Electronic device and operation method thereof

The electronic device efficiently reconnects IoT devices to a network by using a processor to manage communication protocols and encrypted network information, addressing the challenge of access point changes and maintaining continuous communication.

WO2025127510A1PCT designated stage expired Publication Date: 2025-06-19SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/KR2024/018878
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-03-12
Filing Date
2024-11-26
Publication Date
2025-06-19

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

IoT devices face challenges in efficiently reconnecting to a network when their location changes or the access point changes, leading to disruptions in communication.

Method used

An electronic device with a communication unit, memory, and processor that establishes a network connection using a first access point, transmits a packet using a second communication protocol, receives additional packets with encrypted network connection information, and uses this information to request a connection to a new access point.

Benefits of technology

Enables IoT devices to quickly and securely reconnect to a network by efficiently handling changes in access point or location, maintaining continuous communication.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise at least one communication circuit, at least one processor, and a memory. The memory can store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to: establish a network connection through a first AP by using a first communication protocol; in response to identifying that the network connection through the first AP is terminated, transmit a first packet by using a second communication protocol; in relation to the transmission of the first packet, receive at least one second packet by using the second communication protocol; and, on the basis of a network identifier and a network password identified on the basis of the at least one second packet, transmit a network connection request to a second AP by using the first communication protocol. The first packet can include identification information about the electronic device, and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet can include network connection information corresponding to a network identifier and / or a network password associated with the second AP and can be encrypted using an encryption key.
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Description

Electronic device and method of operation thereof

[0001] Embodiments disclosed in this document relate to electronic devices and methods of operating electronic devices.

[0002] With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, users can remotely control various types of IoT devices (e.g., smart TVs, air purifiers, air conditioners, refrigerators, or washing machines) through control devices (e.g., smartphones). User devices and IoT devices can communicate data using short-range wireless communication technologies (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC)) and can be connected to an IoT server through an access point (AP) to form a local area network (LAN) (e.g., a WiFi network). IoT devices can use multiple networks, and network identifiers (e.g., service set identifiers (SSIDs)) and network passwords can be used for each network to connect to the network.

[0003] If the location of an IoT device changes (e.g., the device is moved to a location where it cannot receive signals from the AP) or the access point (AP) changes (e.g., network connection information changes), the IoT device may perform a procedure to reconnect to the AP. In this regard, if multiple IoT devices exist within an IoT environment, each electronic device must individually reconnect to the network. Therefore, a protocol for efficient reconnection between IoT devices and APs may be required.

[0004] Based on the discussion described above, the present disclosure provides a device and method for an IoT device to quickly and safely connect to a network.

[0005] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor electrically connected to the communication unit and the memory. The processor may establish a network connection through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. In response to identifying that the network connection through the first AP is terminated, the processor may transmit a first packet using a second communication protocol. In connection with transmitting the first packet, the processor may receive at least one second packet using the second communication protocol. The processor may transmit a network connection request to a second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0006] A method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one operation. The at least one operation may include establishing a network connection through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. The at least one operation may include transmitting a first packet in response to identifying that the network connection through the first AP has been terminated. The at least one operation may include receiving at least one second packet using a second communication protocol in connection with transmitting the first packet. The at least one operation may include transmitting a network connection request to a second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0007] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one communication unit, at least one processor, and a memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation. The at least one operation may include establishing a network connection through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. The at least one operation may include transmitting a first packet in response to identifying that the network connection through the first AP has been terminated. The at least one operation may include receiving at least one second packet using a second communication protocol in connection with transmitting the first packet. The at least one operation may include transmitting a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation when executed by at least one processor of the electronic device. The at least one operation may include establishing a network connection through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. The at least one operation may include transmitting a first packet in response to identifying that the network connection through the first AP is terminated. The at least one operation may include receiving at least one second packet using a second communication protocol in connection with transmitting the first packet. The at least one operation may include transmitting a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0009] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor electrically connected to the communication unit and the memory. The processor may receive a first packet using a second communication protocol from an external electronic device with which a network connection is established through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. In response to identifying that a change of AP is required, the processor may transmit at least one second packet to the external electronic device using the second communication protocol. The external electronic device may be configured to transmit a network connection request to a second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of an electronic device may include at least one operation. The at least one operation may include receiving a first packet using a second communication protocol from an external electronic device with which a network connection is established via a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. The at least one operation may, in response to identifying that a change of AP is required, transmit at least one second packet to the external electronic device using the second communication protocol. The external electronic device may be configured to transmit a network connection request to a second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0011] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one communication unit, at least one processor, and a memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation. The at least one operation may include receiving a first packet using a second communication protocol from an external electronic device with which a network connection has been established through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. The at least one operation may, in response to identifying that a change in the AP is required, transmit at least one second packet to the external electronic device using the second communication protocol. The external electronic device may be configured to transmit a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium storing at least one computer-readable instruction may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation when executed by at least one processor of the electronic device. The at least one operation may include receiving a first packet using a second communication protocol from an external electronic device with which a network connection is established through a first access point (AP) using a first communication protocol. The at least one operation may include transmitting at least one second packet to the external electronic device using the second communication protocol in response to identifying that a change of the AP is required. The external electronic device may be configured to transmit a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet. The first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. The at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to the network identifier and / or the network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key.

