Method and arrangement for providing a wireless mesh network

A method for providing a wireless local area network, having stationary communication devices and mobile communication devices embodied according to the IEEE 802.11 standard and its derivatives and belonging to a mesh subnetwork which is connected to an infrastructure network in such a way that it can exchange authentication messages via a station assigned to the subnetwork with an Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA) server disposed in the infrastructure network using the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) protocol comprising:

• the AAA server:
• generating basic encryption information valid for the subnetwork precisely once within a first validity period, the generating being performed after a successful first-time authentication of a first communication device of the subnetwork with specification of first identity information vis-à-vis a communication device of the subnetwork fulfilling a role of an authenticator defined in accordance with the EAP protocol, and
• transmitting the basic encryption information to a station that is uniquely assignable to the subnetwork;
• and
• the station assigned to the subnetwork:
• storing the basic encryption information,
• assigning the basic encryption to the first identity information specified by the first communication device;
• and
• handling subsequent authentication attempts of the first communication device vis-à-vis a second communication device of the subnetwork with specification of second identity information in the manner of a proxy server while omitting the AAA server on the basis of the basic encryption information determined from the specified identity information using the EAP protocol;
• and
• a station of the second communication device:
• providing a key determined for the second communication device using the stored basic encryption information for the purpose of cryptographically secure communication with the first communication device.