Method and Apparatus For Monitoring Wireless Network Access

• US 20080025278A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boingo Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Boingo Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Jonker, Niels, Hoecker, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/005 Data network PoA devices

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring wireless network access, and use of a detected wireless network connection are described. A client component (e.g., software component), or client, can be downloaded to a computing device, which leverages off of the computing device'"'"'s ability to locate and establish a network connection. The client component listens for network connection activity, and determined whether the device has established a network connection with a network known to the client. If the client determines that a network connection has been established to a known network, the client uses the network connection to log the user onto the network.

Claims

1. A method for execution on a client device of achieving login to a wireless network, the method comprising:

identifying that a first component on the client device has established a connection with a wireless network; and

performing in a client utility on the device, in response to the identified network connection, a login procedure for authenticating the client device for use of the wireless network, wherein the login procedure performed by the client utility is wholly separate from the connection established by the first component to the wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a low-level connection to the wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the login procedure includes establishing a high-level connection with the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network connection is established by an operating system running on the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component includes one or more network interface components operating on the client device, the method further comprising:

identifying one or more network interface components operating on the client device;

monitoring activity of said identified network interface components, and

performing the following in response to the identified network connection;

obtaining a network identifier associated with the detected network connection;

determining, using the obtained network identifier, whether the detected network connection corresponds to a known network; and

performing the login procedure to authenticate the device for the wireless network in a case that the obtained network identifier corresponds to a known network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether multiple accounts are available for use in establishing a network session for the user;

identifying a selected one of the multiple accounts in a case that multiple accounts are determined to be available; and

retrieving a login procedure corresponding to the selected account for use in establishing a network session for the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying a selected one of the multiple accounts further comprises:

notifying the user that the selected one of the multiple accounts is available to the user, so as to allow the user to identify the selected one of the multiple accounts.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the selected one of the multiple accounts is provided by a wireless provider which acts as an interface between the user and one or more other wireless providers.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the steps of the method are performed by a client software component supplied by a wireless network provider corresponding to the selected one of the multiple accounts is supplied by the wireless network provider.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the network identifier comprises a SSID.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

downloading a client software configured to perform at least the identifying and monitoring steps in response to a sign up process, during which the user creates an account with a wireless provider and provides authentication information to the wireless provider, such that the client software is downloaded together with the authentication information;

determining that the step of downloading is complete;

in response to determining that the downloading step is complete, automatically initiating installation of the client software and configuring the client software to use the authentication information input by the user during the sign up process.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising updating the client software using the network session established for the user.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising updating configuration information for use with the client software, said updating using the network session established by the user.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein determining, using the obtained network identifier, whether the detected network connection corresponds to a known network further comprises:

querying a database to determine whether the obtained network identifier is contained in the database.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the database further comprises the log on procedure, said step of retrieving the log on procedure further comprises retrieving the log on procedure from the database.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein said monitoring step is performed periodically and even in a case that a network connection is detected.

17. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

notifying the user of the network session.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of notifying uses a displayed icon, the displayed icon changing appearance in response to said network session being established.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of notifying uses a dialog window displaying a notification in response to said network session being established.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of notifying uses a displayed icon and a dialog window, the displayed icon changing appearance and the dialog window displaying a notification in response to said network session being established.

21. The method of claim 1, in response to the identified network connection, further comprising:

determining whether the wireless network requires probing;

performing the login procedure if no probing is required; and

if probing is required, performing the following;

probing the network, and

determining whether the probing of the network was successful, and

if successful, performing the login procedure.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining whether results from a prior probing of the network exist; and

utilizing the prior probing results instead of performing the probing of the network.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the probing step comprises:

detecting a beacon message from at least one access point of the wireless network, the beacon message including information identifying the access point;

attempting, using at least one predefined operation, to communicate with the access point;

determining a usability status based on a response received from the access point to the at least one predefined operation; and

storing the determined usability status in a cache, the usability status being associated with a unique identifier of the access point.

24. The method of claim 1, in response to the identified network connection, further comprising:

determining whether a user of the client device is already subscribed for service of the wireless network;

performing the login procedure if the user of the client device is already subscribed to the wireless network; and

if not already subscribed, prompting the user of the client device with the opportunity to become subscribed to the wireless network.

25. A machine-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon executable by a processing unit on a client device for achieving login to a wireless network by performing the steps of:

identifying that a first component on the client device has established a connection with a wireless network; and

performing in a client utility on the device, in response to the identified network connection, a login procedure for authenticating the client device for use of the wireless network, wherein the login procedure performed by the client utility is wholly separate from the connection established by the first component to the wireless network.

26. A device capable of achieving login to a wireless network, comprising:

an operating system capable of establishing a low-level connection with a wireless network; and

a client utility, in response to the identified network connection, capable of performing a login procedure for authenticating the device for use of the wireless network, wherein the login procedure performed by the client utility is wholly separate from the connection established by the first component to the wireless network.