We’re currently migrating a bunch of legacy APs across several branches, and the absolute biggest bottleneck is just physical asset discovery.
Some endpoints are buried above the drop ceiling, some are hidden in random corners or closets, and our documentation is basically “good luck.” We can trigger the LED beacon from the controller, but that’s useless until the field tech actually scopes out the right area. Honestly, we need a feature request for onboard speakers so we could just ping them with audio from the dashboard.
Where we only have one or two APs per site, it’s fine. But on spots with 6–8 legacy devices, we’re burning too much overhead. The remote tech is just running in circles while I’m stuck on a call acting as a human GPS: “try the hallway… no, the other hallway.”
What’s the best way to patch this workflow and locate these things?
This is why APs should always have a location note. Not just “Site12-AP04.” Put something useful like “2nd floor / north hallway / above printer room” in the description field. Future you will hate present you slightly less. Doesn’t help you today, but absolutely do it during this replacement.
@No_Chart Same. We use boring names for this exact reason. Building-Floor-Room-AP number. People love fancy asset names until someone has to find the thing three years later above a ceiling tile next to an HVAC duct.
@No_Chart Yeah, lesson learned. Unfortunately the company naming scheme is generic siteID-model-serial type stuff, so I probably can’t fully rename them.But I can add notes/descriptions during replacement, so I’ll definitely start doing that.
Use the BSSID and walk it down with a Wi-Fi scanner.
NetSpot on a laptop is a good option. Filter by the AP’s BSSID/MAC, then have the onsite tech walk around and watch the signal level. When the signal gets stronger, you’re moving toward it.
@Sagittarius_2007 Agree. NetSpot is a solid option. Pretty feature-rich, but still simple and easy to figure out.