Configuring secure wireless networks

• US 9,125,049 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mivalife Mobile Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Oplink Communications
• Inventors: Huang, Longgang, Gu, Keqin, Chen, Tsungyen, Qi, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golriz, Arya
• Application Number:
  US13/843,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20140281478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for configuring secure wireless networks. One of the methods includes receiving, at a security system management device, protocol and key information for establishing a connection as a client device to the wireless IP device, wherein the protocol and key information is received in response to a user transmitting an identifier for the IP device to a service provider system; establishing communication with the wireless IP device, wherein the wireless IP device is acting as an access point device; exchanging keys with the wireless IP device; rebooting the security system management device to become an access point for the secure wireless network; and establishing communication with the wireless IP device, wherein the wireless IP device has become a wireless client.

Claims

1. A method for adding a new wireless IP device to a secure wireless network comprising:

receiving, at a security system management device, protocol and key information for establishing a connection as a client device to the wireless IP device within the secure wireless network, wherein the protocol and key information is received from a remote service provider system in response to a user transmitting an identifier for the IP device to the service provider system, wherein the security system management device operates as an access point device;

in response to receiving the protocol and key information, establishing, by the security system management device communication with the wireless IP device, wherein the security system management device operates as a client requesting to connect to the wireless IP device, which is acting as an access point device;

exchanging keys with the wireless IP device to establish secure communication within the secure wireless network;

in response to establishing secure communication with the wireless IP device, rebooting the security system management device to return to operating as the access point device for the secure wireless network; and

establishing communication with the wireless IP device using the exchanged keys, wherein the wireless IP device has become a wireless client device managed by the security management device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP device is an IP camera, IP based power plug, IP based thermostat, or other IP based security or automation device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless IP device also receives key information from the service provider system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP device reboots following the key exchange, becoming a wireless client after the reboot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a barcode scanned from the IP device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a serial number for the IP device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing communication with the wireless IP device as a client includes performing one or more of http request or receive functions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the http request function is used to request video data from the IP device.

9. A system comprising:

a security system management device, wherein the security system management device manages a particular secure wireless network;

a wireless internet protocol (IP) device to be added to the secure wireless network; and

a mobile device,

wherein the IP device is activated using the mobile device including transmitting an identifier associated with the IP device to an external service provider system,

wherein the security system management device receives protocol and key information for the IP device from the external service provider system in response to the mobile device transmission of the identifier for the IP device, and wherein responsive to the received protocol the security system management device changes from an access point to be configured as a WiFi client that seeks to communicate with the IP device, wherein the IP device is acting as an access point;

wherein the IP device receives key information such that the IP device and security system manager exchange keys to establish secure communication within the secure wireless network; and

wherein after the key exchange and in response to establishing secure communication with the wireless IP device, the security system management device reboots to return to being configured as the access point for the secure wireless network and the IP device reboots to become a wireless client for the secure wireless network, and wherein the security system management device establishes communication with the wireless IP device using the exchanged keys.