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an effect in which an electronic device that has been disconnected from a network can quickly reconnect to the network.

[0014] In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an effect of safely performing a connection by transmitting network connection information to an electronic device through an encrypted packet.

[0015] The effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned in the various embodiments, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0017] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 illustrates the signaling flow of devices in a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a first packet according to one embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 illustrates an example of network connection information according to one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 7 illustrates the operation flow of a control device according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 8 illustrates a signaling flow of a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0024] Figure 9 illustrates an example of a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0025] Figure 10 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0026] Figure 11 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0027] Figure 12 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0028] Figure 13 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0029] In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of an electronic device (104) or a server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

[0031] According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of an electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and perform various data processing or operations.

[0032] According to one embodiment, as at least part of data processing or calculation, the processor (120) may store commands or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (132), and store resulting data in non-volatile memory (134).

[0033] According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together with the main processor (121). For example, when the electronic device (101) includes the main processor (121) and the auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a display module (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state.

[0035] In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)).

[0036] According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device (101) itself on which the artificial intelligence model is executed, or may be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may include a software structure.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the memory (130) may store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor (120) or the sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) may include a volatile memory (132) or a non-volatile memory (134).

[0038] According to one embodiment, the program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0039] According to one embodiment, the input module (150) may receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0040] According to one embodiment, the audio output module (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. The receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. The display module (160) may include, for example, a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. The audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150), or output sound through an audio output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0043] According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or an external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. The sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). The interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). The connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0046] In one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that a user can perceive through a tactile or kinesthetic sense. The haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) can capture still images and moving images. The camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). The power management module (188) can be implemented, for example, as at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0049] According to one embodiment, a battery (189) can power at least one component of the electronic device (101). The battery (189) can include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Any of these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can verify or authenticate an electronic device (101) within a communication network, such as a first network (198) or a second network (199), using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0052] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a 5G network and next-generation communication technology after a 4G network, for example, NR access technology (new radio access technology). NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (199)).

[0053] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC realization.

[0054] In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external source (e.g., an external electronic device). The antenna module (197) can include, for example, an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB).

[0055] In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device via the at least one selected antenna. In one embodiment, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. In one embodiment, a mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC positioned on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) positioned on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high frequency band.

[0056] According to one embodiment, at least some of the components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

[0057] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102, or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101).

[0058] According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed by the electronic device (101) may be executed by one or more external electronic devices among the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of executing the function or service itself or in addition, request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a part of the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a part of a response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device (101) can provide ultra-low latency services, for example, by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing.

[0059] In one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the server (108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or neural networks.

[0061] According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (104) or server (108) may be included in the second network (199). The electronic device (101) may be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0062] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the network environment (200) may include an IoT device (210) (e.g., IoT devices (211, 212, 213, 214)), a control device (220), an access point (AP) (230), and / or an IoT server (240).

[0064] According to one embodiment, the IoT server (240) may include a server device capable of distributing, collecting, processing, and / or storing data through computing to manage IoT devices and provide services requested by IoT devices.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may include a device corresponding to the electronic device (100) of FIG. 1.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may include a device capable of controlling IoT devices (210) included in the network environment (200). In FIG. 2 and the following description, the control device (220) is described as a user device (e.g., a smart phone), but this is merely an example and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. In other words, the control device (220) may include a device having the authority and capability to control IoT devices (210) included in the network environment (200). In the following description, the control device (220) may be referred to as a “user device.”

