Methods and systems for fallback modes of operation within wireless computer networks

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to configure one or more processors of a client computer system of to:

• establish an association with a wireless access point;
• obtain a hardware-unique identifier from the wireless access point;
• perform an authentication process, mediated by the wireless access point, with an authentication server, wherein the hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point is used to identify the authentication process to be used;
• and
• access network resources after the authentication process.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to configure one or more processors of a wireless access point to:

• authenticate, using primary access control parameters associated with a first authentication process, one or more client computer systems with a remote authentication server for access to a network, wherein the primary access control parameters include a hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point to identify the first authentication process to be used;
• determine the remote authentication server is unavailable after authenticating the one or more client computer systems;
• and
• authenticate, using secondary access control parameters associated with a fallback authentication process, another client computer system after determining the remote authentication server is unavailable, wherein the secondary access control parameters do not include the hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point.

A computer network authentication method, comprising:

• establishing an association with a client computer system by a wireless access point;
• obtaining, by the wireless access point, identification information from the client computer system;
• sending, by the wireless access point, the client computer system's identification information and a hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point to an authentication server;
• authenticating, using an authentication process, the client computer system with the authentication server, wherein the hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point is used to identify the authentication process to be used;
• and
• permitting the client computer system access to a network by the wireless access point after the act of authenticating.

A computer network authentication method, comprising:

• establishing an association with a wireless access point by a client computer system;
• obtaining, by the client computer system, a hardware-unique identifier from the wireless access point;
• authenticating the client computer system with an authentication server using an authentication process, wherein the act of authenticating is mediated by the wireless access point, and wherein the hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point is used to identify the authentication process to be used;
• and
• accessing network resources by the client computer system that were blocked before the act of authenticating.

A computer network authentication method, comprising:

• authenticating, by a wireless access point, one or more client computer systems, for access to a network, with a remote authentication server using primary access control parameters associated with a first authentication process, wherein the primary access control parameters include a hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point to identify the first authentication process;
• determining, by the wireless access point, the remote authentication server is unavailable after authenticating the one or more client computer systems;
• and
• authenticating, by the wireless access point, another client computer system using secondary access control parameters associated with a fallback authentication process after determining the remote authentication server is unavailable, wherein the secondary access control parameters do not include the hardware-unique identifier of the wireless access point.