What is openthread.thread.home.arpa on a Mac network?

Some Mac users have discovered a seemingly random device called “openthread.thread.home.arpa” in the Network section of the Finder, where you see other available networked computers and devices.

Curiously, if you hit “openthread.thread.home.arpa” to try to connect to or interact with it, you’ll find that usually nothing happens.

So what is openthread.thread.home.arpa in MacOS Network section?Should I worry about this, is this device normal and what is it intended for?Don’t worry, because that’s exactly what we’re going to dive into so you can understand what openthread.thread.home.arpa is if you happen to see it on your Mac.

What is openthread.thread.home.arpa on Mac?

If you see “openthread.thread.home.arpa” on your Mac under Network, it’s actually a device that’s on your network.

openthread.thread.home.arpa is known as thread border router.A Thread Border Router (TBR) is essentially a bridge between devices on a smart home network, allowing a smart device to connect to the internet and communicate with other devices.

Thread Border Router devices can be anything from a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV, in the Apple ecosystem, or even anything outside of the Apple world like a Raspberry Pi, Nest, Echo, or many other smart home devices, including stuff like that. like smart locks., smart light bulbs, smart sockets, smart thermostats, smart doorbells and more.Thus, if you see openthread.thread.home.arpa in the Network section of MacOS Finder, you may have one of these devices on your network.

Can I remove openthread.thread.home.arpa from network on Mac?

If you see openthread.thread.home.arpa and don’t want it to be visible on your Mac’s network, the only way to remove it is to disable the smart home device that’s causing it to show up.

Again, this is usually something like a HomePod, Apple TV, Echo, Raspberry Pi, Nest, Philips Hue smart light bulb, or similar smart home device.

Thus, if you want to remove openthread.thread.home.arpa, you will have to disconnect your smart home device from the Internet.

In the example here, the openthread.thread.home.arpa device is actually a HomePod mini on the same network as the Mac.If I unplugged the HomePod mini from the wall and then refreshed the network in Finder, the openthread.thread.home.arpa device was gone.However, this is not necessary as there is no reason to remove a known device from your network.

Assuming you have a smart home device that you know about and use, there is no reason to remove openthread.thread.home.arpa from Mac as it does not pose any harm or risk to you.

If you was don’t know that you have a smart home device on your network and see openthread.thread.home.arpa on Mac, then you can discuss it with other housemates/family/friends/spouses/lovers/cats/dogs/hamsters to find what is a smart device.

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