Transmitting a communication from a wireless access point indicating hidden networks

• US 8,116,287 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krantz, Anton W., Niikkonen, Ari Pekka, Alam, Mohammad Shabbir, Moore, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US11/193,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20070026856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/41.2, 455/443, 455/450, 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/509, 455/515, 370/338, 370/328, 370/252, 370/254, 370/329, 370/331, 370/349, 370/343, 370/389, 709/228, 709/229, 709/220, 709/227, 709/230, 709/238, 709/245, 709/246, 709/249, 713/168, 713/169, 713/170, 713/171, 713/150, 713/156, 713/184, 713/201, 726/1, 726/2, 726/4, 726/26, 380/247, 380/248, 380/249, 380/250, 380/270, 380/277, 380/279
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless access point may be configured to advertise, to mobile user devices, multiple wireless networks available through the wireless access point. For example, service set identifiers (SSIDs) may be specified within an information element (IE) of a communication such as, for example, an 802.11 beacon, broadcasted to mobile user devices. Such an IE may utilize the capability provided by IEEE 802.11 itself to use additional and flexible numbers of information elements within a beacon. Accordingly, networks that would otherwise remain hidden due to limitations of known wireless access points are made visible to mobile user devices. Configuring a wireless access point to advertise multiple available wireless networks, for example, by firmware upgrades, may serve as a viable and cost-effective interim solution and/or alternative to replacing a wireless access point with a wireless access point configured to implement virtual wireless access points.

Claims

1. A communication protocol for communicating between a wireless access point of a communications network and one or more mobile user devices, the protocol comprising an act of:

(A) transmitting, from the wireless access point to the one or more mobile user devices, a single beacon communication specifying a plurality of wireless networks available to the one or more mobile user devices through the wireless access point, the single beacon communication specifying one service set identifier (SSID) for a first of the plurality of wireless networks and another SSID for a second of the plurality of wireless networks, the plurality of wireless networks comprising a non-hidden wireless network and one or more hidden wireless networks, the non-hidden wireless network employing a different security context than at least one of the one or more hidden wireless networks, the single beacon communication including an indication whether at least the non-hidden wireless network provides wireless provisioning information in accordance with Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS);

wherein, prior to (A), the wireless access point had not received a probe request frame or request to establish a connection from any of the one or more mobile user devices;

wherein the act (A) comprises transmitting a plurality of information elements within the single beacon communication, a first of the plurality of information elements specifying the non-hidden wireless network and a second of the plurality of information elements specifying at least one of the one or more hidden wireless networks; and

wherein the single beacon communication specifies each of the plurality of wireless networks available to the one or more mobile user devices through the wireless access point.

2. The communication protocol of claim 1, wherein the act (A) comprises transmitting the single beacon communication irrespective of whether a communication has been previously received from any of the one or more mobile user devices.

3. The communication protocol of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

(B) receiving the single beacon communication at a first of the one or more mobile user devices; and

(C) communicating the plurality of available wireless networks to a user of the first user device.

4. The communication protocol of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

(B) receiving the single beacon communication at a first of the one or more mobile user devices; and

(C) establishing a network connection between the first mobile user device and the wireless access point.

5. The communication protocol of claim 1, wherein the act (A) comprises transmitting, within the single beacon communication, an indication of whether at least the non-hidden wireless network provides security in accordance with a wireless security technology.

6. A communication protocol for use with a wireless access point of a communications network, the protocol comprising an act of:

(A) receiving, at a first mobile user device that has not, prior to (A), recorded an indication of having discovered the wireless access point, a single beacon communication transmitted from the wireless access point to one or more mobile user devices including the first mobile user device, the single beacon communication specifying a plurality of wireless networks available to the one or more mobile user devices through the wireless access point, the single beacon communication specifying one service set identifier (SSID) for a first of the plurality of wireless networks and another SSID for a second of the plurality of wireless networks, the plurality of wireless networks comprising a non-hidden wireless network and one or more hidden wireless networks, the single beacon communication including an indication whether at least the non-hidden wireless network provides wireless provisioning information in accordance with Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS);

wherein the act (A) comprises receiving a plurality of information elements within the single beacon communication, a first of the plurality of information elements specifying the non-hidden wireless network and a second of the plurality of information elements specifying at least one of the one or more hidden wireless networks; and

wherein the single beacon communication specifies each of the plurality of wireless networks available to the one or more mobile user devices through the wireless access point.

7. The communication protocol of claim 6, wherein the act (A) comprises receiving the single beacon communication irrespective of whether a communication has been previously transmitted from the first mobile user device to the wireless access point.

8. The communication protocol of claim 6, further comprising an act of:

(B) communicating the plurality of available wireless networks to a user of the first user device.

9. The communication protocol of claim 6, further comprising an act of:

(B) establishing a network connection between the first mobile user device and the wireless access point.

10. The communication protocol of claim 6, wherein the act (A) comprises receiving, within the single beacon communication, an indication of whether at least the non-hidden wireless network provides security in accordance with a wireless security technology.

11. A system for communicating on a communications network, the system comprising:

a wireless access point operative to transmit a single beacon communication to one or more mobile user devices from which the wireless access point has not previously received a probe request frame or request to establish a connection, the single beacon communication specifying a plurality of wireless networks available to the one or more mobile user devices through the wireless access point, the single beacon communication specifying one service set identifier (SSID) for a first of the plurality of wireless networks and another SSID for a second of the plurality of wireless networks, the plurality of wireless networks comprising a non-hidden wireless network and one or more hidden wireless networks, the single beacon communication including an indication whether at least the non-hidden wireless network provides wireless provisioning information in accordance with Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS);

wherein the single beacon communication comprises a plurality of information elements, a first of the plurality of information elements specifying the non-hidden wireless network and a second of the plurality of information elements specifying at least one of the one or more hidden wireless networks; and

wherein the single beacon communication specifies each of the plurality of wireless networks available to the one or more mobile user devices through the wireless access point.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a first of the one or more mobile user devices, comprising a network interface component to receive the single beacon communication at a first of the one or more mobile user devices, and comprising a wireless service component to control communicating the plurality of available wireless networks to a user of the first user device.