Aether 1.6 · Mac App Store edition

This page explains the Store edition’s discovery, groups, connection checks and privacy controls. Earlier development builds may have different features.

Start with your network

  1. Use a Mac running macOS 26.1 or later and connect to the network you are authorized to manage.
  2. Open Aether. Read the welcome screen, then choose Enable discovery and connection checks.
  3. If macOS asks, allow Local Network access. Aether can also show a labelled sample network without scanning.
  4. Open Devices to review the latest results, or Connection to run a check and inspect quality history.

Keep Aether running and your Mac awake for ongoing measurements and alerts. Closing a window does not necessarily quit the app; its menu-bar icon can open the dashboard again. The Network menu provides a scan shortcut, ⌘R, and Show Aether uses ⌘0.

Why are devices missing?

An internet connection alone does not make every local device visible. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network and allow Aether. Then scan again. Guest-network isolation, VPNs, routers, sleeping devices and filtering can limit results.

Aether combines supported local discovery methods. Active IPv4 discovery is bounded to at most 1,024 nearby addresses; Bonjour can reveal supported IPv4 and IPv6 services. Aether does not promise a complete inventory of every device on every network.

Why is a device’s name missing?

Some devices do not advertise a useful name, and private hardware addresses can hide manufacturer information. Open a device’s details, enter a nickname or notes, then choose Save details. Choose Mark as known for equipment you recognize. Changing private addresses or Bonjour names can affect remembered identity.

Create and use groups

Choose Manage groups in Devices. Create a group, select it, then check devices to add or remove members. You can rename or delete a group, and filter the device list by group.

Groups are stored locally for recognized networks. Aether follows supported changes to the Mac’s active connection. Router changes, address changes, VPNs and incomplete network identification can affect matching; some unidentified networks can have session-only profiles. macOS handles joining Wi-Fi networks.

Understand connection checks and graphs

The Connection panel separates router echo replies, a system DNS lookup, a TCP connection and HTTPS responses from Apple and Cloudflare. DNS is the service that looks up a website’s address. A failed ping alone does not prove an internet outage; some networks filter echo requests.

Review the last hour, day or week. Gaps mean Aether did not record measurements; they do not prove the internet was down. History is trimmed to seven days when loaded or updated. An optional Apple speed test uploads and downloads data only after you start it; the app explains its data use first.

Set up connection notifications

In Connection, choose Enable notifications and allow Aether in macOS. Turn connection-drop, poor-quality and sound options on or off. Use Send test to check delivery. macOS Focus and notification settings can silence banners or sound.

Automatic checks need to be enabled for sustained internet-drop and quality alerts. The app uses confirmation checks and cooldowns to reduce repeated alerts. Sleep and brief network switches stay quiet.

Stop monitoring or clear local data

Open Privacy and choose Stop monitoring to stop new scans and measurements. Choose Clear saved Aether data to remove the Store edition’s saved device information, groups, events, preferences and quality history. The app asks you to confirm. Read the Aether privacy policy for its data flows and retention rules.

Purchases, licensing and refunds

The planned base price is US$14.99 as a one-time purchase, with localized prices set in the App Store. See the Aether product page for current availability. The Store edition does not use an Aether subscription or a website license key. Apple’s standard app license is configured for this release.

Apple handles Mac App Store payments and refund requests. Once you have a Store purchase, use Apple’s Report a Problem service for a refund request. Apple determines eligibility under its policies.

Contact Aether support

Use Techchahiye’s contact form and mention Aether. Include your Aether and macOS versions, Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection type, the problem you noticed and any error message. Share network exports or device details only when you intend to send that information.

Updated 6 November 2026. The Store edition provides read-only discovery and diagnostics; device pausing and browsing-traffic inspection from earlier development builds are excluded.