Spatial boundary admission control for wireless networks
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling access to a wireless local area network (“
- WLAN”
), comprising steps of;
receiving, at a first device on the WLAN, measurement data from a plurality of measurement points on the WLAN, wherein the measurement data for each measurement point comprises a reading for a client device, the reading observed by a plurality of antenna elements of the measurement point, the antenna elements being capable of determining an angle to a source of radio transmission;
computing, by the first device, a current location of the client device using the received measurement data;
determining, by the first device, whether the current location of the client device is within a predetermined spatial boundary; and
allowing the client device to access the WLAN only if its current location is determined to be within the predetermined spatial boundary.
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Abstract
Security of wireless networks is improved by rejecting traffic from a wireless device located outside a defined spatial boundary. The device'"'"'s spatial position with respect to the boundary is determined using directional antenna arrays on a plurality of measurement points, and calculating where the vectors intersect. Having thus determined a device'"'"'s location, access to a wireless network can be denied if the device is outside a predetermined spatial boundary. Or, the device'"'"'s location inside or outside of the spatial boundary can be used for other purposes, such as theft detection.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of controlling access to a wireless local area network (“
- WLAN”
), comprising steps of;
receiving, at a first device on the WLAN, measurement data from a plurality of measurement points on the WLAN, wherein the measurement data for each measurement point comprises a reading for a client device, the reading observed by a plurality of antenna elements of the measurement point, the antenna elements being capable of determining an angle to a source of radio transmission;
computing, by the first device, a current location of the client device using the received measurement data;
determining, by the first device, whether the current location of the client device is within a predetermined spatial boundary; and
allowing the client device to access the WLAN only if its current location is determined to be within the predetermined spatial boundary. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- WLAN”
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17. A system for controlling access to a wireless local area network (“
- WLAN”
), comprising;
means for receiving, at a first device on the WLAN, measurement data from a plurality of measurement points on the WLAN, wherein the measurement data for each measurement point comprises a reading for a client device, the reading observed by a plurality of antenna elements of the measurement point, the antenna elements being capable of determining an angle to a source of radio transmission;
means for computing, by the first device, a current location of the client device using the received measurement data;
means for determining, by the first device, whether the current location of the client device is within a predetermined spatial boundary; and
means for allowing the client device to access the WLAN only if its current location is determined to be within the predetermined spatial boundary. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26)
- WLAN”
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25. The system according to claim 71, wherein the measurement data is received at the first device from the measuring points, for a plurality of client devices, and wherein the means for computing, means for determining, and means for allowing operate for each of the client devices.
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27. A computer program product for controlling access to a wireless local area network (“
- WLAN”
), the computer program product embodied on one or more computer readable media readable by a computing system in a computing environment and comprising;
computer-readable program code means for receiving, at a first device on the WLAN, measurement data from a plurality of measurement points on the WLAN, wherein the measurement data for each measurement point comprises a reading for a client device, the reading observed by a plurality of antenna elements of the measurement point, the antenna elements being capable of determining an angle to a source of radio transmission;
computer-readable program code means for computing, by the first device, a current location of the client device using the received measurement data;
computer-readable program code means for determining, by the first device, whether the current location of the client device is within a predetermined spatial boundary; and
computer-readable program code means for allowing the client device to access the WLAN only if its current location is determined to be within the predetermined spatial boundary. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
- WLAN”
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37. A method of doing business by controlling access to a wireless local area network (“
- WLAN”
), comprising steps of;
monitoring access to the WLAN by a plurality of client devices, further comprising the steps of;
receiving, at a first device on the WLAN, measurement data from a plurality of measurement points on the WLAN, wherein the measurement data for each measurement point comprises a reading for a particular one of the client devices, the reading observed by a plurality of antenna elements of the measurement point, the antenna elements being capable of determining an angle to a source of radio transmission;
computing, by the first device, a current location of the particular client device using the received measurement data; and
determining, by the first device, whether the current location of the particular client device is within a predetermined spatial boundary;
if the monitoring step determines that the current location of the particular client device is within the predetermined spatial boundary, allowing the client device to access the WLAN; and
charging a fee for carrying out the monitoring and allowing steps.
- WLAN”
Specification