A method includes: an obtaining step, in which a first device in the home network obtains the instruction; a query step, in which the first device queries for at least one particular device meeting a predetermined condition in the home network; and a notification step, in which the first device notifies the particular device of the instruction. A user does not need to directly send an instruction to a particular device that executes the instruction; instead, the user only needs to make sure that any device in the home network obtains the instruction. The user can enable a most suitable device to execute the instruction automatically without knowing a large amount of detailed information such as device performance. Therefore, not only is full use of functions and features of devices in the home network made, but also user operations are significantly facilitated, improving user experience for users.