deviceVisible

Devicevisible, sometimes written as deviceVisible, is a general term in information technology describing the state or capability of a device to be detectable by other devices, services, or applications within a given environment. It encompasses both hardware devices and software agents and may appear as a property, mode, or setting within a system’s device management, networking, or discovery framework.

Visibility is typically achieved through discovery or advertising mechanisms such as Bluetooth Low Energy advertising, Wi-Fi Direct service discovery, mDNS (multicast DNS), SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol), or UPnP. In user interfaces, a device is shown as visible in device lists or pairing screens when it has emitted a presence or accepted a discovery query.

Visibility is often user-controllable and time-limited. A device may allow users to enable or disable visibility, set a timer, or require authentication before enabling discovery. Limiting visibility helps protect privacy and security and can reduce battery consumption in wireless devices.

Examples include a smartphone entering Bluetooth discoverable mode to allow pairing, a smart home hub listing bulbs that announce themselves on the home network, or a printer appearing in a network discovery of devices.

Because there is no single standard named devicevisible across all platforms, the term is used descriptively in documentation and discussions about device discovery and pairing. See also device discovery, service discovery protocols, Bluetooth Low Energy, mDNS, SSDP, UPnP, and device pairing.