[0067] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may include an electronic device that is included in a network environment (200) and is connected to an IoT server (240) and can process data. The IoT device (210) may include a device that can receive and process data necessary for the device to perform its function from another device or an IoT server, in addition to the original function of the device (e.g., washing machine - washing, refrigerator - refrigeration, TV - screen display). The IoT device (210) may include a communication unit for communicating data generated and processed in the process of performing the function.

[0068] In one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may include a smart washing machine (or dryer) (211), a smart refrigerator (212), a smart air conditioner (213), and a smart TV (214). Referring to FIG. 2, four IoT devices (210) are illustrated, but this is only an example, and more or fewer IoT devices may be included in the network environment (200).

[0069] According to one embodiment, IoT devices (210) can communicate data with each other using short-range wireless communication technology (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC)).

[0070] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) can be remotely controlled by the control device (220). For example, a control signal transmitted from the control device (220) can be transmitted to the IoT device (210) through the AP (230) or directly to the IoT device (210), thereby controlling the IoT device (210). For example, the control device (220) can remotely control the IoT device (210) through the IoT server (240). In the following description, the IoT device (210) is described as a smart device connected to a network, but this is only an example, and the IoT device (210) can include a device connected to a network (authenticated) through the AP (230). For example, the IoT device (210) can include a user device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet PC, a wearable device).

[0071] According to one embodiment, the AP (230) may include a device that enables devices to connect using a related standard using Wi-Fi in a computer network.

[0072] In one embodiment, the AP (230) can relay data between a wireless device and a wired device on a network. However, this is not limited to this, and the AP (230) can also relay data between wired devices or between wireless devices. Meanwhile, the AP (230) may also be referred to as a relay device.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the AP (230) can connect an IoT device (210), a control device (220), and an IoT server (240).

[0074] According to one embodiment, the AP (230) can transmit data received from the IoT server (240) to the IoT device (210) and / or the control device (220). In addition, the AP (230) can transmit data received from the IoT device (210) and / or the control device (220) to the IoT server (240).

[0075] According to one embodiment, the AP (230) may broadcast a reference signal (e.g., a beacon frame) according to a predetermined cycle.

[0076] According to one embodiment, when the AP (230) receives a connection request from the IoT device (210), it may connect the IoT device (210) and the IoT server (240) based on network connection information (e.g., network identifier, and / or network password) included in the connection request.

[0077] Figure 3 illustrates the signaling flow of devices in a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0078] According to one embodiment, in operation 302, the AP (230) may transmit a signal to the control device (220) and the IoT device (210). For example, the AP (230) may transmit a signal received from the IoT server (240) to the control device (220) and the IoT device (210).

[0079] According to one embodiment, the AP (230) can broadcast a reference signal. The reference signal can include a beacon frame. For example, the IoT device (210) and the control device (220) can scan the beacon frame broadcast from the AP (230). Although not shown in the drawing, the network environment (200) can include a plurality of APs (e.g., APs (230)). The IoT device (210) and the control device (220) can identify the strength of the reference signal detected through scanning and perform a connection with the AP (e.g., AP (230)) having the strongest signal strength in priority.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may transmit a probe request frame to the AP (230), and the AP (230) may receive a probe response frame in response thereto.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) and the IoT device (210) can scan the reference signal received from the AP (230) to identify the presence of the AP (230) and request a connection with the AP (230). In the following description, the IoT device (210) and the AP (230) are described as having been previously connected, but this is only an example, and the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied even when the IoT device (210) has never been connected to a network (e.g., the second network (199) of FIG. 1) via the AP (230).

[0082] In one embodiment, the reference signal may include a signal that the IoT device (210) transmits to adjacent devices based on a predetermined period. For example, the reference signal may include a beacon frame.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the AP (230) can transmit a reference signal to the IoT device (210) and / or the control device (220) through a broadcast method.

[0084] According to one embodiment, the reference signal may include connection information between the AP (230) and the IoT device (210). The IoT device (210) may identify that the reference signal is transmitted from the AP (230) based on the connection information between the AP (230) and the IoT device (210).

[0085] According to one embodiment, the reference signal may include a beacon response frame transmitted by the IoT device (210) in response to a request. For example, the IoT device (210) may transmit a probe request frame to connect to a network. The AP (230) that receives the probe request frame from the IoT device (210) may transmit a probe response frame to the IoT device (210).

