Method of limiting communication access between wireless LAN terminals

• US 7,729,324 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kachi, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US10/715,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,386 Days
• Field of Search: 455/226.1, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/439, 455/445, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 370/338, 370/332
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Different subnets are allocated to respective wireless LAN terminals. It is assumed that when the setting of IP addresses is completed, a packet is to be sent from wireless LAN terminal 1 to wireless LAN terminal 2. Since the different subnets are allocated to respective wireless LAN terminals 1, 2, wireless LAN terminals 1, 2 are unable to communicate directly with each other. Wireless LAN terminal 1 sends a packet destined for wireless LAN terminal 2 to a default gateway (=access limiter). Since the packet received by the access limiter is destined for wireless LAN terminal 2, the access limiter transfers the packet to wireless LAN terminal 2.

Claims

1. A method of limiting communication access between wireless Local Area Network (LAN) terminals of a wireless LAN, said wireless LAN terminals comprising a first wireless LAN terminal and a second wireless LAN terminal, the first wireless LAN terminal and the second wireless LAN terminal being wirelessly connected, comprising:

allocating different subnetwork addresses to respective wireless LAN terminals in a wireless LAN access point;

setting default gateways of the respective wireless LAN terminals as a single access limiter; and

returning a communication packet between the wireless LAN terminals from said access limiter which is set as said default gateways, for providing an access limiting function to limit communication access between the wireless LAN terminals,

wherein said access limiter comprises two LAN interfaces connected respectively to a wired terminal and said wireless LAN access point, said wireless LAN terminals being connected to said wireless LAN access point, said access limiter comprising;

an access limiting function for passing or dropping a received packet to thereby inhibit or permit communications between the terminals;

a band limiting function for buffering a received packet to process audio packets with priority over other packets;

a routing function for distributing packets selectively to said wired terminal and said wireless LAN access point depending on a destination of the packets;

a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for allocating IP addresses having different subnets for the respective terminals in response to DHCP requests from said wired LAN terminals; and

an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) server installed in an existing IP protocol stack.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when a first one of the wireless LAN terminals is turned on, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

said wireless LAN access point, which operates as a simple bridge between a wireless LAN and a wired LAN, transfers the received DHCP request to the access limiter;

said access limiter, which has a DHCP server function, returns a DHCP response to the DHCP request to said wireless LAN access point, and

said wireless LAN access point, which has received the DHCP response, converts the DHCP response from wired data to wireless data, sends the DHCP response to said first wireless LAN terminal to allow said first wireless LAN terminal to make IP communications according to IP address information allocated from the DHCP server,

wherein, when a second one of the wireless LAN terminals is turned on, said second wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

said wireless LAN access point, which operates as the simple bridge between a wireless LAN and a wired LAN, transfers the received DHCP request to the access limiter;

said access limiter, which has the DHCP server function, returns a DHCP response to the DHCP request to said wireless LAN access point; and

said wireless LAN access point, which has received the DHCP response, converts the DHCP response from wired data to wireless data, sends the DHCP response to said second wireless LAN terminal to allow said second wireless LAN terminal to make IP communications according to IP address information allocated from the DHCP server,

wherein said first wireless LAN terminal sends a packet destined for said second wireless LAN terminal to said access limiter; and

said access limiter transfers the received packet, which is destined for said second wireless LAN terminal, to said second wireless LAN terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when said first wireless LAN terminal is turned on, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

since the DHCP request comprises a broadcast packet, said wireless LAN access point transfers the DHCP request to said access limiter on a wired LAN, and broadcasts the DHCP request to said second wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter, which has received the DHCP request, sets its own IP address to a predetermined value, and sends IP address information as a response to said first wireless LAN terminal; and

said second wireless LAN terminal, which has received the DHCP request, drops the received packet as the DHCP server is not activated,

wherein, when said second wireless LAN terminal is turned on, said second wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

since the DHCP request comprises a broadcast packet, said wireless LAN access point transfers the DHCP request to said access limiter on the wired LAN, and broadcasts the DHCP request to said first wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter, which has received the DHCP request, sets its own IP address to a predetermined value, and sends IP address information as a response to said second wireless LAN terminal; and

