openthread.thread.home.arpa in network , Monterey

This is to do with the new home automation networking protoctol named Thread. Apple supports this with HomeKit, so it's there as an access point into the Thread network.

Apple's first product to support Thread is the HomePod mini (however these won't appear here.)

The specification calls for using the domain <anything>.thread.home.arpa for a Thread network.

I also have this as a Network name and Kind is identified as "Neighborhood." It showed up after upgrade to Monterey. I have a Google Nest wireless network, so that might have something to do with it, but I really would like to know exactly what this new network item is rather than "ignore it."

You can’t remove it…The person that owners either a NEST or Home Pod device. Has to stop broadcasting through their router…But for any or you internal devices has to be connected. To work.

Which if you stop broadcasting. You have to input the name and password of the network manually…under, Other….

The only security issue is if you don’t password protect the networks…In my case I don’t broadcast my SSID…So you can’t see it… This still requires you to manually type in the name and password. Even if you can’t see it…

I have found these exchanges very helpful, even if they do not quite solve the issue. I have found this same item appearing in my list of Network items. The most recent change has been to connect my network to Hive (the British Gas/Centrica control program and devices such as a thermostat and radiator valves). On a simple "before and after" analysis this looks like the source - aka "The Internet of Things". Strange that Phllips Hue did not produce the result previously

I'm running a Raspberry Pi with PiHole on it. I see a lot of .ARPA requests from Bonjour to lookup the DNS name of devices from conditional forwarding from DHCP of my router. These all are typed as "PTR".

In contrast, THREAD queries are requested as A/AAAA for the IPv4 and IPv6 network and forwarded by the system to the external DNS server. This is unsightly and is probably not answered correctly (namely not at all, how does the external DNS provider know the internal IP address of my Apple TV with THREAD support?).

Therefore I created a static IP address for the AppleTV and a DNS entry in PiHole (<APPLETV>.OPENTHREAD.THREAD.ARPA) with the IPv4+6 address (instead of <APPLETV> insert here the name of your used THREAD border router, for me it's my AppleTV called "homecinema", I have no HomePod Mini).

Maybe there will be an update in future for this either on Apple side or on router/PiHole side to block these entries or answer them correctly ... !?

The requests are now answered correctly and felt HomeKit reacts faster with e.g. sockets from EVE and the Homebridge.

Do you have Google Nest installed, I’ve read that this may be the cause.

It shows up if your Network finds one. It does not have to be in your house either...Just as it finds other networks around you,,

Ignore it...

Hello!

Are there solutions if my Pi-Hole is not a DNS server and also the IPs are assigned dynamically? My Pi-Hole shows enormous queries, since iOS 15.2.

Thanks