WIRELESS ROUTER DEPLOYMENT

• US 20190182243A1
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Published: 06/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Tjahjono, Danu, Assao, Sunil, Shaikh, Rafiq
• Granted Patent: US 10,637,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/009 specially adapted for networks, e.g. wireless sensor networks, ad-hoc networks, RFID networks or cloud networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for deploying a wireless router are disclosed. One method includes accessing, by the wireless router, default credentials, checking, by the wireless router, access to a backhaul link to an upstream network, authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials, procuring, by the wireless router, a customer certificate of a customer, authenticating, by the wireless router, with an authentication server using the customer certificate, procuring, by the wireless router, from a management server, a customer specific wireless mesh configuration after being authenticated by the authentication server, rebooting, by the wireless router, using the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, thereby allowing the wireless router to operate within a wireless mesh network, and broadcasting, by the wireless router, service set identifiers (SSIDs) derived from the default credentials.

Claims

1. A method of a wireless router, comprising:

accessing, by the wireless router, default credentials;

checking, by the wireless router, access to a backhaul link to an upstream network;

authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials;

procuring, by the wireless router, a customer certificate of a customer;

authenticating, by the wireless router, with an authentication server using the customer certificate;

procuring, by the wireless router, from a management server, a customer specific wireless mesh configuration after being authenticated by the authentication server;

rebooting, by the wireless router, using the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, thereby allowing the wireless router to operate within a wireless mesh network; and

broadcasting, by the wireless router, service set entifiers (SSIDs) derived from the default credentials.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless router operates in a bootstrapping mode and a normal operating mesh mode,

wherein during the bootstrapping mode the wireless router obtains the customer certificate of the customer and the customer specific wireless mesh configuration;

wherein the normal operation mode occurs after procuring the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, and wherein during the normal operation mode the wireless router broadcasts the SSIDs and is operable to connect client devices to the wireless mesh network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the checking, by the wireless router, access to the backhaul link to an upstream network indicates no access to the backhaul link, and further comprising:

searching, by the wireless router, for reception of a specific SSID (service set identifier);

associating, by the wireless router, with an upstream router that broadcast the specific SSID and provides access to the backhaul link;

wherein

the authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials is executed after associating with the upstream router.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the default credentials of the wireless router are preset before deployment of the wireless router, and the default credentials are replaced with the customer credentials before the wireless router operates within the wireless mesh network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the default credentials include a birth certificate issued by a manufacturer, and a CA (certificate authority) certificate issued by the customer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein checking for backhaul access comprises checking for a presence of an Ethernet backhaul link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, the wireless router operates as a gateway if the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link is detected, and wherein the wireless router operating as a gateway includes the wireless router operating in a normal mesh network mode that includes providing wireless access to the wireless mesh network to downstream wireless access nodes and client devices.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, if the backhaul link is not present then the wireless router operates as a wireless access node, and the wireless access node is authenticated through an upstream wireless router that is transmitting upstream SSIDs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials comprises authenticating a birth certificate between the wireless router, an authenticator, and the authentication server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein authenticating using the default credentials comprises the wireless router presenting the birth certificate to the authentication server through the authenticator, and the authentication server providing the wireless router with the customer certificate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein procuring, by the wireless router, the customer certificate comprises the wireless router procuring digital certificates issued by the customer for a certificate validity time using a standard protocol, wherein the certificate validity time indicates a period of time in which the customer certificate is valid.

12. The method of claim 1, authenticating, by the wireless router, with the authentication server using the customer certificate comprises authenticating a customer issued 802.1x certificate.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein procuring, by the wireless router, from the management server, the customer specific configuration after being authenticated by the authentication server comprises the wireless router connecting to the management server using the customer certificate, and once authenticated, the management server downloading the customer specific wireless mesh configuration to allow the wireless router to operate within the wireless mesh network.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein searching, by the wireless router, for reception of the specific SSID comprises the wireless router scanning wireless channels searching for reception of the specific SSID from upstream wireless routers.

15. A wireless router, comprising:

one or more wireless radios;

a controller, wherein the controller operates to;

access default credentials;

check access to a backhaul link to an upstream network;

authenticate the wireless router using the default credentials;

procure a customer certificate;

authenticate the wireless router with an authentication server using the customer certificate;

procure from a management server, a customer specific wireless mesh configuration after being authenticated by the authentication server; and

reboot the wireless router using the customer specific wireless mesh configuration;

wherein

SSID(s) derived from the default credentials are broadcast though the one or more wireless radios.

16. The wireless router of claim 15, wherein the wireless router operates in a bootstrapping mode and a normal operating mesh mode,

wherein during the bootstrapping mode the wireless router obtains the customer certificate of the customer and the customer specific wireless mesh configuration;

wherein the normal operation mode occurs after procuring the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, and wherein during the normal operation mode the wireless router broadcasts the SSIDs and is operable to connect client devices to the wireless mesh network.

17. The wireless router of claim 15, wherein the checking, by the wireless router, access to the backhaul link to an upstream network indicates no access to the backhaul link, and further comprising:

searching, by the wireless router, for reception of a specific SSID (service set identifier), wherein searching, by the wireless router, for reception of the specific SSID comprises the wireless router scanning wireless channels searching for reception of the specific SSID from upstream wireless routers;

associating, by the wireless router, with an upstream router that broadcast the specific SSID and provides access to the backhaul link;

wherein

the authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials is executed after associating with the upstream router.

18. The wireless router of claim 15, wherein checking for backhaul access comprises checking for a presence of an Ethernet backhaul link, wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, the wireless router operates as a gateway if the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link is detected, and wherein the wireless router operating as a gateway includes the wireless router operating in a normal mesh network mode that includes providing wireless access to the wireless mesh network to downstream wireless access nodes and client devices.

19. The wireless router of claim 18, wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, if the backhaul link is not present then the wireless router operates as a wireless access node, and the wireless access node is authenticated through an upstream wireless router that is transmitting upstream SSIDs.

20. The wireless router of claim 15, wherein authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials comprises authenticating a birth certificate between the wireless router, an authenticator, and the authentication server, wherein authenticating using the default credentials comprises the wireless router presenting the birth certificate to the authentication server through the authenticator, and the authentication server providing the wireless router with the customer certificate.