said first wireless LAN terminal, which has received the DHCP request, drops the received packet as the DHCP server is not activated,

wherein, when a packet is to be sent from said first wireless LAN terminal to said second wireless LAN terminal,

since a subnet of said first wireless LAN terminal is different from a subnet of said second wireless LAN terminal, before said first wireless LAN terminal sends the packet to said access limiter set as said default gateways, said first wireless LAN terminal sends an ARP request to resolve a Media Access Control (MAC) address of said default gateways;

said wireless LAN access point, which has received said ARP request, transfers the ARP request to said access limiter on the wired LAN and said second wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter which has a same address returns a response to said ARP request, and said second wireless LAN terminal which has a different address drops the packet;

since said first wireless LAN terminal has had the MAC address resolved by the ARP request, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a packet destined for said second wireless LAN terminal to said access limiter; and

if said access limiter is to permit communications between the wireless LAN terminals, the access limiter returns the received packet and sends the received packet to said second wireless LAN terminal.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when said first wireless LAN terminal is turned on, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

since the DHCP request is a broadcast packet, said wireless LAN access point transfers the DHCP request to said access limiter on a wired LAN, and broadcasts the DHCP request to said second wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter, which has received the DHCP request, sets its own IP address to a predetermined value, and sends IP address information as a response to said first wireless LAN terminal; and

said second wireless LAN terminal, which has received the DHCP request, drops the received packet as the DHCP server is not activated,

wherein, when said second wireless LAN terminal is turned on, said second wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

since the DHCP request is a broadcast packet, said wireless LAN access point transfers the DHCP request to said access limiter on the wired LAN, and broadcasts the DHCP request to said first wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter, which has received the DHCP request, sets its own IP address to a predetermined value, and sends IP address information as a response to said second wireless LAN terminal; and

said first wireless LAN terminal, which has received the DHCP request, drops the received packet as the DHCP server is not activated, and

wherein, when a packet is to be sent from said first wireless LAN terminal to said second wireless LAN terminal, since a subnet of said first wireless LAN terminal is different from a subnet of said second wireless LAN terminal, before said first wireless LAN terminal sends the packet to said access limiter set as said default gateways, said first wireless LAN terminal sends an ARP request to resolve a MAC address of said default gateways;

said wireless LAN access point, which has received said ARP request, transfers the ARP request to said access limiter on the wired LAN and said second wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter which has a same address returns a response to said ARP request, and said second wireless LAN terminal which has a different address drops the packet;

since said first wireless LAN terminal has had the MAC address resolved by the ARP request, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a packet destined for said second wireless LAN terminal to said access limiter; and

if said access limiter is to inhibit communications between the wireless LAN terminals, the access limiter drops the received packet.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when said first wireless LAN terminal is turned on, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

since the DHCP request comprises a broadcast packet, said wireless LAN access point transfers the DHCP request to said access limiter on a wired LAN, and broadcasts the DHCP request to said second wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter, which has received the DHCP request, sets its own IP address to a predetermined value, and sends IP address information as a response to said first wireless LAN terminal; and

said second wireless LAN terminal, which has received the DHCP request, drops the received packet as the DHCP server is not activated,

wherein, when said second wireless LAN terminal is turned on, said second wireless LAN terminal sends a DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point for automatically resolving its own IP address;

since the DHCP request comprises a broadcast packet, said wireless LAN access point transfers the DHCP request to said access limiter on the wired LAN, and broadcasts the DHCP request to said first wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter, which has received the DHCP request, sets its own IP address to a predetermined value, and sends IP address information as a response to said second wireless LAN terminal; and

said first wireless LAN terminal, which has received the DHCP request, drops the received packet as the DHCP server is not activated, and

wherein, when a packet is to be sent from said first wireless LAN terminal to said second wireless LAN terminal, since a subnet of said first wireless LAN terminal is different from a subnet of said second wireless LAN terminal, before said first wireless LAN terminal sends the packet to said access limiter set as said default gateways, said first wireless LAN terminal sends an ARP request to resolve a MAC address of said default gateways;

said wireless LAN access point, which has received said ARP request, transfers the ARP request to said access limiter on the wired LAN and said second wireless LAN terminal;

said access limiter which has a same address returns a response to said ARP request, and said second wireless LAN terminal which has a different address drops the packet;

since said first wireless LAN terminal has had the MAC address resolved by the ARP request, said first wireless LAN terminal sends a packet destined for said second wireless LAN terminal to said access limiter; and

if said access limiter is to buffer communications between the wireless LAN terminals, the access limiter performs priority control of the received packet depending on a property thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing the access limiting function to limit communication access between the wireless LAN terminals is done without modifying the existing wireless LAN access point.

