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Method and arrangement for providing a wireless mesh network

  • US 8,122,249 B2
  • Filed: 08/01/2007
  • Issued: 02/21/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for providing a wireless local area network, having stationary communication devices and mobile communication devices embodied according to the IEEE 802.11 standard and its derivatives and belonging to a mesh subnetwork which is connected to an infrastructure network in such a way that it can exchange authentication messages via a station assigned to the subnetwork with an Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA) server disposed in the infrastructure network using the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) protocol comprising:

  • the AAA server;

    generating basic encryption information valid for the subnetwork precisely once within a first validity period, the generating being performed after a successful first-time authentication of a first communication device of the subnetwork with specification of first identity information vis-à

    -vis a communication device of the subnetwork fulfilling a role of an authenticator defined in accordance with the EAP protocol, andtransmitting the basic encryption information to a station that is uniquely assignable to the subnetwork; and

    the station assigned to the subnetwork;

    storing the basic encryption information,assigning the basic encryption to the first identity information specified by the first communication device; and

    handling subsequent authentication attempts of the first communication device vis-à

    -vis a second communication device of the subnetwork with specification of second identity information in the manner of a proxy server while omitting the AAA server on the basis of the basic encryption information determined from the specified identity information using the EAP protocol; and

    a station of the second communication device;

    providing a key determined for the second communication device using the stored basic encryption information for the purpose of cryptographically secure communication with the first communication device.

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