Remote recognition of an association between remote devices

A computer system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• a computer readable medium that is operatively coupled to the processor;
• network access circuitry that is operatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• device identification logic (i) that executes in the processor from the computer readable medium and (ii) that, when executed by the processor, causes the computer to identify a local area network though which a device connects to a wide area network by at least:
• receiving, from the device and from one or more other devices, router-specific data that is specific to a router through which the local area network is connected to the wide area network and that is not accessible from the router through a connection between the router and the wide area network;
• and
• determining that the device and at least one of the other devices connect to the wide area network through the same local area network upon a determination that the router-specific data received from the device and the at least one of the other devices is specific to one and the same router.

A computer system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• a computer readable medium that is operatively coupled to the processor;
• network access circuitry that is operatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• device identification logic (i) that executes in the processor from the computer readable medium and (ii) that, when executed by the processor, causes the computer to bind a device to a local area network though which the device connects to a wide area network by at least:
• receiving, from the devices, router-specific data that is specific to a router through which the local area network is connected to the wide area network and that is not accessible from the router through a connection between the router and the wide area network;
• and
• combining the router-specific data with a digital fingerprint of the device such that the device has the digital fingerprint only when connected to the wide area network through the local area network.