Download, opening, installation, privacy, and troubleshooting help for HomeNetCheck and the homenet command-line tool.

Home network check help

Which version should I use?

Start with HomeNetCheck if you want the simplest option. It is a normal graphical app: open it, click Check my network, and read the report. It does not require Python or terminal commands.

Use homenet if you are comfortable with a terminal. It is smaller, works in scripts and remote sessions, and can produce JSON. HomeNetCheck sits on top of this same homenet diagnostic engine, so both versions perform the same core checks. You do not need both.

HomeNetCheck: download and run

Open the official HomeNetCheck release page.
Download homenetcheck-windows.exe for Windows, homenetcheck-macos.dmg for macOS, or homenetcheck-linux.AppImage for Linux.
Open the file. See the unsigned-app section below if Windows or macOS blocks it.
Click Check my network. The checks may take about a minute.
Use Save report only if you need a JSON copy. Review it before sharing because it can contain network addresses.

Why HomeNetCheck is unsigned

HomeNetCheck is free, open-source software. Signing desktop apps requires paid developer accounts or certificates, recurring renewals, and release administration on each platform. Because this is a free community project rather than a commercial Tartanleaf product, Greg Weir and Tartanleaf.com Inc. have chosen not to take on those ongoing costs.

Unsigned does not automatically mean unsafe. It does mean that Windows or macOS cannot use a paid publisher identity to confirm who produced the file, and macOS cannot confirm that Apple notarized it. The warning is a real security precaution, not a meaningless error.

Only continue if you intentionally downloaded HomeNetCheck from the official GitHub Releases page. Check the filename and, if you want stronger verification, compare its SHA-256 value with the matching .sha256 file. The public source and build workflow can also be inspected or built independently, although transparency is not the same assurance as code signing or an independent security review.

Windows: “Windows protected your PC”

Check that you downloaded homenetcheck-windows.exe from the official release page.
If Microsoft Defender SmartScreen identifies it as an unrecognized app, choose More info.
Confirm that the filename is correct. If you want to continue, choose Run anyway.

If Windows reports malware rather than merely an unrecognized publisher, stop. Do not create a security exclusion. Report the release version and detection name in the HomeNetCheck issue tracker.

macOS: developer cannot be verified

Open the downloaded DMG and move HomeNetCheck to Applications.
Try to open HomeNetCheck once.
If macOS blocks it, open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Scroll to Security, find the HomeNetCheck message, and choose Open Anyway, then confirm Open.

The override is available for a limited time after the blocked launch. Apple recommends using identified and notarized software; only make this exception when you have checked the source of the download.

Linux AppImage

Mark the file as executable in your file manager’s Properties or Permissions window, or run:

chmod +x homenetcheck-linux.AppImage
./homenetcheck-linux.AppImage

Some distributions require an AppImage/FUSE compatibility package. Install the package recommended by your distribution if you see a FUSE error.

Verify the checksum

Download the application and its matching .sha256 file into the same folder. The long hexadecimal values must match exactly.

Windows PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .homenetcheck-windows.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Get-Content .homenetcheck-windows.sha256

macOS:

shasum -a 256 homenetcheck-macos.dmg
cat homenetcheck-macos.sha256

Linux:

sha256sum -c homenetcheck-linux.sha256

`homenet`: install the command-line version

The CLI requires Python 3.10 or newer and pipx.

pipx install homenet
homenet --version
homenet

Full beginner-oriented setup instructions are in the homenet README.

Command not found after installing pipx

Run pipx ensurepath, close the terminal completely, and open a new one. Then check pipx --version before installing homenet again.

Update or remove `homenet`

# Update
pipx upgrade homenet

# Remove
pipx uninstall homenet

If a check cannot run

Both versions continue with the remaining checks and explain what could not be measured. Common causes include:

No internet connection: DNS, public-address, speed, and latency checks need outside access.
Firewall or security software: it may block speed testing, ping, or local UPnP discovery.
Operating-system limits: Wi-Fi scanning differs by platform and may need extra permission.
Network conditions: speed and latency are snapshots, not certified measurements from your internet provider.

Privacy and network requests

The tools run on your computer and do not send your diagnostic report to Greg Weir or Tartanleaf.com Inc. Functional checks may contact:

api.ipify.org for your public IP address;
Cloudflare for DNS and approximate download/upload testing;
1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 for latency and packet-loss testing;
239.255.255.250:1900 on your local network for UPnP discovery; and
operating-system networking commands for router and Wi-Fi information.

Reports can contain local addresses, a public IP address, Wi-Fi names, or local paths. Redact these before posting a screenshot or report publicly.

Report a problem

Use HomeNetCheck Issues for the graphical app or homenet Issues for the command-line tool.

Include the operating system and version of the tool, what you expected, and what happened. Do not post IP addresses, Wi-Fi names, credentials, or an unredacted report.

Licence, credits, and support

HomeNetCheck and homenet were developed by Greg Weir and released as free, open-source software by Tartanleaf.com Inc. under the MIT License. They are community resources, not supported commercial Tartanleaf products, and are provided without warranty or a promise of individual support or continued development.

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