Low power transmission provisioning for wireless network devices

• US 7,720,018 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Corbett, Christopher J., Huitema, Christian, Hassan, Amer A., Abhishek, Abhishek, Roberts, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao; Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cehic; Kenan
• Application Number:
  US11/112,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20060239217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/255, 370/328, 370/329, 370/332, 370/311, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713300-340, 455/127.1, 455/127.5, 455/522
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/28 using user profile, e.g. mobile speed, priority or network state, e.g. standby, idle or non transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A process for secure, safe, and easy provisioning of a wireless device with credentials to connect to a wireless network. A connecting wireless device and an established wireless device both utilize low power transmission at close proximity to exchange wireless connection setting information and/or a password. The connecting wireless device is moved into proximity with the established wireless device and a low power setting is discovered at which the wireless devices may communicate with a sufficiently low error rate. The connecting wireless device is then passed the secret information by the established network device.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

operating a first device in a first mode;

activating an indicator to operate the first device in a second mode; and

operating the first device in the second mode, the second mode having a low transmit power setting for the first device that is sufficient for a wireless exchange of messages between the first device and a second device, the second device having access to secret information,

wherein operating the first device in the second mode comprises;

attempting to exchange a schema in a first schema exchange at a safe power transmit level,

when the first schema exchange is successful, decrementing transmit power of the first device and exchanging schema in a further schema exchange until the further schema exchange is unsuccessful, wherein the safe power transmit level is a power level for which successful exchange of the first schema between the first device and the second device is only expected when a distance between the first device and the second device is less than a maximum safe distance, the maximum safe distance being no greater than three meters, and

when the first schema exchange is not successful, providing feedback to a user that the first device needs to be placed in closer proximity to the second device;

once a further schema exchange is unsuccessful, incrementing transmit power and exchanging schema again until a schema exchange is successful at a first transmit power level; and

setting the first transmit power level as the low transmit power setting;

wherein schema is selected from a group consisting of an output of a cyclic redundancy check and a cyclic redundancy check codeword;

wherein the decrementing comprises decreasing the transmit power by a first amount and the incrementing comprises increasing the transmit power by a second amount, the first amount being greater than the second amount;

setting the transmit power of the first device to the low transmit power setting; and

receiving the secret information from the second device via wireless media while at the low transmit power setting,

wherein the first mode is associated with a first transmit power setting different than the low transmit power setting associated with the second mode.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first transmit power setting comprises a normal transmit power setting of the first device.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first transmit power setting comprises a lowest transmit power setting of the first device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising, if the transmit power of the first device is incremented above the safe power transmit level without a successful schema exchange, providing feedback to a user that the first device needs to be placed in closer proximity to the second device.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the secret information comprises at least one of connection settings or a password for connecting to a wireless network.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising:

utilizing said at least one of connection settings or a password for connecting to a wireless network; and

automatically configuring the first device to connect to the wireless network.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second device is an intermediary device that receives the secret information from a third device.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first device is an intermediary device, and further comprising supplying the secret information to a third device from the first device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the safe power transmit level is determined experimentally.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the safe power transmit level is determined experimentally for the predetermined maximum safe distance.

9. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

operating a first device in a first mode;

activating an indicator to operate the first device in a second mode; and

operating the first device in the second mode, the second mode having a low transmit power setting for the first device that is sufficient for a wireless exchange of messages between the first device and a second device, the second device having access to credentials and other settings for connecting to a wireless network,

wherein operating the first device in the second mode comprises;

attempting to exchange a schema in a first schema exchange at a safe power transmit level, and if the first schema exchange is successful, decrementing transmit power of the first device and exchanging schema in a further schema exchange until the further schema exchange is unsuccessful, wherein the safe power transmit level is a power level for which it has been determined that successful exchange of the first schema between the first device and the second device is only expected when a distance between the first device and the second device is less than a predetermined maximum safe distance;

once a schema exchange is unsuccessful, incrementing transmit power and exchanging schema again until a schema exchange is successful at a first transmit power level; and

setting the first transmit power level as the low transmit power setting;

wherein schema is selected from a group consisting of an output of a cyclic redundancy check and a cyclic redundancy check codeword;

setting the transmit power of the first device to the low transmit power setting;

receiving the credentials at the first device from the second device via wireless media while at the low transmit power setting; and

utilizing the credentials at the first device to configure the first device to connect to the wireless network,

wherein the first mode is associated with a first transmit power setting greater than the low transmit power setting associated with the second mode.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising, if the first schema exchange is not successful, providing feedback to a user that the first device needs to be placed in closer proximity to the second device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first transmit power setting comprises one of a normal transmit power setting of the first device or a safe transmit power setting of the first device, the safe transmit power setting being lower than the normal transmit power setting of the first device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first transmit power setting comprises a lowest transmit power setting of the first device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising, if the transmit power of the first device is incremented above the safe power transmit level without a successful schema exchange, providing feedback to a user that the first device needs to be placed in closer proximity to the second device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predetermined maximum safe distance is no greater than two meters.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predetermined maximum safe distance is three meters.