mDNS

mDNS discovery

Find the HTTP listener on the LAN without typing its IP — then fall back to a typed URL when multicast is blocked.

Quick start

On the server, tesmartctl install saves the listen address and mDNS name. tesmartctl quickstart starts that listener.

pip install 'tesmartctl[mdns]'

# server
tesmartctl install
tesmartctl quickstart

# the same listener, written out
tesmartctl listen --http 0.0.0.0:8080 --panel --mdns-name OfficeHDMI

# another computer: tesmartctl install, choose Client
# the wizard scans and lists the listeners on the network
tesmartctl --via auto kit

# the same client, written out
tesmartctl discover
tesmartctl --via auto --mdns-name OfficeHDMI input 3
tesmartctl --via auto kit --fresh
tesmartctl --via auto banner "Door unlocked"

Service type: _wbevan-tesmart._tcp (TXT includes domain=wbevan.com).

When discovery fails

Guest Wi‑Fi, AP isolation, some mesh/VLANs, and many corporate networks block mDNS. If discover is empty but the listener is up:

tesmartctl --via http://192.168.1.20:8080 status
tesmartctl kit 'http://192.168.1.20:8080/kit?app=1'
curl http://192.168.1.20:8080/version

Hubitat always uses a typed base URL in Manager — it does not browse mDNS.

OS browse tools (optional)

Prefer tesmartctl discover on every platform. For manual checks:

OS	Tool
macOS	dns-sd (ships with the OS)
Linux	avahi-browse (Avahi utils package)
Windows	no stock CLI — use tesmartctl discover, or Bonjour Print Services’ dns-sd.exe

Full guide

Limitations, platform CLI notes, --save / TESMART_VIA, and the full fallback list:

Docs/mdns.md