Authentication Failure in a Wireless Local Area Network

A method in a mobile station, the method comprising:

• attempting to perform an authentication process with an access point;
• determining that the authentication process has failed and consequently banning the access point;
• and
• refraining from transmitting any communications addressed to a unique identifier of the access point while the access point is banned.

A method in a mobile station, the method comprising:

• attempting to perform an authentication process with an access point that is identifiable by a unique identifier;
• determining that the authentication process has failed and consequently suppressing the access point;
• on some occasions that the access point is suppressed, refraining from transmitting any communications addressed to the unique identifier;
• and
• on other occasions that the access point is suppressed, permitting transmission of communications addressed to the unique identifier.

A mobile station comprising:

• a processor;
• a wireless local area network communication interface coupled to the processor;
• and
• a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores an editable connection profile that includes parameters and a network name, and a driver for the wireless local area network communication interface,
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged to determine whether an attempt by the mobile station to perform an authentication process with an access point has failed and, if the attempt has failed, is arranged to consequently ban the editable connection profile, wherein the attempt included transmitting the parameters in a manner receivable by the access point,
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged to exclude the editable connection profile from any active scanning for wireless local area networks performed by the mobile station while the editable connection profile is banned other than active scanning performed as part of a discovery scan, and
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged to remove any records including the network name of the editable connection profile from results of any passive scanning for wireless local area networks performed by the mobile station while the editable connection profile is banned other than passive scanning performed as part of a discovery scan.

A mobile station comprising:

• a processor;
• a wireless local area network communication interface coupled to the processor;
• a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores a driver for the wireless local area network communication interface,
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged to determine whether an attempt by the mobile station to perform an authentication process with an access point has failed, wherein the access point is uniquely identifiable by a unique identifier, and
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged, as a consequence of having determined that the attempt has failed, to ban the access point and to refrain from transmitting via the wireless local area network communication interface any communications addressed to the unique identifier while the access point is banned.

A mobile station comprising:

• a processor;
• a wireless local area network communication interface coupled to the processor;
• a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores a driver for the wireless local area network communication interface,
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged to determine whether an attempt by the mobile station to perform an authentication process with an access point has failed, wherein the access point is uniquely identifiable by a unique identifier, and
• wherein the driver, when executed by the processor, is arranged, as a consequence of having determined that the attempt has failed, to suppress the access point, to refrain on some occasions that the access point is suppressed from transmitting via the wireless local area network communication interface any communications addressed to the unique identifier and to permit on other occasions that the access point is suppressed transmission of communications addressed to the unique identifier.