AirPlay

For screen sharing via Apple iOS / iPadOS / MacOS devices.

Overview

AirPlay relies on Apple Bonjour (mDNS) for discovery and uses several TCP and UDP ports for audio, video, control and event channels. The network must allow discovery and communication between the sending device and the Mago device.

Requirements

The following requirements must be met for AirPlay to function reliably.

1

Bonjour (mDNS) must be enabled

AirPlay discovery depends on mDNS, which uses multicast traffic on the following:

• UDP 5353 (mDNS)

• Multicast address 224.0.0.251

For AirPlay to work:

• Multicast traffic must be allowed on the WiFi network

• IGMP Snooping must not block or suppress mDNS packets

• IGMP Querier must be active on VLANs when using snooping

• mDNS must not be rate-limited or filtered by the AP

If mDNS is blocked, Apple devices will not see the Mago device in the AirPlay menu.

2

AirPlay across multiple VLANs requires mDNS forwarding

In single-VLAN environments, no special configuration is typically needed.

In networks with multiple subnets or VLANs, AirPlay will not work unless multicast discovery is forwarded between VLANs. Most enterprise networks block multicast between VLANs by default.

To enable AirPlay across VLANs, your network must support one of the following:

• mDNS reflector / mDNS gateway

• Bonjour gateway (Cisco, Aruba, Meraki, UniFi, Extreme, etc.)

• Avahi reflector (Linux-based networks)

• Multicast forwarding between specific VLANs

• AirGroup-style service registration

This configuration is vendor-specific and must be performed on your switches or wireless controllers.

If your network does not forward mDNS between VLANs, AirPlay will only work when client devices and Mago Room are on the same VLAN.

3

Required AirPlay ports must be open

Port	Type	Direction	Service
554	TCP/UDP	Both	Real Time Streaming Protocol
3689	TCP	Both	Digital Audio Access Protocol
5350	UDP	Both	NAT Port Mapping Announcements
5351	UDP	Both	NAT Port Mapping Announcements
5353	UDP	Both	mDNS Discovery
7000*	TCP	Both	AirPlay Server Port
7100*	TCP	Both	AirPlay Data Port
2001*	UDP	Both	AirPlay Timing Port
29053*	TCP	Both	AirPlay Events
61875*	UDP	Both	AirPlay Audio Data Port

(*) Dynamic ports automatically selected by AirServer AirServer announces these ports via Bonjour/mDNS.

Firewall rules must not block these ports, or AirPlay will fail after discovery or result in black screen / audio-only mirroring.

4

Requires Bonjour service types

AirPlay relies on Bonjour (mDNS) to advertise receiver capabilities. The following Bonjour service types must be visible to the client device:

• _airplay._tcp

• _raop._tcp

• _airserver._tcp

If your network uses multiple VLANs, your mDNS gateway or Bonjour reflector must forward these service types between VLANs. If any of these are filtered or missing, AirPlay devices may not discover the Mago device or may fail during session setup.

5

Multicast configuration on WiFi access points

Most enterprise WiFi systems include multicast control features that can unintentionally break AirPlay. Ensure the following:

• Multicast is allowed on the SSID used by client devices

• Broadcast/multicast filtering is disabled or relaxed

• Proxy ARP does not interfere with mDNS packets

• DTIM intervals are not excessively high

• Band steering does not block multicast on 2.4 GHz (if used)

Apple recommends enabling multicast on both bands, although 5 GHz is preferred for performance.

6

AP Isolation must be disabled

AirPlay requires direct communication between the sender device and the Mago device. If AP isolation (client isolation) is enabled, devices cannot see each other, even if mDNS is working. Make sure AP isolation is disabled on the SSID used by client devices.

7

Device and OS requirements

Sending device must be:

• iPhone or iPad with iOS 11 or later

• macOS 10.11 or later

• Windows devices using iTunes or compatible AirPlay apps

The receiving device (Mago) must:

• Be on the same VLAN as the AirPlay clients unless mDNS forwarding is configured

8

Network stability and performance considerations

AirPlay streaming uses a mixture of TCP and UDP channels. For best results:

• Ensure strong signal strength on the WiFi network

• Ensure low latency and minimal packet loss

• Avoid congested 2.4 GHz networks when possible

• Prefer 5 GHz or WiFi 6 for high-quality mirroring