[s1len7]

Feature Addition

Description

The URL and QR code on the mirror always use the first IPv4 address. On a home network that address can change with DHCP, and a name such as mirror.local is easier to read and type.

With the new option hostname (e.g. hostname: "mirror.local"), the configured name is shown in the URL and QR code instead of the IP address, e.g. http://silent-pi4-display.local:8080/remote.html. The default is an empty string, so existing setups keep showing the IP address.

The QR code is also no longer generated for the ip-of-your-mirror placeholder before the address is known, and it is regenerated when the address changes.

Changelog

• MMM-Remote-Control.js: new default hostname: '', used in the URL and QR code when set; no QR code for the placeholder; QR code regenerated when the address changes
• config.schema.json, README.md: document the option
• tests/dom/MMM-Remote-Control.test.js: tests for the IP address, the configured hostname and the placeholder

Requirements

None (no new dependencies).

Additional info

Following the review, the earlier mDNS lookup (useHostname + multicast-dns) was replaced by this configurable option.

Checked locally on Node 26: node --run lint, node --run test:spelling, test:integration (18 passed) and test:dom (55 passed) pass. test:unit has one failure on Windows only (moduleManager.test.js: / vs \ path separator), unrelated to this change.

[s1len7]

Thanks for taking a look! The previous CI run failed on the lint step, so I pushed a fix (38e62b8):

• node_helper.js: use toReversed(), rename done → isDone, and move the hostname lookup into an async sendIpAddresses() helper instead of chaining .then()
• MMM-Remote-Control.js: pass an explicit separator to join() and put the simple hasAddress check first

Spelling, lint, unit, integration, DOM and coverage all pass locally on Node 24. Could you approve the workflow run when you get a chance? Thanks!

[KristjanESPERANTO]

Thanks for the PR! 🙂

Avoiding QR-code generation for the placeholder URL makes sense.

For the hostname part, what do you think about a more pragmatic approach: making the hostname configurable instead of detecting it automatically? Hostnames rarely change in a typical home setup, so configuring it once seems reasonable. That would also avoid the lookup complexity and additional dependencies.

I'm also hesitant about adding multicast-dns, given that its latest release was over four years ago and there are some open PRs and issues. Looks unmaintained. An actively maintained alternative could still make automatic detection an option. Do you know any?

[s1len7]

Thanks for the review!

Agreed — a configurable hostname is simpler and covers my use case just as well. The hostname of my mirror hasn't changed since I set it up, and dropping the lookup removes the timeout/fallback logic and the new dependency entirely.

On alternatives for automatic detection, I checked a few:

• multicast-dns: you're right, the latest release (7.2.5) is from May 2022.
• bonjour-service is actively maintained (1.4.4, July 2026), but it depends on multicast-dns itself, so it doesn't really solve the problem.
• Node's built-in dns.lookupService() would avoid any dependency, but it relies on the system resolver (nss-mdns) to resolve .local names, which usually isn't available inside a Docker container — the setup I wanted to fix.

So I don't know of a good maintained option, and I'd go with the configurable approach.

My plan for this PR:

• Replace useHostname with a string option (e.g. hostname, default empty). When set, it is used in the URL and QR code instead of the IP address; when empty, behavior stays as it is today.
• Remove multicast-dns and the mDNS lookup code from node_helper.js.
• Keep the QR code fix (no QR for the placeholder, regenerate when the address changes).
• Update config.schema.json, README.md and the tests accordingly.

Does the option name hostname work for you, or would you prefer something else? I'll push the changes once you're fine with the direction.

[KristjanESPERANTO]

Glad the simpler approach covers your use case too! hostname works for me. Please go ahead, and thanks for checking the alternatives! 🙂

[s1len7]

Thanks! I pushed the change (149cdae): useHostname and the mDNS lookup are replaced by the hostname string option, and multicast-dns is removed. The QR code fix is kept, and the PR description is updated. Could you approve the workflow run when you get a chance?

[KristjanESPERANTO]

Your feature is now included in v6.2.0. Thanks for the contribution and for working through the feedback! 🙂