Troubleshoot device discovery

If YTS Control isn’t listing the devices you expect, the cause is usually one of a handful of things: rights, the Npcap driver, the wrong network adapter, or a network that deliberately keeps devices apart. Work through these in order.

What this solves

The device list is the starting point for everything else in YTS Control — monitoring, limits and pausing all work from it. If a device you know is on the network doesn’t appear, this guide helps you find out why.

The Devices page listing four discovered devices in a table with columns for device, IP address, download, upload, download limit, upload limit and internet state. Summary counters show online, paused, limited and total known devices. The gateway row is marked as protected. Hardware addresses are blurred for privacy. — Discovered devices with counts for online, paused and limited, plus a status line for the sweep.

What you need

YTS Control installed and running.
On Windows, Npcap installed — the most common missing prerequisite.
Administrator rights on the PC running YTS Control.

Step by step

Run YTS Control as administrator
Discovery needs elevated rights. Close the app and reopen it with “Run as administrator”, then check the list again.
Confirm Npcap is installed (Windows)
No Npcap means no discovery on Windows. If you’re not sure it’s installed, follow the Npcap installation guide, then restart and try again.
Select the correct network adapter
If YTS Control lets you choose an adapter, pick the one actually connected to your local network — the Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter — not a VPN, virtual-machine or loopback adapter.
Check you’re on the same network
Your PC and the devices must be on the same local network and subnet. A device on a guest network, or on a different band or VLAN that’s kept separate, won’t appear.
Rule out client isolation
Many guest networks — and some main networks — turn on “client isolation” (also called AP isolation), which stops devices from seeing each other. If it’s on, discovery can’t work until it’s off, on a network you control.
Look for a second router or NAT
If some devices are behind another router or a NAT boundary, they’re effectively on a different network and won’t be discovered from your side.
Give it a moment and rescan
Discovery can take a short while to populate as devices are seen. Wait a little, then refresh or rescan.
Check the firewall
Make sure Windows Firewall or third-party security software isn’t blocking YTS Control from using the network. Allow the app if prompted.

What you should see

After the relevant fix, the missing devices appear in the list with live activity, and you can select one to monitor or control it.

Common errors

A VPN adapter is selected: switch to the physical Wi-Fi/Ethernet adapter connected to the LAN.
Only your own PC shows up: a strong sign of client isolation or a guest network keeping devices apart.
Nothing appears at all: re-check administrator rights and that Npcap is installed.

Limitations to keep in mind

Some situations genuinely cannot be worked around from a single PC: guest-network client isolation, dynamic ARP inspection, devices behind a second router or NAT, and certain Wi-Fi drivers all prevent discovery by design or by hardware. YTS Control also works with IPv4 and does not discover or control over IPv6. The homepage’s compatibility section lists these conditions.

Related YTS Control capability

Once devices appear, you can monitor them, limit their bandwidth or pause them. When you finish, remember to use Stop & Restore Network — see the guide.

Still stuck after these checks? Email support@ytscontrol.com with your Windows version and a short description of your network, and the YTS Control team can help.