Apparatus and methods for premises device identification and characterization. In one embodiment, the premises devices are IoT (“internet of things”) devices having wireless interfaces, and the disclosed apparatus and methods “passively” canvass or assess a given premises as to its IoT profile, including both transparent and proxy-managed installations via a software-defined radio (SDR) device incorporated into a host device at the premises (e.g., DOCSIS modem, DSTB, wireless AP/router, or gateway). The SDR is controlled by logic operative to run on the host device (and optionally a network-side process), enabling the SDR to scan the RF environment within the premises in particular frequency bands typically associated with IoT devices and protocols. Information regarding each particular device is transmit to a network-side management process for use in populating the user's cloud-based EPG, selectively targeting advertising or other content to the premises, or yet other functions.