{"id":140,"date":"2026-02-13T00:45:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/?page_id=140"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:04:19","slug":"mac-addresses-handling","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/docs\/technical\/mac-addresses-handling\/","title":{"rendered":"MAC Addresses handling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Concepts \u2013 Why MyURemote Handles MAC Addresses (WOL & Device Identity)\n <\/h1>\n\n

\n This page explains why<\/strong> MAC address handling exists in MyURemote and how it fits the overall architecture.\n It is written as a technical reference for integrators and advanced users who want a solid mental model,\n without going into implementation-level code details.\n <\/p>\n\n

\n Key idea: Wake-on-LAN reliability comes from preserving and reusing all known valid MAC candidates.<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n <\/header>\n\n

\n\n
\n

1. The real problem MyURemote solves<\/h2>\n\n

\n MyURemote controls devices that often behave like embedded appliances, not clean network services.\n A universal remote experience requires deterministic behaviour even when devices are:\n <\/p>\n\n

    \n
  • in standby, where TCP\/HTTP\/WebSocket control may no longer be available<\/li>\n
  • slow to boot or slow to rejoin the network<\/li>\n
  • reachable only after specific startup phases<\/li>\n
  • equipped with multiple network interfaces such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct or Always-On adapters<\/li>\n
  • temporarily absent from discovery while still being wakeable by Wake-on-LAN<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n

    \n For many TVs and receivers, the first command is not \u201cvolume up\u201d or \u201cinput HDMI1\u201d.\n The first command is: make the device become alive<\/strong>.\n <\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n

    \n\n
    \n

    2. Why MAC addresses matter<\/h2>\n\n

    \n IP addresses are routing addresses and can change through DHCP, network changes or interface changes.\n Wake-on-LAN, however, is based on the network interface’s MAC address.\n <\/p>\n\n 

