How do I add aliases to APs?

NetSpot PRO and Enterprise users have the ability to add an alias to each AP shown on the map. There are four ways you can add an AP alias. Note that the first three methods only affect future surveys. If you need to add aliases to past surveys that you have already conducted, use Method D.

Global vs. Project Aliases

There are 2 types of AP aliases in NetSpot: global (NetSpot-wide) and project-specific. Global aliases are stored and specified in NetSpot Preferences. Project-specific aliases are unique to a survey project file and are stored in that file. Global aliases are automatically applied to new surveys (assuming there’s an alias saved in Preferences for the specific MAC address of the AP) and are always applied in Discover Mode.

Whenever a saved survey file is transferred from one computer to another, the project aliases are automatically transferred. This means that a survey may have its own alias for a specific AP, while at the same time a global alias for that AP is already stored in Preferences. In this case, the project-specific alias saved in the survey file will be used. However, you may force global aliases to apply to any open survey by going to Survey > Project > Apply NetSpot-wide aliases. To add or edit project-specific aliases, see Method D below.

NetSpot - AP aliases in a survey Mac

NetSpot for macOS

NetSpot - AP aliases in a survey Windows

NetSpot for Windows

Method A: Add Global Aliases in Preferences

This method allows you to add/delete/edit global aliases from multiple projects/zones in one convenient spot. If your APs are showing up in Discover Mode, use Method C below for quicker entry.

Add an AP alias

 

  1. Go to NetSpot > Preferences and select the Aliases tab.
  2. Select the plus (+) button on the lower left and type in the AP’s BSSID and Alias and then click Add Alias. (If you do not know the BSSID, you can hover over the AP name in Survey Mode, or view the BSSID column in Discover Mode.)
  3. Note that if you make an error in the BSSID format, it will not allow you to add the alias.
  4. To edit a BSSID or alias in the list, double-click on the text you wish to change.
  5. To delete an alias, click on the alias in the list to highlight it, then select the minus (-) button on the lower left.
  6. Select Survey > Save from the menu bar to save your new names.
  7. Any new surveys you conduct will now list the AP aliases, however this will not affect surveys you conducted in the past (use Method D below for old surveys). The new aliases will show up immediately in Discover Mode (in the column labeled Alias).

Method B: Bulk Add Global Aliases Via CSV

If you have a long list of APs and aliases, you can import them in a CSV (comma separated values) format.

  1. Create a spreadsheet with the BSSIDs in column 1 and the Aliases in column 2. Example:
    C8:3A:35:55:81:58,conference room
    DC:3A:5E:7F:94:B5,hallway
  2. Save your spreadsheet in the CSV (.csv) format.
  3. Go to NetSpot > Preferences and click on the Aliases tab.
  4. Click the Import button, select your CSV file, and click Open. The alias list should immediately appear in Preferences.
  5. Select Survey > Save from the menu bar to save your new names.
  6. Any new surveys you conduct will now list the AP aliases, however this will not affect surveys you conducted in the past (use Method D below for old surveys). The new aliases will show up immediately in Discover Mode (in the column labeled Alias).
  7. If you later wish to export this list, click Export, type a file name, select a file location, and then click Export.

Method C: Add Global Aliases in Discover Mode

This method only works if you are in the vicinity of the APs you wish to rename and they are showing up in Discover Mode. This is a quicker way of adding global aliases to the list of aliases in Preferences, without having to type in the BSSID manually.

add alias in Discover Mode

  1. In Discover Mode, double-click on the “Alias” column next to the AP you wish to rename.
  2. Type in your alias name and hit Enter. Continue adding aliases to each AP as needed.
  3. Select Survey > Save from the menu bar to save your new names.
  4. Any new surveys you conduct will now list the AP aliases, however this will not affect surveys you conducted in the past (use Method D below for old surveys).
  5. To edit an alias, double-click on the name again and edit the text.
  6. To delete an alias, double-click on the name and delete the text.

Method D: Right-Click to Add Project-Specific Aliases (macOS)/Snapshot-Specific Aliases (Windows)

Note that this method is the only way to change AP names in Survey Mode after a survey is complete. Aliases added using this method are project-specific for NetSpot for macOS and snapshot-specific in NetSpot for Windows. They will not show up in the global list of aliases in Preferences, or in Discover Mode

Right-click to add alias

NetSpot for macOS

Right-click to change alias

NetSpot for Windows

  1. On the left-hand sidebar in Survey Mode, right-click on the name of the AP you wish to change.
  2. Select Add alias to selected AP (or “Change alias” in NetSpot for Windows), type in your new name and hit Return.
  3. Continue with each AP until you are done adding aliases.
  4. Your new names should now show up on the map.
  5. Right-click on a name again to edit an alias, or to delete it entirely and go back to the original AP name.
  6. Select Survey > Save from the menu bar to save your new names.
NetSpot Wi-Fi booster for Windows is available
updated: April 6, 2023 author: nsjill
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