Association, authentication, and security in a network

A method of secure communication between a first device and a second device within a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• requesting network association by the first device;
• establishing a secure channel between the first device and the second device by:
• exchanging a first public key and a second public key, wherein the first public key is associated with the first device and the second public key is associated with the second device, wherein the first public key is an unencrypted public key, wherein the second key is encrypted using the first public key, wherein the encrypted second public key is sent, by the second device, at a scheduled two or more time slots, wherein the two or more time slots are time intervals that are reserved by the network, and by exchanging a third public key encrypted by the first device using the received second public key, wherein the exchanging of the third public key is based on determining a presence of a state of contention by detecting a plurality of received transmissions for the encrypted second public key exchanged during a contention free scheduled two or more time slots that follow the determined presence of a state of contention, thereby providing both first device and second device with a third public key for subsequent encrypted communications for secure channel communication, wherein one or more received transmissions of the plurality of received transmissions is received from a device other than the second device;
• and
• authenticating the first device within the network, wherein the authenticating step comprises providing a set of network credentials comprising a network encryption key and a network authentication key via the established secure channel.

A device configured to be operably coupled to a network, the device comprising:

• a key module configured to determine one or more keys;
• an encryption/decryption module configured to encrypt and decrypt messages in the network;
• a communication module configured to:
• establish a secure channel with at least one station, wherein the secure channel is established by exchanging a first key and a second key, wherein the first key, the second key, or both the first key and the second key, are determined by the key module, wherein the first key is an unencrypted public key, and wherein the second key is a public key encrypted by the encryption/decryption module using a received first public key, and wherein the encrypted second public key is exchanged within two or more scheduled time slots, wherein the two or more time slots are time intervals that are reserved by the network, and by exchanging a third public key, wherein the third public key is encrypted using the encrypted second public key, and wherein the third public key is based on determining a presence of a state of contention for the encrypted second public key by detecting a plurality of received transmissions for the encrypted second public key exchanged during a contention free scheduled two or more time slots that follow the determined presence of a state of contention, wherein one or more received transmissions of the plurality of received transmissions is received from a device other than the device and the at least one station, thereby providing both the device and the at least one station with a third public key for subsequent encrypted communications for secure channel communication;
• and
• a network scheduling module configured to:
• schedule the one or more scheduled time slots to at least one station in the network, including in response to hearing a request for one or more keys;
• transmit beacons controlling activities in the network including at least one beacon indicating the scheduled two or more time slots.

A system comprising:

• a first device configured to:
• send a first key associated with the first device wherein the first key is an unencrypted public key;
• and
• request a second public key associated with a second device;
• the second device configured to:
• encrypt a public key based on the received first public key of the first device;
• and
• broadcast a schedule of two or more time slots allocated for sending the requested second public key, wherein the two or more time slots are time intervals that are reserved by the network;
• send the encrypted public key as a second public key within a scheduled two or more time slots allocated for the second device to send the second public key;
• and
• receive a third public key from the first device, wherein the received third public key is encrypted using the second public key based on determining a presence of a state of contention for the encrypted second public key by detecting a plurality of received transmissions, by the first device, of the encrypted public key as a second public key sent by the second device during a contention free scheduled two or more time slots that follow the determined presence of a state of contention, wherein one or more received transmissions of the plurality of received transmissions is received from a device other than the second device;
• and
• a network operably coupled to the first device and the second device.

A method comprising:

• encrypting, by a central coordinator (CCO), a first public key associated with the CCO based on a received first station (STA) key, the first STA key associated with an STA, wherein the encrypting is based on a received request from the STA for the first public key of the CCO;
• transmitting, by the CCO, the encrypted CCO first public key during a scheduled two or more time slots for transmitting the encrypted CCO first public key, wherein the scheduled two or more time slots are based on a broadcasted two or more time slots by the CCO and wherein the two or more time slots are time intervals that are reserved by the CCO;
• determining, by the STA, a presence of a state of contention by detecting a plurality of received transmissions at the scheduled two or more time slots, wherein one or more received transmissions of the plurality of received transmissions is received from a device other than the CCO;
• determining a second STA public key encrypted by the STA using the encrypted CCO first public key, wherein the second STA public key is based on the determined presence of a state of contention for the encrypted CCO first public key;
• and
• exchanging keys during a contention free scheduled two or more time slots that follow the determined presence of a state of contention at the scheduled two or more time slots.