Network access point

#The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2018/065234, filed Jun. 8, 2018, which claims priority from European Patent Application No. 17175394.0 filed Jun. 12, 2017, each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.

#The present disclosure relates to improvements to network access points.

#Network access points for computer networks such as wired or wireless access points provide access to a network such as a local network, a wide area network or a combination of both for computing devices. Such devices can include mobile devices such as mobile computers, cellular telephones, pervasive devices, wearable devices, vehicles such as cars, aircraft, ships, drones and the like, internet of things (IoT) devices including sensors, appliances, detectors, switches, transmitters, receivers and the like, and other mobile devices as will be apparent to those familiar with the field of computer networks. Network connectivity is increasingly an inherent feature of such devices and there is a need to ensure network security when networks, including interconnected networks, are accessed by potentially numerous potentially unfamiliar or unknown devices or classes of device.

#Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram a computer system suitable for the operation of embodiments of the present disclosure.

#FIG. 2 is a component diagram of an arrangement for providing access to a network for a mobile device according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for the operation of embodiments of the present disclosure. A central processor unit (CPU) 102 is communicatively connected to a storage 104 and an input/output (I/O) interface 106 via a data bus 108. The storage 104 can be any read/write storage device such as a random access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile storage device. An example of a non-volatile storage device includes a disk or tape storage device. The I/O interface 106 is an interface to devices for the input or output of data, or for both input and output of data. Examples of I/O devices connectable to I/O interface 106 include a keyboard, a mouse, a display (such as a monitor) and a network connection.

#FIG. 2 is a component diagram of an arrangement for providing access to a network 200 for a mobile device 206 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The network 200 is constituted by one or more computer communication networks such as wired or wireless, local area or wide area networks that are commonly accessed by multiple network access points (NAPs). For example, the network 200 can be the internet or an intranet. A mobile device 206 is a moveable computing device with network connectivity facilities such that it can communicate with other computing devices via the network 200. For example, the mobile device 206 is a mobile computer, a smartphone, a tablet device, an internet of things (IoT) device, an appliance, a vehicle (or attached to or embedded in a vehicle) such as a car, boat, aircraft, drone or the like, a robot (or attached to or embedded in a robot) and other mobile devices as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

#The mobile device 206 is initially associated with a first access point, the home NAP 202. The home NAP 202 can include any suitable means for providing the mobile device 206 with access to the network 200 including a wired or wireless router. In addition to providing access to the network 200, the Home NAP 202 can, in some embodiments, provide access to a further network, hereinafter referred to as the home network 222, that can be segregated and/or separated from the network 200. For example, the home network 222 can be a local area network or intranet separated from the network 200 by the home NAP 202 such as by way of one or more of firewalls and/or physical separation and/or other mechanisms as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.