Apparatus, method, and medium for self-organizing multi-hop wireless access networks

Abstract

A wireless computer network includes a backbone network including backbone network nodes authenticated to each other and in communication with each other. The wireless computer network also includes a master authenticator node and a proxy authenticator node among the backbone network nodes. When an unauthenticated new node requests authentication to the backbone network and the unauthenticated new node is in communication with at least one of the backbone network nodes, the at least one of the backbone network nodes becoming the proxy authenticator node for the unauthenticated new node and communicates with the master authenticator node to authenticate the unauthenticated new node to the backbone network.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is related, and claims the benefit of priority, to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 507,934, filed Oct. 3, 2003, in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [0002] This application is related to, and claims the benefit of priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 428,700, filed Nov. 25, 2002, in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [0003] This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 463,857, filed Jun. 18, 2003 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference and priority to which is claimed.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0004] 1. Field of the Invention [0005] The present invention is related to using multi-hop wireless networks to provide network access services, and, to a particular se...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0030] A multi-hop wireless access network can provide a rapidly deployable, mobile communications infrastructure that is suitable for many applications such as home or office networks, emergency response networks and sensor network scenarios. Such a network based on popular wireless local area network (WLAN) protocols can be econom

Problems solved by technology

After the deployment, it becomes another costly task to change the placement of the APs since the cables and wires need to be changed as well.

If the usage pattern changes, oftentimes the WLAN is not able to be dynamically reconfigured to adapt to the changes.

Another problem with the existing IEEE 802.11 WLAN lies in its current security mechanism.

Given the size of an average data frame and the transmission rate supported by IEEE 802.11, a busy AP may exhaust the distinct key stream space v

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