1. Install
- Download Apate Security for Windows 10 / 11.
- Run the installer and open the app. No account is required.
- New here? The app starts a 14-day free trial automatically - no card needed.
Apate is passive and read-only by default. It observes your network; it does not send hostile traffic, so it’s safe to run on production networks.
2. Activate your license
After purchase you receive a signed license key by email. In the app’s activation screen:
- Enter your email (stored only on this device, for your certificate & support).
- Paste your license key (format
APATE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX).
- Click Activate - it’s verified online in seconds.
3. Your first scan
- Let the app detect your active network adapter and gateway.
- Run Broad discovery - it passively finds devices as they appear, then enriches them (vendor, OS, open ports, risk).
- Open the Live Network Map (🗺) to see the gateway with every device around it, coloured by risk.
- Double-click any device for its full read-only dossier.
On strict corporate Wi-Fi with client isolation, devices may not answer directly - Apate still surfaces those that broadcast, and tells you when isolation is limiting visibility.
4. Live capture (optional)
Passive packet capture needs the Npcap driver on Windows. If it isn’t installed, the app will prompt you and can install it for you. Capture stays read-only - it observes frames, it doesn’t inject.
5. Air-gapped / offline networks
For isolated networks that can’t reach the internet for activation, request an offline, machine-locked key: send your Machine ID (shown on the activation screen) to info@apatesecurity.com and you’ll receive a key bound to that machine.
6. Troubleshooting
- No devices found - confirm you’re on the right adapter; some networks isolate clients (see note above).
- Live capture is empty - install Npcap and run the app with the privileges packet capture requires on your system.
- Real URLs not visible for a device - it may be using iCloud Private Relay or encrypted DNS; Apate flags this, because the sites are hidden by design.
- Activation fails - check the key and your connection, or request an offline key (section 5).
7. Get help
Stuck or lost your key? Contact support or email support@apatesecurity.com. Security issue? See responsible disclosure.