When used strategically, access point notifications can help streamline your network management. You can set things up for both residential and enterprise networks. However, the way you configure the access point notification rules can make or break the entire system. This, as you can guess, requires a clear understanding of access point notifications for different networks. In this tutorial, I will guide you through configuring access point notification rules. First, we will cover some basics.
What Are Access Point Notifications?
When you run a network at home or in the office, keeping it up and running is essential. The first step in this process is to monitor the network for events, issues, and other relevant information. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, to continuously monitor the network 24/7. Fortunately, this is where notifications become helpful, especially while dealing with access points.
You can think of access point notifications as automated alerts that a system sends to the administrator or monitor when it detects a specific event, a change of state, or an issue. As mentioned earlier, these alerts help you enable continuous monitoring of a network. Depending on the configuration, the system can deliver these alerts as push notifications, email messages, desktop notifications, or via custom hardware. A network administrator can rely on these notifications to detect outages, address issues quickly, and ensure the network’s total uptime.
One impressive characteristic of access point notifications is their high level of customization. You have the option to control when and how these notifications appear. The real-world possibilities are virtually endless. For instance, you can set up a notification to appear when your AP has been offline for a specific period. Or, you may want to know when the guest network has been experiencing excessive bandwidth consumption.
Access Point Notification Types
As I mentioned, you can configure various access point notifications. Here are the most common types of notifications with some examples.
Notification Type | Category | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
Client connected | Connectivity | Employee laptop joins office Wi-Fi |
Authentication failure | Connectivity | User enters incorrect Wi-Fi password |
High latency detected | Performance | |
Packet loss detected | Performance | Video meetings freeze intermittently |
Channel congestion | RF / Interference | Nearby routers overcrowd the same channel |
Rogue AP detected | Security | Employee installs a personal router |
Brute-force login attempt | Security | Multiple failed Wi-Fi logins from one device |
Access point offline | Availability | Power outage disables the AP |
Overheating detected | Hardware | Ceiling-mounted AP overheats |
SSID configuration changed | Configuration | Guest Wi-Fi accidentally disabled |
Firmware update failed | Firmware | AP stuck after a failed upgrade |
Client limit reached | Capacity | Conference room AP overloaded |
Most network administration platforms provide complete control over configuration notification rules. If an aspect of the network has quantifiable elements, you should be able to integrate it. Moreover, these rules enable you to monitor almost every aspect of the network by selecting the appropriate frequency.
Configure Notification Rule for Access Points
Now that you know how access point notifications work and their benefits, we will check out the process of configuring notification rules for access points.
Note: The exact procedure for configuring notification rules may vary based on the network management suite. I also cannot cover the steps for all these options. Therefore, I will be covering the procedure for two major options.
For UniFi:
If you use UniFi to manage your network, the following steps will help you configure notification rules.
- You must first log in to UniFi OS using admin-level credentials.
- Once you enter the dashboard, navigate to Settings > System > Alerts & Notifications.
- Choose the desired type of notification channel from Email, Push Notifications, or Webhook.
- Navigate to the section titled “Access Point Alerts,” where you can see a variety of AP-based notifying rules.
- You can now select the trigger for the alert and customize it. During the customization, you can also configure the severity of the trigger. For instance, if we deal with signal strength-based triggers, you can also target the specifics.
- You should also select the scope of the rule. That is, you may not want the rule to affect all APs on your network.
- Once this is done, you can save the rule and test it once. Keep in mind that some configurations may require previous setup; for instance, you need a Webhook configuration for the notification to work.
For Auvik:
If you use Auvik for network management, the following steps will help you configure notification rules for an AP.
- Log in to the Auvik Dashboard using admin credentials.
- Go to Manage Alerts > New Alert from the sidebar.
- On the next page, use the Search Bar to find the alert type.
- Choose and customize the trigger for the alert.
- Choose the appropriate category for the alert (example: Informational).
- Click the Enable button to turn on the notification rule.
That’s it. You have successfully set up the rule for the AP.
General Steps
Even when you have a different network administration suite, the following steps will help you:
- Log in to the network administration platform.
- Go to a section titled Notifications or Events & Alerts
- Click on New Alert and give it a unique name.
- In the next step, select the trigger for the alert.
- Configure the alert’s severity and frequency.
- Select the appropriate category for the alert.
- Pick one of the suitable alert channels.
- Review all settings for notification rules.
- Enable the alert when you are done.
- Check the Test Alert option to see if it reaches the channel.
At this point, you would have configured the access point notification rules.
Wrapping Up
As you have seen, configuring access point notification rules is no Rocket Science. You do not have to be a security expert, either. A privileged network administrator account and the right idea can help you utilize these alerts for effective network monitoring.
