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Trying to add real hostnames to smart TVs

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Ellsworth

Occasional Visitor
I would like to give hostnames to devices like smart TVs and other devices that don't have a great interface for doing normal system tasks. The names right now are xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx. I can put names in the hosts file from the 'merlin/diversion /etc/host's but that file is reloaded at every reboot so they get lost. I see there is a script (hosts.postconf) to change the hostname of the router but I am not sure if that can be used for anything but the router name.
 
I have sent you a PM. For some reason, I keep getting an error when I reply to this thread...
 
I would like to give hostnames to devices like smart TVs and other devices that don't have a great interface for doing normal system tasks. The names right now are xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx. I can put names in the hosts file from the 'merlin/diversion /etc/host's but that file is reloaded at every reboot so they get lost. I see there is a script (hosts.postconf) to change the hostname of the router but I am not sure if that can be used for anything but the router name.
Create a reservation for it in LAN > DHCP Server > Manually Assigned... where you can also specify another host name.
 
i sense a +1 for my GUI hostname editor

I tried your GUI hostname editor and that only seems to do it for the hostname of the router. Also, all changes to the hosts file (except for the router hostname) seem to get lost when you do a reboot.
 
I have one AC68U (router mode) running firewall, Diversion, Skynet, and DNSCrypt. This feeds a Ubiquity ER-X and splits into two subnets (home and surveillance). There are two AC68U's (ap mode) set up for the appropriate subnets, and each of these is daisy-chained to one or more AC68U's (ap mode). One subnet uses Windows AD for DNS/DHCP for the whole shebang.

I have found that the easiest thing to do is to go to each subnet's first router User Map and click on the Clients button, then, on the right side you can edit each clients icon and name.

Nest, ssh into the router and type/enter:
nvram get custom_clientlist
This can be copied to a text file where it can be edited and/or saved for later use. Whenever you do a Factory or NVRAM reset, just ssh into the router and type/enter:
nvram set custom_clientlist="paste text from saved file here"
The clientlist is formatted as <name>mac address>0>icon#>><name2>mac address2>0>icon#>>...

I have three of these files: one for the firewall, a second for one of the subnets and a third for the other subnet. The respective data gets pasted into each appropriate router so that useful names show up in Network Map/Clients, Network Map/List and AiMesh Client List.

This just basically shows the name in the lists, it don't know that it will have any impact on dnsmasq DNS/DHCP.
 
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I'm not sure what you mean by "did not get a name". Are you using the router as your DNS server?

What did nslookup myhostname return?
Yes, I am using the Merlin router as the DNS server. Sorry, I tried your method and it did not change the name in "Client Names" on the merlin "View List" of clients which doesn't always get updated using this method, although nslookup shows the new name so the rest of the clients seem to see the new name.
 
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I have one AC68U (router mode) running firewall, Diversion, Skynet, and DNSCrypt. This feeds a Ubiquity ER-X and splits into two subnets (home and surveillance). There are two AC68U's (ap mode) set up for the appropriate subnets, and each of these is daisy-chained to one or more AC68U's (ap mode). One subnet uses Windows AD for DNS/DHCP for the whole shebang.

I have found that the easiest thing to do is to go to each subnet's first router User Map and click on the Clients button, then, on the right side you can edit each clients icon and name.

Nest, ssh into the router and type/enter:
nvram get custom_clientlist
This can be copied to a text file where it can be edited and/or saved for later use. Whenever you do a Factory or NVRAM reset, just ssh into the router and type/enter:
nvram set custom_clientlist="paste text from saved file here"
The clientlist is formatted as <name>mac address>0>icon#>><name2>mac address2>0>icon#>>...

I have three of these files: one for the firewall, a second for one of the subnets and a third for the other subnet. The respective data gets pasted into each appropriate router so that useful names show up in Network Map/Clients, Network Map/List and AiMesh Client List.

This just basically shows the name in the lists, it don't know that it will have any impact on dnsmasq DNS/DHCP.
Sounds like a little complicated, but with a script file to load the custom_clientlist upon reboot it should be a way to do it. I am going to check out some possibilities with DHCP before I try this method.
 
Sorry, I tried your method and it did not change the name in "Client Names" on the merlin "View List"...
Yes, that's working as expected. You asked how to change the hostname which you have now done. The "Client Name" is something different.
 

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