Windows.Networking.Lan Namespace

The Windows.Networking.Lan namespace provides classes and interfaces that enable your applications to discover and interact with devices on a local area network (LAN).

Introduction to LAN Networking

Local Area Networks (LANs) are fundamental to modern computing, allowing devices to communicate and share resources. Windows provides robust APIs to facilitate these interactions, enabling developers to build applications that can discover nearby devices, transfer files, and implement various network protocols.

This section focuses on the APIs within the Windows.Networking.Lan namespace that are specifically designed for managing LAN-based communication.

Key Classes and Concepts

The Windows.Networking.Lan namespace offers several key components for working with local network devices:

Core Classes

LanIdentifier: Represents a LAN identifier, typically a MAC address or a similar unique identifier for a network adapter.
LanSignalStrengthFilter: Allows filtering of discovered LAN devices based on signal strength.
LanDevice: Represents a discovered device on the local network.
LanDeviceInformation: Provides detailed information about a discovered LAN device.

Primary Operations

Discovering devices on the network.
Retrieving detailed information about discovered devices.
Filtering devices based on network attributes.

Discovering LAN Devices

You can discover devices on your local network using the LanDevice class. The process typically involves starting a discovery operation and then handling the events that signify a device being found.

Here's a simplified example of how you might start discovering devices:


using Windows.Networking.Lan;
using Windows.Networking.Proximity;
using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

// ... inside an async method

try
{
    // Start LAN device discovery
    var discoveryTask = LanDevice.GetDeviceSelectorAsync();
    string selector = await discoveryTask;

    // Use DataReader and DataWriter for communication if needed
    // For discovery, we often rely on system-level events or other network discovery protocols

    // Example: Using DeviceInformation to find devices via the selector
    var devices = await Windows.Devices.Enumeration.DeviceInformation.FindAllAsync(selector);

    foreach (var device in devices)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Found LAN device: {device.Name} ({device.Id})");
        // Further processing with device.Properties
    }
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error during LAN discovery: {ex.Message}");
}

Working with LanDeviceInformation

Once a LanDevice is discovered, you can retrieve more specific information using LanDeviceInformation. This includes details like the device's name, hardware address (MAC address), and potentially other network-specific attributes.


// Assuming 'device' is a DeviceInformation object for a LAN device

// Retrieve LAN-specific properties
var hardwareAddress = device.Properties["System.Devices.LanIdentifier"]; // Example property key
var friendlyName = device.Properties["System.ItemNameDisplay"]; // General display name

if (hardwareAddress != null)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Hardware Address: {hardwareAddress}");
}
if (friendlyName != null)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Friendly Name: {friendlyName}");
}

Note: The actual property keys available in device.Properties might vary and depend on the discovery mechanism and the device itself. Refer to the official MSDN documentation for a comprehensive list of properties.

Community Discussion

Network Guru

2023-10-27 10:15 AM

Great overview! It's important to remember that LAN discovery can be affected by network configurations like firewalls or subnet restrictions. Always ensure your app handles potential connection issues gracefully.

Dev_Master

2023-10-27 11:30 AM

Has anyone had success using LanSignalStrengthFilter? I'm trying to prioritize devices closer to the source, but the filtering parameters aren't entirely clear from the basic examples.

Windows_Dev

2023-10-27 1:05 PM

To @Dev_Master, you typically set the MaxDistanceInMeters or MinQuality properties on the LanSignalStrengthFilter before starting discovery. Experiment with these values to fine-tune your results.