method for reconnecting via Wi-Fi at least one repeater to a home gateway and associated home gateway.

Abstract

A method for reconnecting at least one repeater (2) to a home gateway (1) via Wi-Fi, the repeater (2) having already been connected at least once to the home gateway (1), characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: - detection of at least one repeater (2) by the home gateway (1), the at least one repeater (2) no longer being able to connect to said home gateway (1), - sending encrypted connection data from the home gateway (1) to at least one repeater (2), - decryption of the connection data by at least one repeater (2) via a security key, - reconnection of at least one repeater (2) to the home gateway (1) via the decrypted connection data. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Method for reconnecting via Wi-Fi at least one repeater to a home gateway and associated home gateway. technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for reconnecting at least one repeater to a home gateway via WLFI. It also relates to a home gateway configured for reconnecting at least one repeater to it via WLFI. Prior art

[0002] Today, a repeater can connect to a home gateway using the "Wi-Fi Protected Setup" (WPS) standard, which is a wireless local area network standard for the secure configuration of equipment connected to a Wi-Fi access point. This WPS standard allows the Wi-Fi access credentials to be sent to a Wi-Fi device (smartphone or repeater).

[0003] In the event that a customer changes the Wi-Fi credentials of their home gateway, the repeater is no longer able to connect, the customer must therefore restart a WPS association.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to resolve at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks. Description of the invention

[0005] This objective is achieved with a method of reconnecting at least one repeater to a home gateway via WLFI, the repeater having already been connected to the home gateway at least once. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps:

[0006] - detection of at least one repeater by the home gateway, at least one The repeater is no longer able to connect to the home gateway.

[0007] - sending encrypted connection data via the home gateway to at least a repeater,

[0008] - decryption of connection data by at least one repeater via a key security,

[0009] - reconnection of at least one repeater to the home gateway via the data of Connections decrypted.

[0010] The invention thus makes it possible to re-establish a functional WLFI link between a home gateway and at least one repeater without user action when the connection data of the home gateway has been modified and at least one repeater was offline at the time the connection data was changed. The reconnection of at least one repeater to the home gateway is automatic. The invention The aim is therefore to re-pair at least one repeater via Wi-Fi if the latter no longer has the correct connection or access data to the home network.

[0011] The process may also include the following steps:

[0012] - signing of the connection data encrypted by the home gateway before sending to at least one repeater via a private key from the home gateway,

[0013] - signature verification via a public key of the home gateway by the minus one repeater when receiving encrypted connection data.

[0014] To optimize the security of connections to the home gateway, additional measures such as data signing can be used. The home gateway uses the public key of at least one repeater to encrypt the connection data and adds a signature using the home gateway's private key. The encrypted and signed connection data is sent to at least one repeater. The repeater verifies the signature with the home gateway's public key and then decrypts the connection data using the repeater's private key. The encrypted connection data can be sent via a standardized Wi-Fi frame.

[0015] The connection data can be encrypted with a public certificate of at least one repeater in the standardized WLFI frame.

[0016] The security key for decrypting the connection data may correspond to a private key of at least one repeater.

[0017] The connection data may correspond to login credentials of the home gateway.

[0018] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a home gateway is proposed configured for reconnecting at least one repeater to it via WLFI, the home gateway being equipped with a processing unit to implement the steps of the process according to the invention.

[0019] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a computer program product is proposed comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, lead the latter to implement the steps of the process according to the invention. Description of the figures and methods of implementation

[0020] Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description of implementations and embodiments, which are by no means limiting, and the following accompanying drawings:

[0021] [Fig. 1] illustrates a flowchart of a reconnection method according to a first embodiment of the invention,

[0022] [Fig.2] illustrates a flowchart of a reconnection method according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0023] These embodiments being in no way limiting, variants of the invention may be considered, in particular, comprising only a selection of features described or illustrated hereafter, isolated from the other described or illustrated features (even if this selection is isolated within a sentence including these other features), if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art. This selection includes at least one preferably functional feature without structural details, and / or with only a portion of the structural details if this portion alone is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0024] Generally, each home is equipped with a home gateway 1. The home gateway 1 is generally located in the living room. The home gateway 1 broadcasts a local network. Several repeaters 2 are connected to the home gateway 1 via the local network. The connection of the various repeaters 2 in the house to the home gateway 1 via the local network is either wired or wireless. The various repeaters 2 in the house are, for example: reading devices such as a laptop or desktop computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone. The user connects the repeaters 2 via Wi-Fi to the home gateway 1's local network by directly entering the Wi-Fi login credentials provided by the home gateway 1 on the repeater 2 in question. However, when the user changes the login credentials, for example, all the repeaters 2 that were connected to the home gateway 1's local network are automatically disconnected.The process according to the invention is carried out by the processing unit of the domestic gateway 1.