7. A wireless LAN system, comprising:

a wireless LAN access point configured to wirelessly associate with a plurality of wireless terminals, said plurality of wireless terminals being wirelessly connected;

an access limiter configured to control communications between a first of the plurality of the wireless terminals and a second of the plurality of the wireless terminals at the wireless LAN access point;

a band limiter to buffer a received packet to process audio packets with priority over other packets;

a router to distribute packets selectively to said wired terminal and said wireless LAN access point depending on a destination of the packets;

a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for allocating IP addresses having different subnets for the respective terminals in response to DHCP requests from said wired LAN terminals; and

an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) server installed in an existing IP protocol stack,

wherein the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal communicate through the access limiter, and

wherein each of the first wireless terminal and the second wireless terminal are allocated different subnetwork addresses.

8. The wireless LAN system of claim 7, wherein the access limiter is configured as a default gateway for the plurality of wireless terminals.

9. The wireless LAN system of claim 8, further comprising a wired terminal configured to associate with the access limiter.

10. The wireless LAN system of claim 9, wherein the wireless access point receives an address resolution protocol request from the first wireless terminal and transmits the address resolution protocol request to the access limiter and to the second wireless terminal, and

wherein the access limiter returns the request and the second wireless terminal drops the request.

11. The wireless LAN system of claim 7, wherein, when the first wireless terminal transmits a packet intended for the second wireless terminal to the access limiter, the access limiter detects that the packet is intended for the second wireless terminal and drops the packet.

12. The wireless LAN system of claim 7, wherein, when the first wireless terminal transmits a packet intended for the second wireless terminal to the access limiter, the access limiter performs priority control over the packet among a plurality of received packets.

13. The wireless LAN system of claim 7, wherein the access limiter is configured to instruct each of the plurality of wireless terminals, upon activation, to set the access limiter as a respective default gateway for that wireless terminal.

14. A wireless network router, comprising:

a wireless access point; and

an access limiter comprising a plurality of Local Address Network (LAN) interfaces associated to the wireless access point, the access limiter comprising;

an access limiting apparatus to pass or drop a received packet to thereby inhibit or permit communications between a plurality of wireless terminals, said plurality of wireless terminals being wirelessly connected;

a routing apparatus for distributing packets selectively between the wireless LAN access point depending on a destination of the packets between the plurality of wireless terminals;

a band limiter to buffer a received packet to process audio packets with priority over other packets;

a router to distribute packets selectively to said wired terminal and said wireless LAN access point depending on a destination of the packets;

a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for allocating IP addresses having different subnets for the respective terminals in response to DHCP requests from said wired LAN terminals; and

an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) server installed in an existing IP protocol stack,

wherein communication between any of the plurality of wireless terminals is routed through the access limiter, and

wherein each of the wireless terminals is allocated a different subnetwork address.

15. The wireless network router of claim 14, wherein, when a first one of the plurality of wireless terminals is turned on, the first wireless terminal sends a first Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request to the access point to automatically resolve an IP address thereof,

wherein the access point transfers the received DHCP request to the access limiter and returns a first DHCP response to the first wireless terminal,

wherein, when a second one of the plurality of wireless terminals is turned on, the second wireless terminal sends a second DHCP request to the wireless LAN access point,

wherein the access point transfers the received second DHCP request to the access limiter and returns a second DHCP response to the second wireless terminal,

wherein, when the first wireless terminal transmits a packet destined for the second wireless terminal to the access limiter, the access limiter transfers the received packet, which is destined for the second wireless terminal, to the second wireless terminal.

16. The wireless network router of claim 14, further comprising a DHCP server for allocating IP addresses having different subnets for the respective wireless terminals in response to DHCP requests from wired LAN terminals.