What does UPnP actually do please???

[TheOldPresbyope]

OK....all is good with the 8.3.2 edition...and all I'm doing is playing locally stored files via USB to a Topping E30.

I have all renderers set OFF....and have access to all my files
Setting UPnP to ON....achieves the same result....all would appear to be equally good!

So...question is....what does UPnP bring to the table for my purposes????
Does it open up any improved sonic potential??

Quoting from Wikipedia

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a set of networking protocols that permits networked devices, such as personal computers, printers, Internet gateways, Wi-Fi access points and mobile devices to seamlessly discover each other's presence on the network and establish functional network services. UPnP is intended primarily for residential networks without enterprise-class devices.

Thus, UPnP itself is just words written on paper ("set of networking protocols"). Various device makers may or may not choose to implement some subset or another of the totality of UPnP protocols. This is all about connectivity, not about "sonic potential".

If you don't have any other devices on your LAN which implement UPnP for media serving, rendering, and controlling that you want to be part of your moOde environment, then you don't need to worry about UPnP. 

For example, a UPnP discovery scan of my LAN finds* my "smart" TV, the Sonos Soundbar I use with the TV, my moOde players (if I've enabled their UPnP renderer), various servers on which I've enabled UPnP media service, yada yada yada.

For all that, I normally leave the UPnP renderers disabled unless I'm testing moOde's UPnP functionality in some scenario. Had I some other audio gear which required the use of UPnP  I might keep them enabled. YMMV.

As an aside, some iPhone/Android UPnP-enabled apps---my favorite example being BubbleUPnP---provide useful access to remote music streaming services such as Qobuz, Tidal, and the like. One way to use these apps with my moOde players is via the UPnP renderer but other ways are via the Bluetooth or Airplay renderers. We have an embarrassment of riches, as my grandmother used to say.

Regards,
Kent

ETA
* to be specific, it finds the UPnP services advertised by these devices.