Network Alias Detection in Passive Site Surveys and Spectrum Analysis
Within the lifecycle of a WLAN network, site surveys are one of the most important activities. They are not only performed at the beginning of a project, but accompany the network throughout its entire existence.
A survey can be carried out right after deploying a new Wi-Fi network to validate performance metrics and configuration parameters. It is also good practice to conduct surveys periodically to measure performance, identify degradation, and detect trends that indicate the need for optimization. In addition, surveys are part of the early stages of many troubleshooting processes.
Regardless of the reason for the survey, there is a preliminary configuration that can greatly improve the quality of the work: enabling Access Point hostname advertisement.
What is AP Hostname Advertisement?
AP hostname advertisement is a feature available in most enterprise WLAN vendor solutions. Its purpose is to allow the AP name to be included in the information transmitted by the device within Wi-Fi beacons.
It is important to understand that there is no official standard defining how this should be done. Each vendor implements its own method for advertising the AP name. For this reason, professional site survey tools like Ekahau must analyze and decode each specific implementation in order to correctly display that information to the user.
Why Is It So Important to Enable It Before a Survey?
On most WLAN platforms, this feature is disabled by default. However, enabling it before a site survey provides enormous operational and documentation value.
When AP hostname advertisement is enabled:
- APs appear on the map with real and meaningful names.
- It is easier to identify which floor, room, or area each AP belongs to.
- The risk of errors when locating or documenting devices is reduced.
- The quality of the final project in tools like Ekahau improves significantly.
From a security standpoint, some teams prefer not to leave this feature enabled permanently, since device names can provide clues about the network structure. For that reason, the recommended practice is to enable it for the survey and disable it afterward.
How Ekahau Handles AP Names
Because each vendor uses its own method to include the AP name in beacons (through custom Information Elements), Ekahau implements vendor-specific logic to correctly interpret that information.
This allows real AP names to be displayed directly in the project during the survey, making network analysis and validation much easier.
What Happens If This Feature Is Not Enabled?
If hostname advertisement is not enabled, Ekahau cannot determine the AP’s real name. In that case, it assigns an automatic name using the following logic:
The name starts with “Measured AP-” followed by the last four characters of the lowest BSSID of the device. Typically, the 2.4 GHz radio has the lowest BSSID.
This makes it harder to identify APs on the map and complicates validation of their actual physical locations.
How It Looks When Enabled
When hostname advertisement is enabled, APs appear in Ekahau AI Pro with their real names, which greatly simplifies design review and network documentation.
It is always recommended to consult your WLAN vendor’s documentation for the exact steps required to enable this feature.
Best Practices for Defining AP Names
When reviewing projects in Ekahau AI Pro or AIPO, it is also important to consider the AP naming format.
Most vendors support names up to 32 characters and include a field of the same size within the beacon Information Element. In many cases, enabling hostname advertisement is as simple as checking a box in the management platform.
Defining a clear naming scheme (for example: building–floor–area–number) helps ensure that the information displayed in the survey is truly useful.
A Special Case: Cisco
Cisco is an important exception to consider. Although AP names of up to 64 characters can be configured in the Cisco Meraki dashboard, when the AP advertises its name in the beacon, it is truncated to 16 characters within the Information Element.
This means that during a survey, you may see incomplete names if you are not aware of this limitation.
However, Cisco Meraki MR APs have a site survey mode that allows the AP name to be advertised without the 16-character limitation, which is especially useful during professional surveys.
Conclusion
Enabling AP hostname advertisement may seem like a minor detail, but it has a huge impact on the accuracy, clarity, and value of a Wi-Fi survey. For students, engineers in training, and networking professionals, understanding and applying this configuration is part of the best practices that differentiate a basic survey from truly professional work.
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