US 8,555,364 B2Granted

System and method for cloning a wi-fi access point

AssigneeTime Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

InventorsGeoff Filippi, John Anthony Chen

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Systems and methods for cloning a Wi-Fi access point. A determination is made by a network monitoring device to transition communications between a Wi-Fi device and a first access point (AP) to a second AP. The SSID and the security configuration information, and, optionally, network address translation (NAT) information of the first access point are acquired and provided to a second AP. The second AP instantiates the SSID and the security configuration information and, optionally, the NAT information. The networking monitoring device directs the first AP to cease using the SSID and the security configuration information and, optionally, the NAT information in response to receipt of confirmation that the second AP has instantiated the SSID and the security configuration information and, optionally, the NAT information of the first AP.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A system for cloning a Wi-Fi access point, the system comprising:

a network monitoring module comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured with software executable instructions to cause the network monitoring module to perform operations comprising:
determining to transition communications from a first access point (AP) to a second AP, wherein the first AP comprises an SSID and security configuration information and wherein the determining operation comprises:
obtaining status information of other APs, including the second AP;
applying selection rules to the status information of other APs;
and
selecting the second AP based on the application of the selection rules to the status information of the other APs;
acquiring the SSID and the security configuration information of the first access point;
sending the SSID and the security configuration information to the second AP;
directing the second AP to instantiate the SSID and the security configuration information;
receiving a confirmation that the second AP has instantiated the SSID and the security configuration information;
and
directing the first AP to cease using the SSID and the security configuration information in response to receipt of the confirmation, and
wherein communications with the first AP cease and communications are established by the second AP using the SSID and the security configuration information of the first AP.

10 more elements

A system for cloning a Wi-Fi access point, the system comprising:

a first access point (AP), wherein the first AP comprises an SSID, security configuration information, and network address translation (NAT) information;
a network monitor, wherein the network monitoring module comprises a processor and wherein the processor is configured with software executable instructions to cause the network monitoring module to perform operations comprising:
determining to transition communications from the first AP to a second AP and wherein the determining step comprises:
obtaining status information of other APs, including the second AP;
applying selection rules to the status information of other APs;
and
selecting the second AP based on the application of the selection rules to the status information of the other APs;
acquiring the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information of the first access point;
sending the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information to the second AP;
directing the second AP to instantiate the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information;
receiving a confirmation that the second AP has instantiated the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information;
directing the first AP to cease using the SSID and the security configuration information in response to receipt of the confirmation;
wherein communications with the first AP cease and communications with the second AP are established using the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information of the first AP.

10 more elements

A method for cloning a Wi-Fi access point, the system comprising:

determining by a processor to transition communications from a first access point (AP) to a second AP, wherein the first AP comprises an SSID, security configuration information and network address translation (NAT) information, and wherein the determining step comprises:
obtaining status information of other APs, including the second AP;
applying selection rules to the status information of other APs;
and
selecting the second AP based on the application of the selection rules to the status information of the other APs;
acquiring by the processor the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information of the first access point;
sending by the processor the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information to the second AP;
directing by the processor the second AP to instantiate the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information;
receiving by the processor a confirmation that the second AP has instantiated the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information;
directing by the processor the first AP to cease using the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information in response to receipt of the confirmation;
and
establishing by the second AP communications using the SSID, the security configuration information and the NAT information of the first AP.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/250,290Filed 30 Sep 2011
Published: US 2013/0086665 A14 Apr 2013
Granted: 8 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 63/0272
For separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls: virtual private networks
H04L 63/0876
For authentication of entities: based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or…
H04L 63/20
Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security: for managing network security; network security policies in general
H04W 12/062
Authentication: pre-authentication