    configured device \u2192 known MAC candidate(s) \u2192 WOL broadcast<\/code><\/pre>\n\n    
    \n      Modern TVs often expose more than one MAC-like network identity. Depending on brand, firmware and active interface,\n      discovery may reveal Ethernet, Wi-Fi, P2P, Always-On or other addresses.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
    \n      MyURemote therefore does not assume that one discovery result is permanently authoritative.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
    \n\n  
    \n    
    3. Why \u201cjust pick one MAC\u201d is fragile<\/h2>\n\n    
    \n      In real installations, discovery is opportunistic. A scan can return a different subset of addresses depending on\n      the TV state, firmware, active interface and network timing.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
      \n      
    • Samsung:<\/strong> may expose several network-related addresses.<\/li>\n      
    • LG:<\/strong> may expose several MAC candidates through different discovery data.<\/li>\n      
    • Firmware changes:<\/strong> can change which fields or interfaces are visible.<\/li>\n      
    • Discovery timing:<\/strong> can temporarily return fewer candidates than a previous scan.<\/li>\n      
    • Standby behaviour:<\/strong> can change which interface remains capable of receiving WOL.<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n\n    
      \n      For this reason MyURemote now keeps the complete known candidate set<\/strong> instead of learning and storing a single \u201cbest\u201d MAC.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
      \n\n  
      \n    
      4. The current MyURemote WOL contract<\/h2>\n\n    
      \n      iOS and Android follow the same platform-independent contract:\n    <\/p>\n\n    
        \n      
      • Collect all candidates<\/strong> discovered for the configured device\/IP.<\/li>\n      
      • Merge, do not replace<\/strong>: a later incomplete discovery must not erase previously known candidates.<\/li>\n      
      • Synchronize all candidates<\/strong> to the MyURemote database.<\/li>\n      
      • Seed all database candidates<\/strong> back into local native storage when the remote starts.<\/li>\n      
      • Send WOL to all valid candidates<\/strong>, with a short interval between packets.<\/li>\n      
      • No best-MAC learning<\/strong>: MyURemote no longer waits after every candidate to decide which one \u201cwon\u201d.<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n\n    
        \n      The reliability strategy is deliberately simple: preserve every known valid candidate and try them all.<\/strong>\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
        \n\n  
        \n    
        5. Where MAC data lives<\/h2>\n\n    
        5.1 Local native storage<\/h3>\n\n    
        \n      Each iOS or Android device keeps a local candidate set per IP address. This is the runtime source used by native WOL.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
        context_<ip> = {\n    \"AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:01\": \"wlanMacAddress\",\n    \"AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:02\": \"db\",\n    \"AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:03\": \"MACAddress\"\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n\n    
        \n      The context label explains where a candidate came from. It no longer determines a \u201cbest-first\u201d order.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
        5.2 Shared database storage<\/h3>\n\n    
        \n      The backend stores the complete MAC candidate list for each configured user device:\n    <\/p>\n\n    
        param_name  = wol_macs\nparam_value = [\"AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:01\",\"AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:02\",...]\nparam_type  = extender<\/code><\/pre>\n\n    
        \n      The database is shared memory between MyURemote clients. Native WOL remains LAN-local and does not call the database directly.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
        \n\n  
        \n    
        6. Why the WebView is the synchronization bridge<\/h2>\n\n    
        \n      MyURemote deliberately separates authenticated online configuration from local device execution.\n      The WebView has the authenticated MyURemote session; the native layer has the local networking capabilities.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
        The WebView therefore performs both synchronization directions:<\/p>\n\n    
          \n      
        • Local \u2192 database:<\/strong> read all native MAC candidates and merge them into wol_macs<\/code>.<\/li>\n      
        • Database \u2192 local:<\/strong> read wol_macs<\/code> and seed every candidate into native storage.<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n\n    
          \n      Native iOS\/Android code never needs to authenticate directly against the MyURemote backend.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
          \n\n  
          \n    
          7. Practical dataflow<\/h2>\n\n    
            \n      
          1. \n        Startup \/ seeding:<\/strong>\n        the frontend reads previously known wol_macs<\/code> from the database and merges them into native storage.\n      <\/li>\n      
          2. \n        Discovery:<\/strong>\n        native discovery may find additional MAC candidates and merges them into the local candidate set.\n      <\/li>\n      
          3. \n        Sync:<\/strong>\n        the frontend reads the local candidate set and merges it back into the database.\n      <\/li>\n      
          4. \n        Wake phase:<\/strong>\n        native WOL sends a magic packet to every known valid candidate, typically about 150 ms apart.\n      <\/li>\n    <\/ol>\n\n    
            DB wol_macs\n      \u2193\nstartup seed\n      \u2193\nlocal candidate set\n      \u2195\nnative discovery\n      \u2193\nfrontend sync\n      \u2193\nDB wol_macs\n\nKEY_POWERON \u2192 MAC 1 \u2192 ~150 ms \u2192 MAC 2 \u2192 ~150 ms \u2192 MAC 3 \u2192 ...<\/code><\/pre>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
            \n\n  
            \n    
            8. Why this is more robust than \u201cbest MAC\u201d learning<\/h2>\n\n    
            8.1 No false certainty<\/h3>\n    
            \n      A TV can expose different interfaces at different times. Preserving all candidates avoids tying WOL reliability to one historical result.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
            8.2 Discovery may be incomplete without losing knowledge<\/h3>\n    
            \n      New discovery data is merged. If a scan temporarily returns only one address, older known candidates remain available.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
            8.3 New devices can wake a TV immediately<\/h3>\n    
            \n      A newly installed MyURemote client can receive the shared wol_macs<\/code> list at startup and use it before local discovery has run.\n    <\/p>\n\n    
            8.4 iOS and Android use the same semantics<\/h3>\n    
            \n      The native WOL transport can differ internally by platform or SDK, but the candidate-set contract remains identical.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
            \n\n  
            \n    
            9. Platform notes<\/h2>\n\n    
              \n      
            • Samsung:<\/strong> the SmartView integration can use its native Wake-on-LAN helper.<\/li>\n      
            • LG \/ generic WOL:<\/strong> MyURemote can generate and broadcast the standard WOL magic packet itself.<\/li>\n      
            • Standby matters:<\/strong> TVs may take time to enter or leave the network state in which WOL works reliably.<\/li>\n      
            • Power cycling can matter:<\/strong> some TVs can recover their standby network behaviour after a full power cycle.<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n\n    
              \n      A single failed wake attempt does not automatically mean that MAC synchronization is wrong; the TV’s standby network state is part of the real-world system.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n  
              \n\n  
              \n    
              10. Summary<\/h2>\n\n    
                \n      
              • Wake-on-LAN requires MAC addresses, and modern devices may expose several candidates.<\/li>\n      
              • MyURemote stores and preserves the complete known candidate set.<\/li>\n      
              • Local native storage is the runtime candidate source.<\/li>\n      
              • The database stores wol_macs<\/code> as shared persistent memory between clients.<\/li>\n      
              • The WebView synchronizes local \u2194 database because it owns the authenticated session.<\/li>\n      
              • A newly logged-in device can be seeded from the database before discovery runs.<\/li>\n      
              • Power On sends WOL to all known valid candidates with a short interval between packets.<\/li>\n      
              • The old best MAC<\/code> \/ learning architecture is no longer part of the current contract.<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n\n    
                \n      Bottom line: MyURemote makes \u201cPower On\u201d resilient by keeping shared MAC knowledge instead of betting on one address.<\/strong>\n    <\/p>\n  <\/section>\n\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                Concepts \u2013 Why MyURemote Handles MAC Addresses (WOL & Device Identity) This page explains why MAC address handling exists in MyURemote and how it fits the overall architecture. It is written as a technical reference for integrators and advanced users who want a solid mental model, without going into implementation-level code details. Key idea: Wake-on-LAN […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":144,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-140","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"has_hero_section":"disabled","styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":291,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/140\/revisions\/291"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuremote.com\/website\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}