METHOD FOR CONTROLLING NETWORK CONNECTION OF WIRELESS NETWORK DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED WIRELESS NETWORK DEVICE

• US 20120327849A1
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Yung-Sen, Chuang, Tzu-Lung
• Application Number:
  US13/417,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20120327849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method for controlling a network connection of a wireless network device includes: after the wireless network device is waked up from a sleep mode: loading a wireless network driver; determining whether a predetermined access point satisfies a predetermined rule under a condition that the wireless network driver does not scan access points; and when the predetermined access point satisfies the predetermined rule, the wireless network driver directly utilizes pre-stored network connection information to connect to the predetermined access point without scanning the access points.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a network connection of a wireless network device, comprising:

after the wireless network device is waked up from a sleep mode;

loading a wireless network driver;

determining whether a predetermined access point satisfies a predetermined rule under a condition that the wireless network driver does not scan access points; and

when the predetermined access point satisfies the predetermined rule, the wireless network driver directly utilizes pre-stored network connection information to connect to the predetermined access point without scanning the access points.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the predetermined access point does not satisfy the predetermined rule, the wireless network driver scans the access points to obtain at least one access point, an operating system receives the at least one access point and choose one access point, and the operating system sends the chosen access point to the wireless network driver to establish a link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode;

storing information of a current network connection of the wireless network device as the pre-stored network connection information;

wherein the current network connection is a last network connection of the wireless network device before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode;

setting a tag according to the current network connection of the wireless network device and the predetermined access point, wherein the tag is utilized to represent whether the predetermined access point has a security setting or not;

wherein the predetermined rule is that the predetermined access point does not have the security setting.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the wireless network device is waked up from the sleep mode;

receiving a command from an operating system to ask for scanning the access points; and

when the predetermined access point satisfies the predetermined rule, and after the wireless network driver directly utilizes the pre-stored network connection information to connect to the predetermined access point, the wireless network driver only responds the predetermined access point to the operating system.

6. A wireless network device, comprising:

a storage unit, for storing an operating system and a wireless network driver; and

a network component;

wherein after the wireless network device is waked up from a sleep mode, the operating system resumes and loads the wireless network driver;

the wireless network driver determines whether a predetermined access point satisfies a predetermined rule under a condition that the wireless network driver does not scan access points; and

when the predetermined access point satisfies the predetermined rule, the wireless network driver directly utilizes pre-stored network connection information to connect to the predetermined access point via the network component without scanning the access points.

7. The wireless network device of claim 6, wherein when the predetermined access point does not satisfy the predetermined rule, the wireless network driver scans the access points to obtain at least one access point, an operating system receives the at least one access point and choose one access point, and the operating system sends the chosen access point to the wireless network driver to establish a link.

8. The wireless network device of claim 6, wherein before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode, the wireless network driver stores information of a current network connection of the wireless network device as the pre-stored network connection information, wherein the current network connection is a last network connection of the wireless network device before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode.

9. The wireless network device of claim 8, wherein before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode, the wireless network driver sets a tag according to the current network connection of the wireless network device and the predetermined access point, wherein the tag is utilized to represent whether the predetermined access point has a security setting or not, and the predetermined rule is that the predetermined access point does not have the security setting.

10. The wireless network device of claim 6, wherein after the wireless network device is waked up from the sleep mode, the wireless network driver receives a command from an operating system to ask for scanning the access points;

and when the predetermined access point satisfies the predetermined rule, and after the wireless network driver directly utilizes the pre-stored network connection information to connect to the predetermined access point, the wireless network driver only responds the predetermined access point to the operating system.

11. A method for controlling a network connection of a wireless network device, comprising:

after the wireless network device is waked up from a sleep mode;

loading a wireless network driver;

scanning neighboring access points to obtain a plurality of access points by the wireless network driver;

comparing the plurality of access points with an access point preferred list by the wireless network driver;

when the wireless network driver receives a command from an operating system to ask for scanning the neighboring access points, and at least a portion of access points are in the access point preferred list, only responding the portion of access points to the operating system by the wireless network driver; and

choosing one access point among the portion of access points, and sending the chosen access point to the wireless network driver by the operating system to establish a link.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

when none of the plurality of access points is in the access point preferred list, responding all the plurality of access points to the operating system by the wireless network driver.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode, creating the access point preferred list according to a plurality of connection records of the wireless network device.

14. A wireless network device, comprising:

a storage unit, for storing an operating system and a wireless network driver; and

a network component;

wherein after the wireless network device is waked up from a sleep mode, the operating system loads a wireless network driver;

the wireless network driver scans neighboring access points to obtain a plurality of access points;

the wireless network driver compares the plurality of access points with an access point preferred list;

when the wireless network driver receives a command from an operating system to ask for scanning the neighboring access points, and at least a portion of access points are in the access point preferred list, the wireless network driver only responds the portion of access points to the operating system; and

the operating system chooses one access point among the portion of access points, and sends the chosen access point to the wireless network driver to establish a link via the network component.

15. The wireless network device of claim 14, wherein when none of the plurality of access points is in the access point preferred list, the wireless network driver responds all the plurality of access points to the operating system.

16. The wireless network device of claim 14, wherein before the wireless network device enters the sleep mode, the wireless network driver creates the access point preferred list according to a plurality of connection records of the wireless network device.