Method and apparatus for identifying wireless transmitters

A computer readable medium containing an executable program for identifying a transmitter in a wireless computing network, where the program performs steps of:

• extracting a plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics from a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames being contained in a plurality of signals sent by the transmitter;
• and
• generating a fingerprint of the transmitter in accordance with at least one of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics, wherein said generating comprises constructing an expectation of a set of radio frequency signal characteristics in a future transmission event associated with the transmitter, in accordance with the at least one of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics, wherein those of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics that are extracted from more recent ones of the plurality of signals are weighted more heavily in the constructing than those of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics that are extracted from less recent ones of the plurality of signals, wherein the generating comprises:
• generating a full fingerprint for an initial authentication of the transmitter to the wireless computing network, where the full fingerprint is generated in accordance with all of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics;
• generating a light-weight fingerprint for each of one or more communications received from the transmitter after the initial authentication, where the light-weight fingerprint is generated in accordance with a subset of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics;
• and
• determining how to treat a given one of the one or more communications in accordance with a light-weight fingerprint associated with the given one of the one or more communications.

A method for identifying a transmitter in a wireless computing network, the method comprising:

• extracting a plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics from a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames being contained in a plurality of signals sent by the transmitter;
• generating a fingerprint of the transmitter in accordance with at least one of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics, wherein said generating comprises constructing an expectation of a set of radio frequency signal characteristics in a future transmission event associated with the transmitter, in accordance with the at least one of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics, wherein those of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics that are extracted from more recent ones of the plurality of signals are weighted more heavily in the constructing than those of the plurality of radio frequency signal characteristics that are extracted from less recent ones of the plurality of signals
• receiving a transmission event from the transmitter, the transmission event including an assertion that the transmitter is assigned to a given media access control address;
• and
• validating the assertion, in accordance with the fingerprint and the transmission event.