Configuring automatic work location detection in Microsoft Teams

Introduction: Managing the Hybrid Office with Microsoft Places

In hybrid working scenarios, knowing who is in the office and where they are has become crucial for planning meetings effectively and optimising workspace. Microsoft Places can automatically detect users’ work location in Teams when they connect to the corporate Wi-Fi network.

In this article we will look at what this mechanism is, which prerequisites are needed and the detailed PowerShell procedure for configuring detection via SSID and BSSID.

What Is Wi-Fi-Based Detection?

When a user connects to a corporate Wi-Fi network:

• If only the SSID (Service Set Identifier) is configured, the location will be “In the office”.
• If the BSSIDs (MAC addresses of the access points) are configured too, the location will be more precise, allowing it to be associated with a specific building.

Privacy and Consent

The feature respects user privacy and cannot be enforced by the administrator:

• Users must opt in to detection directly in Teams.
• Administrators cannot force consent.
• Location sharing must be enabled in the operating system and in Teams.

Prerequisites

To get started, the following roles and configuration are required:

Required roles:

• Teams Administrator to manage the policies.
• Exchange Administrator to configure Places.

Required configuration:

• Buildings and Floors created in Microsoft Places.

Tools:

• PowerShell with the MicrosoftTeams and Places modules installed and up to date.

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Enable the Detection Policy in Teams

Initial situation in Teams before applying the procedure:

First, create the detection policy:

# Creazione della Policy di Rilevamento della Posizione
New-CsTeamsWorkLocationDetectionPolicy -Identity wld-enabled -EnableWorkLocationDetection $true

Enable the detection policy for a specific user/group or globally:

# Scegliere se abilitare la policy per specifici utenti o distribuirla globalmente
Grant-CsTeamsWorkLocationDetectionPolicy -PolicyName wld-enabled -Identity utente@dominio.com

2. Configure the SSIDs (Generic Location)

Set the SSIDs of the corporate Wi-Fi networks that will generically indicate presence “In the office”:

# Sostituisci 'SSID-1;SSID-2' con i nomi reali delle tue reti.
Set-PlacesSettings -Collection Presence -WorkplaceWifiNetworkSSIDList 'SSID-1;SSID-2' 

3. Configure BSSIDs for Precise Location (per Building)

To associate a connection with a specific building, you need to map the BSSIDs (MAC addresses of the access points) to the building names defined in Places.

A. Prepare the Mapping CSV File

Prepare a CSV file (mapping.csv) with the following data:

B. Create the Mapping

Use the CSV file to create the mapping within Places.

Add-WifiDevices -Action MapBuildings -InputFilePath mapping.csv

C. Upload the BSSID Entries

Upload the BSSID entries, associating them with the buildings in Places.

Add-WifiDevices -Action UploadEntries -InputFilePath bssid.csv -BuildingMappingFile mapping.csv

Tip: If you configure only SSIDs → generic “In the office” location. If you add BSSIDs → detailed location per building.

User Experience

Once enabled, Teams will ask the user for consent. The location updates automatically during the working hours set in Outlook. Users can always change the location sharing option by going to Teams -> Settings -> Privacy

Conclusion

Configuring SSIDs and BSSIDs in Microsoft Places is the most effective way to automate office presence detection, improving collaboration and workspace management.