mDNS Explorer

If you use NDI or other audio/video-over-IP hardware, or if you've ever had to troubleshoot situations where two mDNS devices, such as NDI cameras and computers, couldn't see each other, you might need this tool.

I created this tool as a complement to my NDI Benchmark Tool as I was having trouble getting IP addresses for NDI sources in a reliable way.

Since NDI (and other no-configuration networking, such as Mevos and AirPlay) use mDNS to communicate IP addresses, I needed a way to see mDNS lookups, perform queries, and view IP addresses without the need to install the (awesome) Wireshark app.

This app will allow you to query for all mDNS services on your local network, view the list of mDNS messages, and view any records that are received in mDNS query answers.

You can also export your records to a CSV file.

Command Line Switches

You can use the switch "-debug" to enable logging of individual mDNS packets to a console and the log file. The log file is written to your local Documents directory.

What is mDNS?

mDNS, or multicast Domain Name System, is a protocol used to discover and communicate with devices on a local network without requiring a central DNS server. Instead, devices on the network broadcast their own presence and listen for broadcasts from others, enabling them to discover each other and communicate directly.