Connect via MAC address instead of host

[maxileith]

Hi @sebbo2002,

your pyatv wrapper currently uses atvscript --scan-hosts 42.42.42.42 ... to connect to an Apple TV. Could you implement a way, to connect to an Apple TV using the MAC Address? The command would be atvscript --id AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF. Connecting via the ID has the benefit that this does work across subnets, with the --scan-hosts option, you need to be on the same subnet.

Many Greetings Maxi

[sebbo2002]

id is already implemented, just pass it instead of host / hosts.

Let me know if you need any help implementing it or I've missed something. ☺️

[maxileith]

Problem is that host is not optional when adding a device:

https://github.com/sebbo2002/node-pyatv/blob/48dabfd2f994f50a8d896c0eb5544f673dcc3e3c/src/lib/types.ts#L169-L179

Addditonally, it would be nice to create a device with the complete set of attributes (host & mac) and still be able to tell the library which attribute to preferr when connecting to Apple TVs.

[maxileith]

Note: I am not talking about discovering devices but creating them manully via NodePyATVInstance.device.

[sebbo2002]

Ah, I see. Yes, in NodePyATVDevice the host is mandatory currently. get name() also returns a string, so changing this would be a breaking change. Have you tried setting host and id, does this work out for you? But do I understand you correctly that you actually want to have a new parameter that is then used instead of the parameters created in getParameters()?

[maxileith]

Yes, in NodePyATVDevice the host is mandatory currently. get name() also returns a string, so changing this would be a breaking change.

From my POV, the signature of the getName() method does not need to be changed as I would only make the host attribute of NodePyATVDeviceOptions optional. I would keep the name attribute mandatory.

Have you tried setting host and id, does this work out for you?

Yes, currently I am doing exactly that in my homebridge plugin. However, the result is that the node-pyatv libarary sets the -s and -i option when calling atvscript. Unfortunately atvscript scans via the host / IP in that case.

But do I understand you correctly that you actually want to have a new parameter that is then used instead of the parameters created in getParameters()?

No, I don´t. In the comments before I've ment to have an option which allows to set the preferred way of connecting to an Apple TV. E.g. if you provide the host and mac address, instead of sending both (by default) you can somehow tell your library to only use --id or --scan-hosts but not both.

However, now that you have mentioned the getParameter function, there might be an easier solution. The easieast solution might be to only pass the -i argument if there is an ID, like that:

export function getParameters(options: NodePyATVFindAndInstanceOptions = {}): string[] {
    const parameters: string[] = [];

    if (options.hosts) {
        parameters.push('-s', options.hosts.join(','));
    } else if (options.id) {
        parameters.push('-i', options.id);
    } else if (options.host) {
        parameters.push('-s', options.host);
    }
    if (options.protocol) {
        parameters.push('--protocol', options.protocol);
    }
    ...

[maxileith]

Or even better imo:

export function getParameters(options: NodePyATVFindAndInstanceOptions = {}): string[] {
    const parameters: string[] = [];

    if (options.hosts) {
        parameters.push('-s', options.hosts.join(','));
    } else if (options.mac) {
        parameters.push('-i', options.mac);
    } else if (options.id) {
        parameters.push('-i', options.id);
    } else if (options.host) {
        parameters.push('-s', options.host);
    }
    if (options.protocol) {
        parameters.push('--protocol', options.protocol);
    }
    ...

[sebbo2002]

Sorry, I meant get host() of course. To be honest, I'm not sure whether it would make sense to implement it the way you proposed. If you then set hosts and id in a search (for example WiFi + Ethernet IPs), only -s would be passed to pyatv, which may give other responses then the previous approach.

I currently see these possibilities:

• Fix it upstream and make pyatv handle it 🤪
• Make NodePyATVDeviceOptions.host non-mandatory. Small breaking change, but it makes the most sense to me at the moment.
• Add new parameter to control the way of connecting. By default, the behavior would be the same as currently, but optionally the parameter could be set to id or host. Quick fix, but somehow doesn't feel right to me.

I'll think about it some more, maybe I'll come up with something more useful.

[sebbo2002]

If there is no urgent need here, I would release this feature at the end of April, when support for node.js v18 is discontinued as well. Then it will only be one breaking change. If this is somehow important or time-critical, please let me know again, we can of course prioritize it differently.

[sebbo2002]

Waiting for new pyatv release to get tests through… https://github.com/postlund/pyatv/issues/2645

[sebbo2002]

:tada: This issue has been resolved in version 9.0.0-develop.1 :tada:

The release is available on:

• npm package (@next dist-tag)
• GitHub release
• v9.0.0-develop.1

Your semantic-release bot :package::rocket:

[sebbo2002]

:tada: This issue has been resolved in version 9.0.0 :tada:

The release is available on:

• npm package (@latest dist-tag)
• GitHub release
• v9.0.0

Your semantic-release bot :package::rocket:

[github-actions[bot]]

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