HiliSoft UPnP Explorer: Complete Guide to Features and SetupHiliSoft UPnP Explorer is a Windows utility designed to discover, inspect, and interact with UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) devices on a local network. It’s useful for developers, network administrators, and advanced users who want to examine device descriptions, control points, and service actions exposed via UPnP — or simply to troubleshoot connectivity and interoperability between routers, media servers, smart devices, and other UPnP-enabled hardware.
What UPnP Is and Why HiliSoft UPnP Explorer Matters
UPnP is a set of networking protocols that allows devices to discover each other and establish functional network services for data sharing, communications, and entertainment. While UPnP simplifies network configuration (for example, automatic port forwarding or media sharing), it can be opaque when something goes wrong. HiliSoft UPnP Explorer provides visibility into the devices and services on your LAN by showing raw device descriptions, service state variables, and available SOAP actions. That visibility helps:
- Understand how devices present themselves on the network
- Debug compatibility and configuration issues
- Manually invoke UPnP actions to test behavior
- Learn UPnP service and action structures for development purposes
Key Features
- Device discovery: Scans the local network for UPnP devices using SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol).
- Device tree and description viewing: Presents each device’s XML description, including device type, friendly name, manufacturer, model, icons, and embedded services.
- Service inspection: Lists services for each device, showing service types, control URLs, event subscription URLs, and SCPD (service description) XML.
- Action invocation: Allows manual execution of SOAP actions exposed by services, entering input arguments and viewing responses and errors.
- State variable monitoring: Displays service state variables and enables inspection of current values where supported.
- Eventing support: Subscribes to service events, showing event notifications (where devices support UPnP eventing).
- Export and save: Save device descriptions and service XML for offline analysis or documentation.
- Simple UI: Tree-based interface that’s approachable for technical users and researchers.
Installation and System Requirements
HiliSoft UPnP Explorer is a Windows application (typically compatible with Windows 7 and later). Basic requirements include:
- Windows desktop OS (32-bit or 64-bit)
- .NET Framework (version depending on the app build — commonly 4.x)
- Local network connectivity and permissive firewall rules to allow SSDP (UDP port 1900) and HTTP requests to device control endpoints
To install:
- Download the installer or portable package from the official site or trusted repository.
- If an installer is used, run the MSI/EXE and follow prompts. For a portable version, extract the archive to a folder.
- Ensure the .NET Framework version required is installed.
- Adjust firewall settings if device discovery fails: allow inbound/outbound UDP on port 1900 and allow the application through the firewall.
First Run: Discovering Devices
- Launch HiliSoft UPnP Explorer.
- The app will typically perform an SSDP M-SEARCH to discover devices — you may see a progress indicator or a refresh button.
- Discovered devices appear in a hierarchical tree with friendly names or device types.
- Expand a device to view its device description and listed services.
If no devices appear:
- Verify all UPnP devices are on the same IP subnet and connected to the same switch/router.
- Ensure multicast and UDP traffic are not blocked by your network or firewall.
- Temporarily disable VPNs or host-based firewalls that might isolate the machine.
Navigating the Device Tree and XML
Selecting a device shows its device descriptor XML. Important sections include:
- deviceType and friendlyName — what the device reports as itself
- manufacturer and modelName — vendor and model details
- UDN (Unique Device Name) — a UUID identifying the device instance
- icon list — links to device icons (useful for UI integration)
- serviceList — references to service types and control/event URLs
For each service, you can view SCPD XML, which defines:
- actionList — available actions and their arguments
- serviceStateTable — state variables with data types, allowed values, and sendEvents flag
Invoking Actions and Reading Responses
To test or control devices:
- Select a service and open the Actions panel.
- Pick an action from the action list.
- Enter values for input arguments (e.g., InstanceID, DesiredVolume).
- Send the SOAP request. The tool shows the raw SOAP XML request and the response or error.
Common uses:
- Querying media server content directories (ContentDirectory:Browse)
- Controlling media renderers (RenderingControl:SetVolume, AVTransport:Play/Pause/Stop)
- Retrieving device info or diagnostics exposed via custom actions
Tip: When an action returns an error, examine both the HTTP status and SOAP fault detail — it often includes UPnP error codes and descriptions.
Event Subscription and Monitoring
If a service supports eventing (sendEvents=“yes”), HiliSoft UPnP Explorer can subscribe to it and display asynchronous notifications when state variables change. This is useful to:
- Observe real-time state changes (playback state, volume, track metadata)
- Verify event generation for debugging and integration tests
Note: Some devices implement eventing differently; subscriptions can fail if the device expects a callback URL the app doesn’t provide or if the network blocks callbacks.
Advanced Tips for Troubleshooting
- Use the raw XML tabs to copy full device or service descriptors for sharing with vendors or colleagues.
- Compare SCPD action signatures with the SOAP requests you’re sending — mismatched argument names/types cause faults.
- Check for NAT/Router behaviors: some routers expose WAN-facing UPnP differently from LAN-facing client views.
- For intermittent discovery, increase SSDP discovery retries or use a continuous listen/monitor mode if available.
- If experimenting with smart devices, factory-reset and re-enable UPnP features when troubleshooting persistent issues.
Security Considerations
UPnP can be a convenience and a liability. HiliSoft UPnP Explorer helps you audit what devices expose, but keep in mind:
- UPnP has been abused for external attack (e.g., open port mapping vulnerabilities on exposed routers). Audit WAN-facing mappings and disable remote UPnP if unneeded.
- Devices may expose sensitive control actions; restrict network access where possible.
- Use the Explorer to identify unexpected devices/services on the network and remediate unknown entries.
Alternatives and Complementary Tools
- Wireshark — packet-level capture to analyze SSDP and SOAP traffic.
- Device-specific SDKs or manufacturer tools for deeper integration.
- Other UPnP explorers and control point apps for cross-platform needs.
Comparison table:
| Tool | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| HiliSoft UPnP Explorer | Easy device/service inspection, action invocation, event monitoring | Windows-only; GUI may lack scripting automation |
| Wireshark | Deep packet inspection, cross-platform | Higher complexity; not UPnP-specific UI |
| Vendor SDKs | Full device control, supported APIs | Often vendor-locked; steeper learning curve |
Practical Examples
- Fixing DLNA playback: Use ContentDirectory Browse to ensure media items expose required metadata and URIs.
- Testing smart plug control: Invoke SetTarget or equivalent action to toggle relay state and confirm event notifications update status.
- Diagnosing port mapping: Inspect WANIPConnection service to list current port mappings and remove suspicious entries.
Saving and Sharing Findings
Export device/service XML when filing bug reports or seeking community help. Include the SOAP request/response and any error codes to speed diagnosis.
Summary
HiliSoft UPnP Explorer is a practical Windows tool for discovering, inspecting, and interacting with UPnP devices and services on your LAN. It’s valuable for debugging, development, and network auditing — showing raw device/service descriptions, invoking SOAP actions, and monitoring events. Use it alongside packet captures and vendor docs for comprehensive troubleshooting.
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