System and method for utilizing a wireless communication protocol in a communications network

• US 20060251255A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Batta, Puneet
• Application Number:
  US11/110,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20060251255A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic

Abstract

Described is a system including a wireless access point and a computing device. The wireless access point has a first wireless protocol and communicates with a wireless device which has a second wireless protocol. The access point and the wireless device are configured to conduct wireless communications using the first and second wireless protocols. The computing device has a third wireless protocol and is coupled, via a wire, to the access point. The computing device conducts communications with at least one of the access point and the wireless device using the third wireless protocol.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a wireless access point having a first wireless protocol, the access point communicating with a wireless device which has a second wireless protocol, the access point and the wireless device being configured to conduct wireless communications using the first and second wireless protocols; and

a computing device having a third wireless protocol and coupled, via a wire, to the access point, the computing device conducting communications with at least one of the access point and the wireless device using the third wireless protocol.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein both of the second and third wireless protocols are one of a key management protocol and an encryption protocol.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the encryption protocol is one of a wired equivalent privacy, a wi-fi protected access (“

WPA”

), a WPA2, and a AES-CCMP/802.11i.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communications are one of a data communication, a control communication and a session key.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is one of a switch, a router and a server.

6. A method, comprising the steps of:

encrypting, by a first computing device, a communication using a first wireless protocol; and

transmitting the encrypted communication via a wire to a second computing device with a second wireless protocol, wherein the second wireless protocol provides for decryption of the communication.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

detecting, by the first computing device, a network event; and

generating the communication as a function of the network event.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the communication from a wireless device, the communication being encrypted by the wireless device using a third wireless protocol; and

decrypting, by the first computing device, the communication using the first wireless protocol.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first computing device is one of (i) a wireless access point and (ii) one of a switch, a server and a router and the second computing device is the other of the one of (i) the wireless access point and (ii) the switch, the server and the router.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein both of the first and second wireless protocols are one of a key management protocol and an encryption protocol.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the encryption protocol is one of a wired equivalent privacy, a wi-fi protected access (“

WPA”

), a WPA2, and a AES-CCMP/802.11i.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the communications are one of a data communication, a control communication and a session key.

13. A computing device, comprising:

a memory storing a first wireless protocol; and

a processor using the first wireless protocol to decrypt a communication received via a wire from a further computing device, wherein the communication was encrypted by the further computing device using a second wireless protocol.

14. The device according to claim 14, wherein the computing device is one of (i) a wireless access point and (ii) one of a switch, a server and a router and the further computing device is the other of the one of (i) the wireless access point and (ii) the switch, the server and the router.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein both of the first and second wireless protocols are one of a key management protocol and an encryption protocol.

16. The device according to claim 16, wherein the encryption protocol is one of a wired equivalent privacy, a wi-fi protected access (“

WPA”

), a WPA2, and a AES-CCMP/802.11i.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the communication is one of a data communication, a control communication and a session key.