Self-configuration of wireless connections

A wireless connection device comprising:

• hardware configured to allow the wireless connection device to communicate via a wireless network and to receive multicast packets;
• and
• a processor and memory, the processor configured to:
• receive a plurality of multicast packets sent to a plurality of specific destination addresses, wherein the plurality of multicast packets are cycled wherein each multicast packet in the plurality of multicast packets includes a value-field in the specific destination address, the value-field containing a message character which converts to an American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character, wherein each message character corresponds to a specific letter in a Service Set Identifier (SSID) name or passphrase of the wireless network;
• send a simple service discovery protocol (SSDP) code to signal termination of the cycling of the plurality of multicast packets, the SSDP code being sent only when the wireless connection device has received all multicast packets required to reconstruct the entire SSID name and passphrase;
• and
• automatically configure the wireless connection device using encoded messages in the plurality of specific destination addresses to be able to access the wireless network upon receiving the plurality of multicast packets.

A method for self-configuration of a wireless connection device to a wireless network comprising:

• sending, from a source, a plurality of multicast packets to a plurality of specific destination addresses, wherein the plurality of multicast packets includes encoded messages in the plurality of specific destination addresses that allow a wireless connection device, with wireless capable hardware, to automatically configure itself to be able to access the wireless network upon receiving the plurality of multicast packets, wherein each multicast packet in the plurality of multicast packets includes a value-field in the specific destination address, the value-field containing a message character which converts to an American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character, wherein each message character corresponds to a specific letter in a Service Set Identifier (SSID) name or passphrase of the wireless network,
• wherein sending the plurality of multicast packets includes cycling the multicast packets until a simple service discovery protocol (SSDP) code is received from the wireless connection device to terminate the sending, the SSDP code being sent only when the wireless connection device has received all multicast packets required to reconstruct the entire SSID name and passphrase;
• receiving, at the wireless connection device, the plurality of multicast packets;
• and
• upon receiving the plurality of multicast packets at the wireless connection device, automatically configuring the wireless connection device to be able to access the wireless network.