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Can't Find Your TV or Casting Device

Your TV or streaming device isn't showing up in LocalCast. Here's how to fix device discovery issues.

What's happening?

When you open LocalCast and tap the cast button, the app scans your local network for compatible devices using protocols like SSDP (for DLNA), mDNS (for Chromecast and AirPlay), and DIAL (for Roku and Fire TV). If your TV or speaker doesn't appear in the device list, something is preventing these discovery packets from reaching your devices.

Below are the most common causes and their fixes, ordered from most likely to least likely.

Quick check: Make sure your TV is fully powered on (not in standby) and connected to Wi-Fi before troubleshooting. Then pull down on the device list to force a refresh.

Common causes & fixes

1 VPN or Proxy is Active

VPN and proxy apps route your phone's network traffic through an encrypted tunnel, which blocks SSDP multicast discovery packets from reaching devices on your local network. DLNA devices, Roku, WebOS TVs, and Sonos speakers become completely invisible. Chromecast and AirPlay may still work if your VPN supports split-tunnel mode, but this varies by provider.

Fix: Disable your VPN or proxy app while casting. If you need the VPN active, configure split-tunnel mode to exclude local network traffic (sometimes called "LAN access" or "Allow local network" in your VPN app's settings).

2 Devices on Different Wi-Fi Networks

Your phone and TV must be on the exact same Wi-Fi network and subnet for discovery to work. Common mismatches include: phone on 5 GHz and TV on 2.4 GHz with separate SSIDs, one device on a guest network, or mesh network nodes creating separate subnets.

Fix: Connect both your phone and TV to the same Wi-Fi network name (SSID). Avoid guest networks, as they typically isolate devices. If your router broadcasts separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, make sure both devices are on the same one.

3 Local Network Permission Not Granted (iOS)

On iOS 14 and later, apps must have explicit "Local Network" permission to discover devices on your network. If you denied this permission when first prompted, LocalCast cannot send or receive any discovery packets.

Fix: Open your iPhone's Settings → scroll down to LocalCast → enable Local Network. You may need to restart LocalCast after changing this setting.

4 Router Blocking Multicast / SSDP

Some routers — especially ISP-provided ones — block multicast traffic and UPnP by default as a security measure. This prevents SSDP discovery packets from reaching DLNA devices and WebOS TVs on your network. Chromecast (which uses mDNS) may still work even when SSDP is blocked.

Fix: Log into your router's admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) and look for settings labeled "UPnP", "Multicast", "IGMP Snooping", or "IGMP Proxy" — enable them. If you can't find these settings, check your router's manual or contact your ISP.

5 Discovery Type Not Enabled in LocalCast

LocalCast has per-protocol discovery toggles that let you enable or disable specific device types. If the protocol for your device is turned off, it won't appear in the device list even if everything else is configured correctly.

Fix: Open the device list → tap the filter icon at the top → make sure your device type is enabled (Chromecast, DLNA, AirPlay, Roku, Fire TV). You can also access these settings from Settings → Server & Devices → Discovery.

6 TV is in Standby or Deep Sleep

Many Smart TVs disable their network connection when in standby or deep sleep mode to save power. In this state, the TV cannot respond to discovery packets and won't appear in any casting app.

Fix: Fully power on your TV using the remote (not just waking from standby), wait 10–15 seconds for it to connect to Wi-Fi, then pull down on the device list in LocalCast to refresh. Some TVs have a "Network Standby" or "Wake on LAN" option you can enable to keep the network active during standby.

7 Firewall App Blocking Discovery

Phone-based firewall apps like NetGuard, AdGuard, Blokada, or DNS66 can block the SSDP and mDNS packets that LocalCast uses to find devices. These apps often filter all UDP traffic, which is required for device discovery.

Fix: Whitelist LocalCast in your firewall app, or temporarily disable the firewall to test if it's causing the issue. If discovery works with the firewall off, add LocalCast to your firewall's exception list.

8 AP / Client Isolation Enabled

Enterprise networks, hotels, airports, and some home mesh systems enable "AP Isolation" or "Client Isolation", which prevents wireless devices from communicating with each other. This blocks all device discovery and casting.

Fix: If you control the router, log into the admin panel and disable "AP Isolation", "Client Isolation", or "Wireless Isolation". On mesh systems, look for "Device Communication" or "Local Network Access" and make sure it's enabled. If you're on a hotel or public network, casting typically won't work due to these restrictions — try using a mobile hotspot instead.

Still not working?

If none of the above fixes resolve the issue, check out our FAQ for more troubleshooting tips, or contact us with the following details so we can help:

• Your phone model and OS version
• The TV or device you're trying to find
• Your network setup (router model, mesh system, VPN)
• Which discovery types are enabled in LocalCast settings

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