Device Finder
Device Finder lists everything answering on your cafe network and tells you which devices still need setting up. It is the starting point for pairing a PlayStation or connecting a TV.
Open Settings, then Device Finder. It can also be reached from the discovery strip on the Consoles page.
What a Scan Does
A scan runs in three phases: consoles, then televisions, then computers. Nothing is installed on the devices. HandyCafe listens for the announcements devices already broadcast and asks the local network who is present.
The scan only reaches devices on the same network as the server. A guest Wi-Fi is a separate network. Devices on it never appear.
Use Rescan to run it again. The last scan time and the number of devices found are shown below the controls.
The Indicators
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Awaiting setup | Devices HandyCafe recognises that are not connected yet |
| Consoles | Game consoles found |
| Displays | Televisions found |
| Computers | Computers found |
How Devices Are Grouped
| Group | Contains |
|---|---|
| Consoles | PlayStation and Xbox consoles |
| Displays and TVs | Smart televisions |
| Computers | Machines already registered on the Computers page |
| Network equipment | Routers and switches sharing the internet connection |
| Guest devices | Customer phones and similar devices. Nothing to do |
| Unidentified | Devices that answered without saying what they are |
The Unidentified group is normal. A phone, a printer or a network box often answers a scan without describing itself. A device can only describe itself while it is switched on. A TV or console that is off lands here until you turn it on and scan again.
Device Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Awaiting setup | HandyCafe can control this device once you pair it |
| Set up and working | Already paired and in use |
| Not identified | The device did not say what it is |
Actions
| Action | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Pair | A console that is not paired yet |
| Connect as display | A television. You choose which console it sits beside |
| Go to Computers | A computer already registered as a client |
| Name it / Rename | Any device |
Connecting a display asks which console the screen belongs to. Opening a session then switches on the console and the screen next to it. See Console and TV Power Management.
Xbox power control is not available. An Xbox is listed for reference only.
Televisions running LG webOS, Samsung or Android TV can be switched on and off. A set that speaks a different protocol is listed for reference only.
Naming a Device
Give a device a name with Name it. The name is stored on the server and survives a restart. It is limited to 40 characters and can be saved with Enter.
The name you give takes priority in the list over whatever the device calls itself. The device's own name stays searchable. You can still find it by either.
Names are only kept for devices that can be named. This prevents a name from following an address to a different device after a DHCP lease changes hands.
Naming a device requires cashier write access. It is blocked in the same situations as other device changes, such as a read-only license state.
The Detail View
Selecting a device opens its detail. It is grouped into:
- Identity -- type, status, maker, model and firmware.
- Network -- IP address, MAC address, wake address and open control ports.
- How we found it -- which announcement or request revealed the device.
- What the device reports -- the description sent by the device, word for word.
- Control -- which protocols the device speaks.
Copy all details puts the whole record on the clipboard. Individual values can be copied one at a time. The whole list can also be copied at once for a support request.
Sorting, Filtering and Search
The list can be sorted by address, name, type or status. A type filter narrows it further. Search covers the device name, the name you gave it and the address.
If Nothing Appears
- Confirm the server and the devices share one network. A guest Wi-Fi does not count.
- Switch consoles and televisions on before scanning. A device that is off cannot describe itself.
- Check that the network does not block device discovery between ports.