10 Free Lightweight Networking Tools

Updated October 6, 2023
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If you are really planning to install some network utilities, then something which merely occupies your hard drive space will do nothing but the worse. Computers in network need to have some technical stuff that can describe about its composition and activities.

People closely involved with computer networks are sure to be aware of some of the expensive and large sized tools. But tools those are both free and small sized are also available in the market. These tools occupy just a small portion of the hard drive space. Few other tools help you with network management, performance issues, file sharing, security and more. Also, few tools provide you with all the required network utilities and a utility that can capture the network traffic is also available free along with libraries.

Some of the free light weight networking tools available online has been discussed below:

1# Network Stuff 3.0.9 – 1.34 MB

NetworkStuff

Network Stuff Tool

This tool has got the set of library tools that can detect what sort of activity is going on in the network. It can scan for computers that are connected to your network and also display IP addresses of both external and local. It can trace routes to the addresses you send and also run graphical ping and reveal MAC addresses. It can display all the current internet connections and open network and wake up or shut down other systems remotely. Information on IP addresses is got by the use of DNS tools and built-in Whois.

2# DNS Jumper 1.0.4 – 812 KB

DNSJumper

DNS Jumper tool

Are you facing problems connecting few sites or do you want to increase your online security? Then, the only answer for all these is DNS Jumper. This tool is built with number of DNS alternatives. It can even find for you the fastest of these. It can apply with the preferred DNS settings just in a click. The previous set up gets stored thus giving you a chance to restore back in case of any problem.

 

3# RawCap 0.1.4.0 – 20 KB

RawCap tool

A process called ‘Packet sniffing’ helps you to capture network analysis so that any hardware or software problem in the network can be analysed. This command line program can be run from the Internet Explorer. You are required to open the file and choose the network interface and save it. Thus the file gets saved with a .pcap extension. As there is no other way to analyse the finished results, users must open the file in Notepad. Apart from the .NET Framework 2.0, there is no need of DLLs or any other components.

4# Fast Software Audit 1.0.0 – 160 KB

FastSoftwareAudit

Fast Software Audit tool

Now instead of a complex tool go for a simple one called Fast Software Audit to check for unknown software installation in a network.  For this you are required to simply enter the network name of the computer you need to check. However, systems in the network require Remote Registry service to perform this check.

5# CloseTheDoor 0.2.1 portable – 484 KB

ClosetheDoor

CloseTheDoor tool

With the CloseTheDoor tool you can easily trace the processes that are looking for connections like ports, process, the network interface, windows services etc. You can right click on anything you need to check and search the web to get any information related to port, process etc. It immediately shuts down or terminates any process that is found to be a malware. However, users have to be careful while running this tool as it might terminate any important process and crash the PC.

6# BlueLife Hosts Editor 1.0 – 388KB

BlueLifeHostsEditor

BlueLife Hosts Editor tool

The HOSTS file tells Windows about the IP addresses of various internet resources or network so that users can block certain sites or resources totally. With BlueLife Hosts Editor, you can just open the Hosts file to see the content, edit it and then save it finally. However, users have to save the new Hosts file and select ‘Flush DNS’ because, if you block the site you have just visited, it might appear as though it has been blocked but Windows actually creates a cache of the IP address. So, beware!

7# Network Activity Indicator 1.6 -1.03 MB

NetworkActivityIndicator

Network Activity Indicator tool

With Network Activity Indicator, you can get the Windows XP network icon on your system tray to know the network activity. In case, the icon disappears then click on the left of the system tray and select ‘Customise’ and set it to “Network Activity Indicator” to get the icon back on the tray. This tool can be customised so that it flashes in specific network interfaces and particular network traffic like UDP, TCP and ICMP. This tool also gives details of network traffic and other statistic information like errors received, open connections and failed connection attempts etc.

8# RemoteRebootX 2012 – 428KB

RemoteRebootX

RemoteRebootX tool

With a tool called the RemoteRebootX, you can shut down and also wake up the computers in your network remotely from your computer. For this, you have to add the name of the computers in your network to your program and click to perform the action. Process such as wake up can be made automatic so that the user can resume with his work when he returns back after lunch. It is also easy to pass system information to other systems while troubleshooting process.

9# HFS 2.2f – 560KB

HFS

HFS tool

With HFS it is easy to share your files with other users in the network. And for this you have to set up a web server along with HFS and run the program. You can then drag and drop files so that others can access it. Other advanced options such as limiting download speed to a desired level are also possible with this tool.

10# Simple IP Config 2.3 – 1.32MB

SimpleIPConfig

Simple IP Config tool

People using laptops in different places such as workplace, home or otherwise need not worry about adjusting the network settings based on locations. Separate network profiles can be created with the Simple IP Config. Each network can store Subnet Mask, IP Address, DNS Server, Gateway and others. Switching between different networks is also easy. You need to simply select the desired network and click on ‘Apply’ to get it done.

Free light weight networking tools are in fact a boom for the computer industry. However, one needs to understand it better to put in to use effectively. Cheers!

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