Scanning the LAN through your browser is nothing new. JS-Recon from AnD Labs [0] is a tool from 2010 that could do it. I have seen eBay [1], Facebook [2], and Halifax [3] do it too, albeit for other reasons than scanning for outdated devices (fraud/loss prevention). LexisNexis' ThreatMetrix [4] is commonly used to do this.
Please note that this is a copy of a comment I made 2 years ago and I have not tested the links to see if they are still correct.