01 · VIA DEEP AXION
Discovery
A client asks which compatible services are available. Deep Axion evaluates policy and reflects the small discovery exchange to the appropriate VLANs.
For technical teams and integrators
Segmented by design. Simple to operate.
Deep Axion reflects service discovery across VLANs without bridging the network. Media streams travel directly, existing firewall policy remains authoritative, and engineers gain live operational visibility.
Discovery onlyReflects the small mDNS and SSDP conversations, not media payloads.
Streams go directAudio and video follow the normal routed unicast path.
Low overheadLab measured below 2% CPU and 0.5 Mbps at 10 active VLANs.
Vendor neutralRuns with any suitable managed switch with IGMP snooping.
Architecture
Discovery is reflected. Streaming is not.
Deep Axion solves the discovery problem, then gets out of the way. It is neither a layer-2 bridge nor a media proxy.
02 · DIRECT
Connection
The client learns the destination device's real IP address and opens a normal routed unicast connection, subject to existing firewall policy.
03 · DIRECT
Streaming
Video, screen mirroring and audio flow directly between endpoints. Deep Axion is not in the media path.
Security posture: VLAN separation and firewall enforcement remain intact. Deep Axion handles discovery metadata only; it does not decrypt, transcode, inspect or carry media payloads.
Compatibility
One appliance for the services used on site.
Deep Axion combines mDNS and SSDP discovery so mixed Apple, Google, Sonos and UPnP estates can operate across segmented networks.
| Service | Discovery families | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| AirPlay audio and video | mDNS | iPhone, iPad or Mac to Apple TV, HomePod or AVR |
| Sonos S2 | mDNSSSDP | App discovery, grouping, volume and zone control |
| Google Chromecast | mDNSSSDP | Android, Chrome and supported apps to Chromecast or Google TV |
| Spotify Connect | mDNS | Spotify app to compatible speakers, televisions and receivers |
| Tidal Connect | mDNS | Tidal app to compatible speakers, televisions and receivers |
| Roku and UPnP | SSDP | Roku ECP discovery, DLNA renderers and compatible UPnP devices |
| AirPrint, HomeKit and Matter | mDNS | Discovery for printing, smart-home and automation services |
Deployment
Fits the network already specified.
A preconfigured macOS or Ubuntu appliance connects to a trunk port and becomes the single mDNS and SSDP authority for the participating VLANs.
Apple Mac mini M4 appliance or a supported Ubuntu 24.x Linux host.
One 802.1Q trunk port with the required VLANs presented to the appliance.
Managed switching with IGMP snooping enabled on participating VLANs.
Disable competing mDNS gateways, Bonjour forwarding and legacy multicast helper configuration before commissioning.
Allow the service-specific unicast paths required between clients and destinations. Existing firewall policy remains authoritative.
Local browser interface over TLS, with two-role authentication and no ongoing internet dependency after activation.
CiscoUniFiArubaRuckusMikroTikJuniperExtreme
Operational visibility
Find the fault without starting from packet capture.
Deep Axion combines service reflection with active health and multicast diagnostics in the same local interface.
Active device health
TCP probes run against advertised service ports on a 60-second cadence, with per-device state and recent history.
Live forwarding policy
Per-protocol forward and block rules, VLAN-to-VLAN policy, device-source rules and live re-evaluation.
Reflection map
See each physical device, its origin VLAN and reflected destinations without tracing the cache manually.
Multicast traffic map
Observed per-VLAN flows with protocol classification, live rates, IGMP health and rolling history.
Validation and commercial model
Built to stay local and keep running.
The appliance has been exercised in demanding, mixed-vendor AV environments.
180+ daysContinuous soak testing
150+ devicesTested across installations
10 VLANsCurrent tested reference scale
PerpetualHardware-locked signed licence
Licence and support: the perpetual licence does not require a continuing subscription or call-home service. The first twelve months include version updates and priority support; annual renewal is optional thereafter.
Engineering checklist
What to confirm before deployment.
Document the source and destination segments and the services that should be visible between them.
Remove legacy ip helper-address multicast relays and disable vendor mDNS gateways.
Enable it on participating VLANs and confirm an appropriate querier is present where required.
Permit the endpoint-to-endpoint TCP and UDP ports required by the services being deployed.
Present the required tagged VLANs to the appliance and verify local addressing on each interface.
Validate discovery and playback from representative client networks, then review health and reflection views.
Technical review
Review the design with us.
Share the switch platform, VLAN count, intended services and deployment type. We will help your integrator confirm fit before quotation.