Method for roaming authentication in public wireless LAN

• US 20060135155A1
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Chung, Yu-Yen, Wang, Tien-Chih
• Application Number:
  US11/115,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20060135155A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method for roaming authentication in a public wireless LAN is disclosed, which uses an identical authentication page provided from a central roaming center to provide roaming authentication process. A user that wants to roam in the WLAN must propose an address or words related to the roaming center on the browser in advance in order to directly login the authentication page provided from the roaming center through an access controller. After the roaming center receives the authentication information from the user, it will verify the identity with home authentication server; if it is successful in verifying the identity, the user can have the privilege of access to the Internet via roaming.

Claims

1. A method for roaming authentication in a public wireless LAN, which operates with a client, an access controller, a roaming center and a home authentication server, the method comprising the steps of:

a requesting step, proposing a request formed with predetermined words from the client, and transferring the request to the access controller from the client;

a providing authentication page step, wherein the request can pass through the access controller, and enable the roaming center to provide an authentication page to the client, thereby obtaining identity information of the client;

a verifying step, verifying the identity information of the client transferred from the roaming center via the home authentication server, wherein if the result of authenticating the identity of the client is successful, the home authentication server transfers a successful result to the roaming center; and

a responding step, wherein the roaming center returns a successful verification page to the client after the roaming center receives the successful result from the home authentication server.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined words are the network address of the roaming center.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the requesting step, if the words of the request proposing from the client are not the predetermined words, the access controller returns a local authentication page to the client.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the verifying step and the responding step, if the result of authenticating the identity of the client fails, the home authentication server transfers a failed information page to the client and denies the client access to the Internet.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection between the client and the roaming center is ensured by a security mechanism.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the security mechanism is a secure tunnel capable of security.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the secure tunnel may be a secure socket layer (SSL).

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roaming center can communicate with a plurality of Internet service providers (ISP) or application service providers (ASP).

9. A method for roaming authentication in a public wireless LAN, which operates with a client, an access controller, a roaming center and a home authentication server, the method comprising the steps of:

a requesting step, proposing a request formed with predetermined words from the client, and transferring the request to the access controller from the client, wherein the predetermined words are the network address of the roaming center;

a providing authentication page step, wherein the request formed with the predetermined words can pass through the access controller, and can be directly sent to the roaming center from the access controller without passing through a visited authentication server so that the roaming center provides an authentication page to the client, thereby obtaining identity information of the client;

a verifying step, verifying the identity information of the client transferred from the roaming center via the home authentication server, wherein if the result of authenticating the identity of the client is successful, the home authentication server transfers a successful result to the roaming center; and

a responding step, wherein the roaming center returns a successful verification page to the client after the roaming center receives the successful result from the home authentication server.

10. A method for roaming authentication in a public wireless LAN, the method comprising the steps of:

a requesting step, proposing a request formed with predetermined words;

a providing authentication page step, wherein a third party provides an authentication page based on the request formed with the predetermined words, wherein the third party is not a visited authentication server;

a verifying step, wherein if the authentication page is filled out, the third party transfers the identity information to a home authentication server for verifying; and

a responding step, wherein if the result of authenticating the identity information is successful, the third party returns a response to grant access to the Internet.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the third party is a roaming center.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the roaming center can communicate with a plurality of Internet service providers (ISP) or application service providers (ASP).

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the request with the predetermined words is the network address of the third party.