Run a Network Scanner from PowerShell in One Command (2026)

Open IP Scanner (OIS) can be launched from PowerShell with a single command — no download page to visit, no installer to run, no files to track down. This makes it the fastest way to get a full network scan running on any Windows machine, including remote machines you've accessed via RDP or PSRemoting.

The Command

Paste this into any PowerShell window and press Enter. OIS will download and launch immediately. No elevation required for basic scanning.

How It Works

The command uses two built-in PowerShell cmdlets:

• irm (Invoke-RestMethod) — downloads the script from ois.kayikci.dev as a string
• iex (Invoke-Expression) — executes the downloaded script in the current PowerShell session

The hosted script at ois.kayikci.dev fetches the latest OIS release, extracts it to a temporary directory, and launches the .exe. When you close OIS, the temporary files are cleaned up automatically — no persistent files are installed.

Why This Matters for Sysadmins

The PowerShell deployment pattern solves several real operational pain points:

• RDP sessions — You've RDP'd into a server and need to scan its local subnet. Rather than transferring a file, just run the one-liner in a PowerShell window on the remote machine.
• Incident response — When you're in the middle of investigating an incident, the last thing you want is to interrupt your workflow searching for a download. One command and you're scanning.
• Zero install footprint — In managed environments where software installs are tracked and audited, OIS runs completely without touching the registry or Program Files.
• Shared machines — On machines you don't own or manage, you can run OIS without administrator permission for the install step.
• Repeatable deployment — The same command always fetches the latest version. No version management, no stale copies.

Running with Administrator Privileges

For maximum scanning capability — especially ARP discovery and WMI-based name resolution — run OIS as Administrator:

1. Right-click the Start menu → Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)
2. Paste and run: irm ois.kayikci.dev | iex

Admin mode enables ARP scanning, which discovers devices that don't respond to ICMP ping — including smartphones, IoT devices, and hosts with strict firewall rules. It also enables WMI-based name resolution for deeper Windows host identification.

Execution Policy Considerations

On some Windows machines, PowerShell's execution policy may prevent running downloaded scripts. If you encounter an error, you can either:

• Temporarily allow the command: Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process (applies only to the current session)
• Or download the portable .exe directly from the GitHub releases page

What OIS Does After Launch

Once running, OIS automatically:

• Detects all active network interfaces and populates the subnet dropdown
• Starts scanning when you press Start or Enter
• Discovers hosts via ICMP and ARP simultaneously
• Resolves device names via 8 protocols in parallel
• Scans ~55 common TCP ports per host
• Fetches HTTP page titles for open web ports
• Enumerates SMB shares on Windows hosts
• Looks up MAC vendor for each discovered device

Results populate live as the scan progresses. The entire subnet scan typically completes in 15–60 seconds depending on subnet size and network latency.