, the list on the left with a TP-Link router, a MacBook Pro, a Synology NAS, a smart plug, an HP printer, a Hue Bridge and a Sonos speaker, and the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e open on the right with Overview, Activity and Technical tabs, a summary saying it has printed 4182 pages and yellow ink is low, and its ink levels (cyan 62%, magenta 48%, yellow 7% in red, black 81%)
Lantern showing the TP-Link Archer AX55 router: online, your router, a button to open its settings page, and its public address, connection, line and the Plex port it forwards to the internet

Your router

The box in the hall, opened up.

Model
TP-Link Archer AX55
Public address
81.2.69.160
Internet
Connected for 12 days 4 hours
Line
Ethernet, up
Open to the internet
TCP 32400 → Archive (Plex)
Hands out addresses
Yes, a 1-day lease
Wi-Fi
Channel 44, 5 GHz, 80 MHz, WPA2/WPA3

From the router's own UPnP description and status, read without its password. One button opens its settings page.

Health check

Ten things worth knowing.

Checked every time Lantern scans, explained in plain words, with the device to open.

  1. Double NAT

    Your router's internet side has a private address, so another box is in front of it. Games and calls notice.

  2. WPS left on

    The PIN can be guessed. Lantern spots routers that still announce it.

  3. Open or WEP Wi-Fi

    No password, or one that breaks in minutes. Old WPA gets a nudge too.

  4. Weak signal

    Below about -70 dBm, calls stutter. Lantern tells you where you sit.

  5. Crowded channel

    How many networks share yours, and a quieter one to pick. Needs Location for the Wi-Fi survey.

  6. Ports open to the internet

    What your devices asked the router to forward over UPnP, and to whom.

  7. Risky doors

    Telnet, FTP, Remote Desktop and VNC left open on a device.

  8. Default SNMP

    A router that answers anyone with the password "public".

  9. Ink and printer errors

    Low ink or toner, paper jams, a door left open.

  10. Strangers

    New devices since the last scan, and ones that won't say what they are.

Lantern's Health check: 3 things worth a look. WPS is on at your router, 1 port is open to the internet (TCP 32400 to the Archive NAS for Plex), yellow ink is low on the HP OfficeJet, and 4 other networks share your Wi-Fi channel, with channel 153 quieter

A quieter channel

Lantern counts the networks on each Wi-Fi channel around you and points to a quieter one. macOS shares nearby networks only with apps allowed Location; Lantern never reads where you are.

Fix it where it lives

Each finding opens the device it's about, and its settings page is one more click.

Hide what you already know

Keeping WPS on on purpose? Say so once and that finding moves to a hidden list until you want it back.

Activity

Notice a stranger.

  1. 11:40A phone or laptop joined for the first time192.168.1.42 · private address
  2. 10:58Maya’s iPhone came back192.168.1.40
  3. YesterdayHP OfficeJet Pro 9015e is low on inkYellow at 9%
  4. TuesdaySam’s iPad left192.168.1.41

Lantern scans by itself every 5, 15 or 60 minutes and when your Mac wakes, and compares each scan with the one before. Tell it to watch the kids' iPads or the office printer and it lets you know when they come and go.

A lantern in the menu bar shows what's online, what's new and what needs a look.

Lantern's Activity: a phone or laptop joined for the first time ten minutes ago, Maya's iPhone came back, the HP printer is low on ink, Sam's iPad left and came back

Every device

Put a name to everything.

What is this?

For a device that won't say what it is, Lantern tells you who made its network card and what they usually make, what it answers on, and whether it's answering right now. Unplug it and watch the dot go grey. Then pick what it is and give it a name.

Names that stay put

Lantern knows each device by its hardware address, not its IP address, so your names, watched devices and history survive the router handing out new addresses. A phone that makes up a new private Wi-Fi address is matched by the name it announces.

One page per device, in tabs

Overview says in a sentence what it is and whether anything's wrong. Activity has its ping graph and its comings and goings. Technical keeps UPnP, SNMP, services and ports out of the way until you want them.

Sort by kind, name, address, last seen or response time, search ports and firmware too, move with ↑ ↓ and ⌘F, and look back at other networks you've scanned.

Lantern's What is this? sheet for a device that doesn't say what it is: its network card was made by Espressif, which makes smart plugs, bulbs, sensors and air purifiers; whether it's answering right now; a grid of kinds to pick from and a name field

On every device

A few tools, right where you need them.

Live ping

One ping a second while the page is open, for the moment the TV starts buffering.

Wake on LAN

Wake a sleeping computer or NAS from its page, if it's set up to listen.

CSV and PDF

Every device as a spreadsheet, or the whole network with its health check as a report.

Services and ports

What each device announces, with its details, and which of 44 common ports are open, in plain names.

Your own names

Rename a device once you know it. It keeps the name when its address changes, and a newcomer stands out.

An MCP server, read-only

Let Claude, Codex, Cursor or any MCP app ask what's on your network. Off until you turn it on.

  • list_devices
  • get_device
  • network_info
  • scan_now
  • new_devices
  • printer_status
  • health_check

Shortcuts

  • Scan Network
  • List Network Devices
  • Get Printer Ink
  • Is Device Online
Lantern's MCP Server page: a switch to let AI apps read Lantern, setup for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and Gemini CLI, and the read-only tools agents can use

Local only

What it finds stays on your Mac.

Lantern talks to the devices on your network. This is everything else that goes online:

PartCan reach
LanternDevices on your own network only: pings, a knock on common ports, and the questions they already answer.
Licence checkconsole.papermint.studio: your licence key, your Mac's name and a hashed Mac id when you activate; the signed licence about once a day after.
Sparkle updaterdownloads.papermint.studio: the list of versions, and an update if you choose to install it.
Lantern's Health check in the dark look
  • It reads, it never changes. Lantern asks devices what they are. It never logs in to them or changes a setting.
  • One file per network, in Lantern's folder on this Mac.
  • No analytics, no account. Read the Lantern privacy policy →

Price

Pay once. Look around for years.

Every future update included. Try everything free for 7 days first.

1 Mac$9.99once
DownloadmacOS 26+ · Apple silicon

After the trial your last scan still opens; scanning again needs a licence. Licences live at console.papermint.studio. macOS 26 Tahoe or later, Apple silicon. Notarized by Apple. Bought from Papermint through Dodo Payments; prices may vary by country.

Questions

Asked before you download

Does anything about my network leave my Mac?
No. Lantern only talks to devices on your own network. The only other things it reaches are Papermint's licence check and Sparkle's update check, which never include anything it found.
Why does it ask for Local Network and Location?
Local Network lets it talk to devices on your network at all. Location is optional: macOS shares the Wi-Fi network's name, and nearby networks for the channel check, only with apps allowed it. Lantern never reads where you are.
Can it see ink levels on my printer?
Any network printer that works with AirPrint reports its ink or toner levels, firmware and status over IPP, without a password. Many also report pages printed and the serial number over SNMP.
Why is a phone called “Phone or laptop”?
Phones and laptops make up a private hardware address for each Wi-Fi network, so the maker is hidden. Rename it once you know whose it is, and Lantern keeps your name.
What does it cost?
Free for 7 days, then $9.99 once for one Mac, with every future update. After the trial your last scan still opens; scanning again needs a licence.
Why isn't it on the Mac App Store?
Lantern reads the Mac's ARP table and sends pings to find quiet devices, which sandboxed App Store apps can't do. It's downloaded from us instead, signed and notarized by Apple.

All Lantern answers in the help centre →

Every device on your network, in detail.

Free for 7 days, then $9.99 once. macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon.

DownloadmacOS 26+ · Apple silicon

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