Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.1.x

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Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.1.x

Location configuration

Updated: April 10, 2026

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Explains location configuration for access points, covering restrictions, configuration procedures, location assignment methods, SNMP MIB integration, and verification of location settings and statistics.

This feature works in conjunction with the existing tag resolution scheme. The location is considered as a new tag source to the existing system.

A location is a network entity that

  • represents a site or physical area where one or more APs are deployed

  • associates a specific set of tags—policy, RF, and site tags—with those APs, and

  • links each tag set to a collection of Ethernet MAC addresses corresponding to APs at that location.

Location features and usage

Locations serve as a new tag source within the tag resolution scheme, functioning similarly to static tag sources. During location configuration, you can

  • configure a site or location for an AP

  • assign a set of tags for the location, and

  • add APs to the location.

The combination of unique tags and associated MAC addresses distinguishes each location and enables organized network management.

Restriction for location configuration

If you configure an AP in one location, you cannot configure the same AP in another location.

Configure a location for an AP (GUI)

Create and classify a new location for an AP. Apply the appropriate type and client density settings.

Use this task when you need to add a location for AP deployment and associate location-specific policies or tags.

Before you begin

When you create local and remote sites in the basic setup workflow, the corresponding policies and tags are created automatically. Tags and policies created in the basic setup cannot be modified using the advanced workflow. Similarly, items created with the advanced workflow cannot be changed in the basic setup.

Procedure

1.

Choose Configuration > Wireless Setup > Basic.

2.

On the Basic Wireless Setup window, click Add.

3.

In the General tab, enter a name and description for the location.

4.

Set the Location Type as either Local or Flex.

5.

Use the slider to set Client Density as Low, Typical, or High.

6.

Click Apply.

The new location is saved and ready for assignment and policy application.

Configure a location for an AP (CLI)

Assign and configure a location for an AP using CLI commands.

Use this task to logically organize APs by location for better device management and policy assignment.

Before you begin

Confirm the AP is registered and operational.

Procedure

1.

Enter global configuration mode.

Example:

Device# configure terminal
2.

Configure a location for an AP.

Example:

Device(config)# ap location name location1

Run the no form of this command to remove location for an AP.

3.

Configure tags for the location.

Example:

Device(config-ap-location)# tag policy policy_tag
  
Device(config-ap-location)# tag rf rf_tag
                    
Device(config-ap-location)# tag site site_tag
4.

Add description to the location.

Example:

Device(config-ap-location)# location description
5.

Return to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode.

Example:

Device(config-ap-location)# end

The AP location is set and the associated tags and a description are configured.

Add an AP to location (GUI)

Add an AP to a specific location using the GUI.

Use this task to associate APs with a defined location, which enables accurate AP count and location tagging in the GUI. Ensure the AP tag source is set to location for correct display—if needed, run the no ap ap-mac command on the controller to reset the AP tag source to default.

Before you begin

  • Confirm you have the MAC address of the APs to be added.

  • Optionally, prepare a CSV file with AP MAC addresses for bulk upload.

Procedure

1.

Choose Configuration > Wireless Setup > Basic.

2.

In the Basic Wireless Setup window, click Add to configure these options:

  • General

  • Wireless Networks

  • AP Provisioning
3.

In the AP Provisioning tab and Add/Select APs section, enter the AP MAC address and click the right arrow to add the AP to the associated list. The MAC address can be either in xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx, or xxxx.xxxx.xxxx format.

You can also add a CSV file from your system. Ensure that the CSV has the MAC Address column.

4.

Use the search option in the Available AP List to select the APs from the Selected AP list and click the right arrow to add the AP to the associated list.

5.

Click Apply.

The selected APs are added to the specified location, and location tagging is updated in the GUI.

Adding an Access Point to the Location (CLI)

Use this task if you need to organize APs by site, floor, building, or area to simplify administration and monitoring.

Procedure

1.

Enter global configuration mode.

Example:

Device# configure terminal
2.

Configure a location for an access point.

Example:

Device(config)# ap location name location-name
Device(config)# ap location name location1
3.

Add an access point to the location.

Example:

Device(config-ap-location)# ap-eth-mac ap_ethernet_mac
Device(config-ap-location)# ap-eth-mac 188b.9dbe.6eac
4.

Return to privileged EXEC mode.

Example:

Device(config-ap-location)# end

Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode.

Note

After adding an AP to a location, the AP may reset automatically to get the new configuration

The access point is successfully assigned to the specified location. The AP may reset to update its configuration.

SNMP MIB

The SNMP MIB provides information on a set of managed objects that represent logical and physical entities, and relationships between them.

Table 1. MIB Objects and Notes
MIB Objects Notes
cLApLocationName

Provides the name of the AP location.

cLApLocationPolicyTag

Provides the policy tag configured on the location.
cLApLocationSitetag

Provides the site tag configured on the location.

cLApLocationRfTag

Provides the RF tag configured on the location.

cLAssociatedApsApMac

Provides the configured APs on the location.

Verify location configuration

To view the summary of AP location configuration, use the command:

Device# show ap location summary

Location Name    Description     Policy Tag           RF Tag           Site Tag  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
first            first floor     default-policy-tag   default-rf-tag   default-site-tag  
second           second floor    default-policy-tag   default-rf-tag   default-site-tag

To view the AP location configuration details for a specific location, use the command:

Device# show ap location details first

Location Name......................: first
Location description...............: first floor
Policy tag.........................: default-policy-tag
Site tag...........................: default-site-tag
RF tag.............................: default-rf-tag

Configured list of APs
005b.3400.0af0   
005b.3400.0bf0

To view the AP tag summary, use the command:

Device# show ap tag summary

Number of APs: 4
AP Name      AP Mac           Site Tag Name      Policy Tag Name      RF Tag Name      Misconfigured  Tag Source    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asim_5-1     005b.3400.02f0   default-site-tag   default-policy-tag   default-rf-tag   Yes            Filter        
Asim_5-2     005b.3400.03f0   default-site-tag   default-policy-tag   default-rf-tag   No             Default       
Asim_5-9     005b.3400.0af0   default-site-tag   default-policy-tag   default-rf-tag   No             Location      
Asim_5-10    005b.3400.0bf0   default-site-tag   default-policy-tag   default-rf-tag   No             Location

Verify location statistics

To view the AP location statistics, use the command:

Device# show ap location stats

Location name    APs joined     Clients joined     Clients on 11a     Clients on 11b     
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
first             2             0                   3                  4                  
second            0             0                   0                  0