Method and apparatus to provide tiered wireless network access

• US 20060003796A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Vireday, Richard P., Frisbee, Robert P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,286,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A tiered wireless access point has a number of different network access levels that may be provided to wireless devices seeking network access. The network access levels may differ from one another in factors such as the particular networks that may be accessed, the security level of the network connection, and/or the speed of the connection.

Claims

1. A tiered wireless access point comprising:

a controller;

a wireless input/output (I/O) unit, coupled to said controller, to support wireless communication with remote wireless devices; and

a wired I/O unit, coupled to said controller, to support wired communication with at least one external wired network;

wherein said controller is programmed to provide one of a plurality of predefined network access levels to a wireless device requesting network access, said predefined network access levels varying from one another in at least one of the following;

networks accessed, security level, and connection speed.

2. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a default access level for use with wireless devices that are unknown to said tiered wireless access point.

3. The tiered wireless access point of claim 2, wherein:

said default access level provides at least one of the following;

Internet access only, intranet access only, Internet and intranet access only, access to a neighbor wireless access point only, and denied access.

4. The tiered wireless access point of claim 2, wherein:

said default access level provides network access only when resources are available and security policies permit the connection.

5. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said controller is programmed to determine which of said plurality of predefined network access levels to provide to a wireless device based on information within a signal received from the wireless device.

6. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said controller is programmed to determine which of said plurality of predefined network access levels to provide to a wireless device during a logon procedure associated with the wireless device.

7. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said wireless I/O unit includes at least one wireless interface unit that is configured to support communication using a predetermined wireless technology.

8. The tiered wireless access point of claim 7, wherein:

said wireless I/O unit includes a plurality of wireless interface units to support communication in multiple wireless technologies.

9. The tiered wireless access point of claim 7, wherein:

said at least one wireless interface unit includes an interface for at least one of the following;

an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.3 device, a spread spectrum wireless device, a cellular telephone, and an infrared (IR) device.

10. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes at least three different network access levels.

11. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that only provides Internet access and a second access level that provides both Internet access and access to a secured private network.

12. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that provides full speed Internet access and a second access level that provides less than full speed Internet access.

13. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said wired I/O unit includes a wired interface for at least one of the following;

an Ethernet network, the Internet, a telephone network, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) basic rate interface (BRI), an ISDN primary rate interface (PRI), a broadband ISDN network, a fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) network, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a frame relay network, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, a packet switching network, and a synchronous optical network (SONET).

14. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said wireless I/O unit includes a wireless interface unit to support wireless communication with another tiered wireless access point.

15. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

each of said plurality of predefined network access levels has at least one predetermined wireless channel assigned to it.

16. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one digital data storage device coupled to said controller.

17. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said tiered wireless access point is user expandable.

18. The tiered wireless access point of claim 1, wherein:

said tiered wireless access point is user programmable.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless signal from a remote wireless device attempting to gain network access; and

providing one of a plurality of predefined network access levels to said remote wireless device based on access rights associated with said remote wireless device, wherein said predefined network access levels vary from one another in at least one of the following;

networks accessed, security level, and connection speed.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes at least three different access levels.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining said access rights associated with said remote wireless device based upon information within said wireless signal.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining said access rights associated with said remote wireless device during a logon procedure involving said remote wireless device.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that only provides Internet access and a second access level that provides both Internet access and access to a secured private network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes at least one other network access level in addition to said first and second access levels.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that provides full speed Internet access and a second access level that provides less than full speed Internet access.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless signal from a remote wireless device attempting to gain network access;

determining whether said wireless signal is tagged;

when said wireless signal is not tagged, providing a default network access level to said remote wireless device; and

when said wireless signal is tagged;

performing an authentication procedure for said remote wireless device; and

when said remote wireless device is determined to be authentic, providing one of a number of other network access levels to said remote wireless device based on access rights associated with said remote wireless device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

when said remote wireless device is determined to not be authentic, providing said default network access level to said remote wireless device.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said default network access level provides at least one of the following;

Internet access only, intranet access only, Internet and intranet access only, access to a neighbor wireless access point only, and denied access.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

said default network access level provides access at less than a maximum possible speed.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said default network access level has a lower priority than said other network access levels.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein:

performing an authentication procedure for said remote wireless device includes determining whether said remote wireless device is the device it claims to be.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said authentication procedure is performed in a manner that is substantially transparent to a user of said remote wireless device.

33. An article comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing platform, operate to:

receive a wireless signal from a remote wireless device attempting to gain network access; and

provide one of a plurality of predefined network access levels to said remote wireless device based on access rights associated with said remote wireless device, wherein said predefined network access levels vary from one another in at least one of the following;

networks accessed, security level, and connection speed.

34. The article of claim 33, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes at least three access levels.

35. The article of claim 33, wherein said instructions, when executed by said computing platform, further operate to:

determine said access rights associated with said remote wireless device based upon information within said wireless signal.

36. The article of claim 33, wherein said instructions, when executed by said computing platform, further operate to:

determine said access rights associated with said remote wireless device during a logon procedure involving said remote wireless device.

37. The article of claim 33, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that only provides Internet access and a second access level that provides both Internet access and access to a secured private network.

38. The article of claim 33, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that provides full speed Internet access and a second access level that provides less than full speed Internet access.

39. A tiered wireless access point comprising:

a controller;

a wireless input/output (I/O) unit, coupled to said controller, to support wireless communication with remote wireless devices;

at least one dipole antenna, coupled to said wireless I/O unit, to facilitate transmission and reception of wireless signals; and

a wired I/O unit, coupled to said controller, to support wired communication with at least one external wired network;

wherein said controller is programmed to provide one of a plurality of predefined network access levels to a wireless device requesting network access, said predefined network access levels varying from one another in at least one of the following;

networks accessed, security level, and connection speed.

40. The tiered wireless access point of claim 39, wherein:

said controller is programmed to determine which of said plurality of predefined network access levels to provide to a wireless device based on information within a signal received from the wireless device.

41. The tiered wireless access point of claim 39, wherein:

said controller is programmed to determine which of said plurality of predefined network access levels to provide to a wireless device during a logon procedure associated with the wireless device.

42. The tiered wireless access point of claim 39, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes at least three different network access levels.

43. The tiered wireless access point of claim 39, wherein:

said plurality of predefined network access levels includes a first access level that only provides Internet access and a second access level that provides both Internet access and access to a secured private network.