AirPlay or AirPrint stopped working after a new router or mesh

AirPlay and AirPrint find devices with Bonjour, which uses multicast on the local network. A new router or mesh can keep those messages from the Mac. The fix is usually one router setting.

Fix this with your agentCopies a prompt for Claude Code, Codex or any agent that can use Terminal.

My Mac has this problem: AirPlay or AirPrint stopped working after a new router or mesh. Read https://kilobat.app/guides/airplay-airprint-mesh-router.md and work through it with me. Install the Kilobat CLI if it’s missing: brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat. Run the guide’s Terminal and kilobat checks yourself and tell me what you find. List the steps only I can do. Ask before you change any setting.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. Router menus are from the vendors’ own help pages and differ by model and firmware.Checked: 7 November 2026

Symptoms

The Apple TV, AirPlay speaker or smart TV is missing from Screen Mirroring or the sound output list.
The Mac says that no AirPrint printers were found, or the printer is missing when you click Add Printer.
The problem started after a new router, a new mesh system, a firmware update or a new provider gateway.
The iPhone sees the device, but the Mac does not, or the opposite.
The device appears for some minutes after a router restart, then goes away.

Likely causes

Device isolation or AP isolation is on. The router keeps some wireless devices from talking to others. Each device still reaches the internet.
The device is on the guest network. Many guest networks block access to the main network by default, so Bonjour messages do not pass.
The Mac and the device are on different subnets. Apple says that Bonjour multicast is usually not routed between subnets. A VLAN, a second router or double NAT puts devices on different subnets.
A discovery setting is off on the gateway. Some provider gateways have a device discovery switch for printers and shared computers.
A multicast or airtime setting on the router. Users report that some wireless optimisation settings stop AirPlay discovery. Most vendors do not document this effect.

How to check

Hold the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon. Note the Mac’s IP address and Wi-Fi name.
On the TV, speaker or printer, open its network settings. Compare its IP address with the Mac’s.
If the first three numbers differ on a home network, the two devices are on different subnets.
Look for AirPlay receivers. Press Control-C to stop.
```
dns-sd -B _airplay._tcp
```
Look for printers that announce IPP.
```
dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp
```
Output A line with Add is a device that the Mac can see. No lines after some seconds means that no device answered.
Check that the Mac has Local Network access for the app you use. See An app cannot find devices on the local network.

How to fix it

Connect the device to the same Wi-Fi name as the Mac, not to the guest network.
TP-Link Deco: open the Deco app. Tap Security > Device Isolation and remove the TV or printer from the list.
TP-Link says that isolated devices cannot transfer data with devices on your home network.
NETGEAR Orbi guest network: open orbilogin.com and choose Guest Network.
Select “Allow guests to see each other and access my local network”. NETGEAR clears it by default.
ASUS: choose Wireless > Professional. Set “Set AP isolated” to No for each band.
ASUS guest network: turn on Access Intranet in the guest network profile. ASUS says it works in Wireless router mode only.
Xfinity gateway: open the Admin Tool at 10.0.0.1. Choose Advanced > Device Discovery.
Xfinity lists Zero Config there as a discovery protocol. Users report that AirPrint returns after they turn it on.
UniFi with VLANs: turn on the gateway’s mDNS proxy for the networks of the Mac and the device.
Ubiquiti offers Auto, Off and Custom modes. Custom forwards chosen services between chosen networks only.
If the mesh is behind the provider’s router, put one of them in bridge mode. See Double NAT: a mesh system behind your provider’s router.
ASUS and other routers: users report that turning off Airtime Fairness helps AirPlay. ASUS does not document this.
Users also report changes after switching IGMP snooping on or off. Reports go both ways, so test one change at a time.
Restart the TV, speaker or printer after each router change, so that it announces itself again.
If the printer is still missing, add it by its IP address. See Wi-Fi printer shows Offline on a Mac and the AirPrint guide.

The exact menus for your router, from FRITZ!Box and Xfinity to eero and Livebox: router guides.

With Kilobat

A few seconds after you join a network, Kilobat looks for TVs, AirPlay receivers and printers. Health shows what it found.
Run the same check in Terminal.
```
kilobat local check
```
Output It lists the devices that answered over Bonjour. If none answered, it says what did answer and what stays uncertain.
Browse one Bonjour service type, for example AirPlay.
```
kilobat bonjour _airplay._tcp
```
List the devices that the Mac has seen on this network, with their addresses.
```
kilobat devices
```
Kilobat cannot read or change your router’s isolation or multicast settings.

Questions

Why does AirPlay work from my iPhone but not from my Mac?

Check that both use the same Wi-Fi name and band settings. On macOS 15 and later, also check Local Network access for the app.

Can AirPlay work without the same network?

Apple says that newer Apple devices can use peer-to-peer AirPlay without a shared network. Discovery over your home network still needs Bonjour to pass.

Is device isolation a bad setting?

No. It protects your main devices from untrusted smart devices. Do not isolate devices that you want to cast or print to.

My mesh already passes Bonjour. Why does it still fail?

Check for a second router. A mesh behind the provider’s router makes two subnets. Devices on the provider’s Wi-Fi then cannot see devices on the mesh.

Sources

Checked on 7 November 2026.