[0025] We will first describe, with reference to [Fig.1], a flowchart of a reconnection process according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0026] Repeater 2 has already connected once to the local WLFI network provided by the home gateway 1. However, the login credentials for this WLFI network have been changed by the user. Repeater 2 is switched off or offline when the login credentials are changed. Repeater 2 can no longer connect to the local network when it is switched back on or when it is no longer offline.

[0027] Repeater 2 scans the environment, preferably repeatedly, to find its access point. Home gateway 1 can then detect it. When home gateway 1 detects that repeater 2 is attempting to connect to it, the processing unit encrypts the connection data, i.e., the connection credentials, with repeater 2's public certificate in a standardized WLFI frame, or "public action frame." The public certificate has been received by the gateway. Home gateway 1 during the first association of repeater 2. This standardized Wi-Fi frame is sent to repeater 2 by home gateway 1. The WLFI frame is sent on multiple WLFI channels so that repeater 2 can receive it.

[0028] If the home gateway 1 does not know the repeater 2, it cannot detect it, therefore it is mandatory that the repeater 2 has already connected once to the home gateway 1 via the WLFI local network in order to be able to retrieve the certificate of the repeater.

[0029] Repeater 2 then receives the WLFI frame and decrypts the connection data with its private key to retrieve the new Wi-Fi login credentials for the home gateway 1. Repeater 2 reads the connection data. Reconnection to the WLFI network of the home gateway 1 is then automatic with the new login credentials. Thus, this mechanism allows a functional Wi-Fi connection to be re-established between a home gateway 1 and a repeater 2 without any user action. There is no limit to the number of repeaters 2 that can be connected simultaneously.

[0030] We will now describe, with reference to [Fig.2], a flowchart of a reconnection process according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0031] The process in this embodiment operates in the same way as that shown in [Fig. 1], with the sole difference that it includes additional steps such as:

[0032] - the encrypted connection data is signed by the home gateway 1 before sending to repeater 2 via a private key from home gateway 1,

[0033] - the signature is verified via a public key of the home gateway 1 by the repeater 2 when receiving encrypted connection data.

[0034] During its first connection to the WLFI network of the home gateway 1, the repeater 2 retrieves the public certificate of the home gateway 1, which allows it to have access to the public key of the home gateway 1 to verify the signature subsequently.

[0035] Typically at least one of the means of the device according to the invention previously described, preferably each of the means of the device according to the invention previously described are technical means.

[0036] Typically, each of the means of the device according to the invention described above may include at least one computer, a central processing unit or computing unit, an analog electronic circuit (preferably dedicated), a digital electronic circuit (preferably dedicated), and / or a microprocessor (preferably dedicated), and / or software means.

[0037] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described and many modifications can be made to these examples without going out of the scope of the invention.

[0038] Of course, the various features, forms, variants, and embodiments of the invention can be combined with one another in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, all the variants and embodiments described above are combinable.

Claims

Demands

1. A method for reconnecting at least one repeater (2) to a home gateway (1) via Wi-Fi, the repeater (2) having already been connected at least once to the home gateway (1), characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: - detection of at least one repeater (2) by the home gateway (1), the at least one repeater (2) being unable to connect to said home gateway (1), - sending encrypted connection data by the home gateway (1) to at least one repeater (2), - decryption of the connection data by at least one repeater (2) via a security key, - reconnection of at least one repeater (2) to the home gateway (1) via the decrypted connection data, and in that the method further comprises: - signing of the encrypted connection data by the home gateway (1) before sending it to at least one repeater (2) via a private key of the gateway domestic,- Verification of the signature via a public key of the home gateway by at least one repeater (2) upon receipt of the encrypted connection data.

2. A reconnection method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of encrypted connection data is carried out via a standardized Wi-Fi frame.

3. A reconnection method according to claim 2, wherein the connection data is encrypted with a public certificate of at least one repeater in the standardized Wi-Fi frame.

4. A reconnection method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the security key for decrypting the connection data corresponds to a private key of at least one repeater.

5. A reconnection method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connection data corresponds to connection identifiers of the home gateway.

6. Home gateway configured for reconnecting via Wi-Fi of at least one repeater (2) to it, the home gateway (1)

7. being equipped with a processing unit to implement the steps of the process according to claims 1 to 5. Product computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the process according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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