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Understanding Protocols

How HomeMapper Finds Devices

HomeMapper finds devices through four protocols, HomeKit, Matter, Thread, and IP Network, and through Home Assistant, which brings in devices on many more. Each source shows different details about the same devices, and HomeMapper combines them into one entry per device.

HomeKit

HomeKit

HomeKit is Apple's smart home framework, the same system behind your Home app. Through it, HomeMapper sees what your Home app shows:

  • Device name, room, and home
  • Category (light, sensor, lock, thermostat, and so on)
  • Online status and battery level
  • Whether a device is connected through a bridge

HomeKit doesn't show IP addresses or Thread mesh details. The other protocols fill those in.

Matter

Matter

Matter is the cross-platform smart home standard backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others. Many HomeKit devices are also Matter devices. HomeMapper shows a Matter badge on accessories that report Matter support. There's no separate Matter scan.

HomeMapper only scans. It finds and identifies devices but never adds them to a home or controls them.

Thread

Thread

Thread is a mesh network. Instead of every device connecting straight to your router, as with Wi-Fi, Thread devices relay traffic for each other, so the mesh gets more reliable as you add devices.

Thread adds:

  • The Thread network name
  • Each device's mesh role (Router, Leader, End Device)
  • Which devices are Border Routers
  • The OpenThread version

Most Thread devices also appear in your HomeKit scan, often with a Matter badge.

IP Network

IP Network

IP Network looks at your local network directly. It finds devices that advertise themselves, like AirPlay speakers, Google Cast devices, printers, and HomeKit accessories; devices that don't, like routers and NAS boxes; and UPnP devices like media servers and smart TVs. On a very large network a scan may cover only part of it to stay fast, so some devices can be missing. It's also how HomeMapper finds Thread Border Routers.

IP Network adds:

  • IP and MAC addresses, and hostnames
  • Model and manufacturer, as the device advertises them
  • How quickly each device responds, shown in the Signal column: faster responses get more bars

It also finds devices that aren't in HomeKit at all.

Home Assistant

Home Assistant isn't a protocol. It's an open-source home automation platform that runs devices over many protocols: Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, MQTT, ESPHome, Matter, Wi-Fi, and more. Connecting it brings all of those devices into HomeMapper, including ones Apple Home can't see, and HomeMapper combines them with what it finds through HomeKit, IP Network, and Thread, so a device both sources see usually shows as one entry.

Home Assistant adds:

  • Device names, areas (rooms), and floors
  • Integration (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and so on)
  • Device class, manufacturer, and model
  • Which hub manages each device

Connecting: Go to Settings > Discovery > Home Assistant. HomeMapper can find servers on your network, or you can enter a URL. You sign in through a secure browser sheet, so HomeMapper never receives your password, and the sign-in it gets is stored in the Keychain.

What Home Assistant Can't Show (Yet)

* Duplicates from HomeKit Bridge: devices Home Assistant shares with Apple Home appear in both, with nothing to link them. They're harmless. * Devices added to both separately: a Hue Bridge added to each system on its own may show as two entries. Devices Home Assistant controls through its HomeKit Controller integration are matched automatically. * Updated when you scan: Home Assistant data is as fresh as your last scan. * No Z-Wave or Zigbee2MQTT maps: the Topology map shows only Zigbee networks that run through Home Assistant's built-in Zigbee integration (ZHA). Z-Wave and Zigbee2MQTT networks aren't on the map, though their devices still appear in the Devices list. See Topology. * Generic icons for some devices: see Icons for when a device shows its protocol's icon instead of its own.

Why Multiple Sources?

No single source sees everything. HomeKit has names and rooms but no network details. IP Network has addresses but no rooms. Thread shows how the mesh is connected, and Home Assistant adds Zigbee, Z-Wave, and other devices Apple Home can't see. Scanning them all and combining the results gives you one list with more of your devices, and more about each one, than any one source shows.