Method of limiting use of a mobile wireless access point near a wireless local area network

• US 9,241,344 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Oerton, Kevin John
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIVERS, ASHLEY L
• Application Number:
  US14/498,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20150009982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

To promote network security in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a mobile communication device, which is operable as a mobile wireless access point, may read a WLAN identifier that is known to be used by the WLAN and an indication of a channel on which a wireless access point of the WLAN is known to operate. The device may then monitor the channel for a transmission of the WLAN identifier. The mobile wireless access point may be configured to operate using the selected channel so that the monitoring occurs on the same channel as that on which the mobile wireless access point is operating. The transmission, if detected, may be considered to indicate that the mobile communication device is within the WLAN. Upon detecting the transmission, use of the WLAN identifier by the mobile wireless access point at the mobile communication device may be prevented, e.g. by requiring the mobile wireless access point to use a different WLAN identifier or by disabling the mobile wireless access point.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device operable as a mobile wireless access point, comprising:

a processor and memory, read from said memory a wireless local area network (WLAN) identifier that is known to be used by a WLAN;

read from said memory an indication of a channel on which a wireless access point of said WLAN is known to operate, the channel having an associated center frequency;

monitor only the channel for a transmission of the WLAN identifier, the transmission, if detected, indicating that the mobile communication device is within the WLAN; and

upon detection of the transmission of the WLAN identifier, prevent the mobile wireless access point at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises disabling the mobile wireless access point.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises requiring the mobile wireless access point to use a different WLAN identifier.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein said monitoring of only the channel on which the wireless access point of said WLAN is known to operate for the transmission of the WLAN identifier of the WLAN is conditional upon a determination that the mobile communication device is in motion.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein said monitoring of only the channel on which the wireless access point of said WLAN is known to operate for the transmission of the WLAN identifier of the WLAN is conditional upon a determination that the mobile communication device is presently situated in a geographical location that is known to be proximate to the WLAN.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the channel is a first channel whose associated center frequency is within a frequency band and said software further causes said processor to:

read from said memory an indication of at least one other channel that is known to be used by another wireless access point of said WLAN, the other channel having an associated center frequency within said frequency band that is different from the center frequency of the first channel; and

selecting one of the channel and the other channel, the selecting resulting in a selected channel,

wherein the monitoring is of the selected channel.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6 further comprising, prior to the monitoring, configuring the mobile wireless access point functionality to operate using the selected channel.

8. A method of promoting network security in a wireless local area network (WLAN) comprising multiple WLAN cells, each WLAN cell comprising a wireless access point, the method comprising:

at a mobile communication device having a mobile wireless access point functionality;

receiving an indication of a WLAN identifier to be used for identifying the WLAN;

receiving an indication of a plurality of channels to be selectively used by individual ones of the wireless access points of the WLAN, each of the channels having a distinct center frequency;

selecting a channel of the plurality, the selecting resulting in a selected channel;

monitoring only the selected channel, and not any unselected channel of the plurality of channels, for a transmission of the WLAN identifier, the transmission, if detected, indicating that the mobile communication device is within one of the WLAN cells; and

upon detecting the transmission of the WLAN identifier, preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises deactivating the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises requiring the mobile wireless access point functionality to use a different WLAN identifier.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising, prior to the monitoring, configuring the mobile wireless access point functionality to operate using the selected channel and wherein said monitoring is only of the selected channel and not of any unselected channel.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on the identity of a channel on which the mobile wireless access point is already configured to operate.

13. A method of promoting network security in a wireless local area network (WLAN) comprising a wireless access point, the method comprising:

at a mobile communication device having a mobile wireless access point functionality;

receiving an indication of a WLAN identifier known to be used by the wireless access point for identifying the WLAN;

receiving an indication of a channel known to be used by the wireless access point of the WLAN, the channel having an associated center frequency;

monitoring only the indicated channel for a transmission of the WLAN identifier, the transmission, if detected, indicating that the mobile communication device is within the WLAN cell; and

upon detecting the transmission of the WLAN identifier, preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality from using the WLAN identifier at the mobile communication device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises deactivating the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises requiring the mobile wireless access point functionality to use a different WLAN identifier.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing software that, upon execution by a processor of a mobile communication device that is operable as a mobile wireless access point, causes the mobile communication device to:

read a wireless local area network (WLAN) identifier that is known to be used by a WLAN;

read an indication of a channel on which a wireless access point of said WLAN is known to operate, the channel having an associated center frequency;

monitor only the channel for a transmission of the WLAN identifier, the transmission, if detected, indicating that the mobile communication device is within the WLAN; and

upon detection of the transmission of the WLAN identifier, prevent the mobile wireless access point at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises disabling the mobile wireless access point or requiring the mobile wireless access point to use a different WLAN identifier.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 wherein said monitoring of only the channel on which a wireless access point of said WLAN is known to operate for the transmission of the WLAN identifier of the WLAN is conditional upon a determination that the mobile communication device is in motion.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 wherein said monitoring of only the channel on which a wireless access point of said WLAN is known to operate for the transmission of the WLAN identifier of the WLAN is conditional upon a determination that the mobile communication device is presently situated in a geographical location that is known to be proximate to the WLAN.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the channel is a first channel whose associated center frequency is within a frequency band and wherein said software further causes said processor to:

read from said memory an indication of at least one other channel that is known to be used by another wireless access point of said WLAN, the other channel having an associated center frequency within said frequency band that is different from the center frequency of the first channel; and

selecting one of the channel and the other channel, the selecting resulting in a selected channel,

wherein the monitoring is of the selected channel.

21. A system for promoting network security in a wireless local area network (WLAN) comprising multiple WLAN cells, each WLAN cell comprising a wireless access point, the system comprising:

a mobile communication device having a mobile wireless access point functionality, the mobile communication device operable to;

receive an indication of a WLAN identifier to be used for identifying the WLAN;

receive an indication of a plurality of channels to be selectively used by individual wireless access points of the WLAN, each of the channels having a distinct center frequency;

select a channel of the plurality, the selecting resulting in a selected channel;

monitor the selected channel for a transmission of the WLAN identifier, the transmission, if detected, indicating that the mobile communication device is within one of the WLAN cells; and

upon detecting the transmission, prevent the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier, wherein said preventing the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device from using the WLAN identifier comprises deactivating the mobile wireless access point functionality at the mobile communication device,

wherein said mobile communication device is further operable to, prior to the monitoring, configuring the mobile wireless access point functionality to operate using the selected channel and wherein said monitoring is only of the selected channel and not of any unselected channel.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a server, said server forming part of a data network that either comprises or is in communication with the WLAN, and wherein the receiving of the indication of the WLAN identifier and the receiving of the indication of a plurality of channels are by way of download from the server to the mobile communication device.