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Forum Discussion
Custom Naming of Devices in the WAX610
Using the WAX610 AP web browser admin, under Management=>Monitoring=>Connected Clients, is there anyway to apply a "vanity" name to each device? Keeping track of MACs that jump in and out becomes te...
Using the WAX610 AP web browser admin, under Management=>Monitoring=>Connected Clients, is there anyway to apply a "vanity" name to each device?
Nope. This is more a feature your RBR20 has - because it hosts a DHCP server. Whatever you set there, for example if your network DHCP comes from a different device - it's not magically forwarded to the rest of your network infrastructure.
Assuming you are operating a private network: Many DHCP clients allow to provide a name and a client OS optionally.
For example, Android based systems offer a control - by network or likely the wireless connection - to use the effective Device MAC (vs. the randomized MAC address). Additionally, there is a control to provide the configured hostname to the DHCP server (by DHCP Option 12).
While the default on many clients is to help the privacy minded user, so offering a random MAC address, and have the platform OS suppressed. Unfortunately, there are some closed source devices (typically IOT ....) which don't offer a user control, but these at least are not randomizing MAC addresses.
Technically, each WAX610 does support up to 250 concurrent wireless clients. Depending on the use case, virtually an unlimited number of devices can associate over time. Where would you think an AP should store such an amount of aliases?
Hi schumaku, I get your valid point. I'm using the RBR20 in simple AP mode connected to a Netgate pfSense router. pfSense handles the DHCP. Nevertheless, the RBR20 in AP mode still allows me to go in an add vanity names to the mac's that appear on it's wifi. And as these devices come and go, their names seem to be remembered. I also have the WAX610 connected to a separate input port on the NetGate. I don't know how the WAX610 is designed but from what you say, i guess the WAX is somewhat dumb and doesn't have the ability to remember prior attendees and therefore has no place to store vanity names.
By the way, what's a "User Name", i.e. found on the Connected Clients list at the end of each device. All are set to "Unknown Username".
Industry standard Wireless Access Points. Nothing dumb at all.
Let's brainstorm what should happen if there are dozens or hundreds of APs on a network. Do you expect each does individually maintain a list, limited to that single AP only?
Usernames? Many 80211 AAA schemes are making use (explicit or implicitly) provided usernames - these will of course show up in the audit and connection logs.
I'm the last one to ask how to design an AP...but to answer, "Do you expect each does individually maintain a list, limited to that single AP only?" I say, Why Not? Can't imagine it taking much memory to accumulate a cache of existing and prior MACs and allow the AP's admin to name them. It seems to me that it would provide a more rapid response to wifi devices causing different issues from bandwidth hogging to security threats.
RBR20 in simple AP mode connected to a Netgate pfSense router
What you see on the RBR20 - also in access point mode is also a leftover from it's DHCP server. Like many DHCP server, it allows to override the hostname coming slong as part of the DHCP request.
Similar, the Netgear devices - here the WAC WAX or WBE have some code on board trying to identify the device or the device OS connected. If this does not succeed, some hostname is defined based on the MAC address.
Like 12-5D-72-xx-xx-xx at home of the vZug connected kitchen devices for example.
On Netgear Insight, these show like
Client Name
12-5D-72-xx-xx-xx
MAC Address
12:5d:72:xx:xx:xx
IP Address
(RFC1918 IP here)
OS
Unknown Device OS
Associated AP
WBE758-nnn
Association Granted
Apr 08, 2026, 16:59 p.m. (CET)
Signal Strength
i
RSSI -68
BSSID
54:07:7d:nn:nn:nn
SSID
....Real SSID here..
Mode
11ax
MLO Supported
No
Radio
5 GHz
Channel
100
VLAN ID
nn
Said that: Even on Netgear Insight with the virtually unlimited cloud storage, these names can't be customized.
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