[0086] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may transmit a fourth packet to the IoT device (210) to notify a change in network connection information. In response to receiving the fourth packet, the IoT device (210) may transmit a first packet to the control device (220). The fourth packet may include an indicator notifying a change in network connection information.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) can measure the strength of a reference signal broadcast from the AP (230). For example, the IoT device (210) can measure the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the reference signal.

[0088] According to one embodiment, in operation 304, the IoT device (210) may monitor whether the strength of the reference signal (e.g., RSSI) is below a predetermined value.

[0089] In one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may monitor whether reconnection with the AP (230) is required. The IoT device (210) may determine that reconnection with the AP (230) is required when it does not receive a signal from the AP (230) (e.g., when a reference signal is not received for a predetermined period of time) or when the strength of a signal received from the AP (230) is below a predetermined value (e.g., when the strength of a received reference signal is below a predetermined value).

[0090] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may identify that the strength of a signal received from the AP (230) is below a first threshold value. If the location of the AP (230) or the IoT device (210) changes to a location where they cannot exchange signals with each other, or if the AP (230) changes (e.g., network connection information changes), the IoT device (210) may not be able to receive a reference signal from the AP (230). Alternatively, the strength of a signal received by the IoT device (210) from the AP (230) may decrease below a predetermined value.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may determine that reconnection with the AP (230) is necessary if it does not receive a reference signal from the AP (230) for a predetermined period of time or longer (including if the time for which the strength of the reference signal remains below a predetermined value is a predetermined period of time or longer). Since there is no need to perform reconnection between the AP (230) and the IoT device (210) until a signal is not received due to temporary interference that occurs between the AP (230) and the IoT device (210), the IoT device (210) may determine that reconnection between the AP (230) and the IoT device (210) is necessary (change of the AP (230) is necessary) if the reference signal is not received or is weakly received for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0092] According to one embodiment, in operation 306, the IoT device (210) may generate a first packet. The first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may generate a first packet in response to identifying that the strength of the reference signal is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0094] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a first packet according to one embodiment.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the first packet (400) may include a BLE advertising packet. The BLE advertising packet may include various information about an AP (e.g., AP (230)), an IoT device (e.g., IoT device (210)), a network (e.g., network environment (200)), and / or a surrounding channel environment.

[0096] Referring to FIG. 4, according to one embodiment, the first packet (400) may include packet version information, onboarding info (410), feature information, setup info, device status information (420), and / or device identification (device ID) information (430). The setup info may include information about the manufacturer of the IoT device (MnID) and / or information about the type of the IoT device (SetupID).

[0097] According to one embodiment, the connection history information (410) may include information regarding the connection history of the AP (230) and the IoT device (210). The connection history information (410) may include information indicating whether the IoT device (210) has ever been connected to the AP (230). In other words, the connection history information (410) may include information indicating whether an owner of the IoT device (210) exists. For example, the connection history information (410) may include information indicating whether the IoT device (210) is an owned device (e.g., a device owned by an account of the control device (220).

[0098] According to one embodiment, the connection history information (410) may include information about the time when the IoT device (210) connected to the network through the AP (230), the identifier of the network (e.g., SSID), and / or the network password (PW).

[0099] In one embodiment, the device status information (420) may include information regarding the device's connection status. For example, the device status information may include a network connection request indicator (e.g., "AP connection required") indicating whether the IoT device (210) requires a network connection. The network connection request indicator may indicate that a network connection is required or that a network connection is not required.

[0100] According to one embodiment, the first packet (400) may include device identification information (430) for identifying the device. For example, the first packet (400) may include device identification information (430) that includes all or part of a serial number of the IoT device (210).

[0101] According to one embodiment, in operation 308, the IoT device (210) may transmit a first packet to the control device (220).

[0102] In one embodiment, the control device (220) may include a device paired with the IoT device (210).

[0103] In one embodiment, the IoT device (210) may transmit the first packet to the control device (220) using a short-range wireless communication technology (e.g., Bluetooth).

[0104] In one embodiment, at operation 310, the control device (220) may determine whether the IoT device (210) is an authenticated device. The operation of determining whether the IoT device (210) is an authenticated device may include the operation of determining whether the IoT device (210) is connected to the same network as the control device (220) and is a device that can be controlled by the control device (220).

[0105] According to one embodiment, although not shown in the drawing, the control device (220) may perform a connection with the AP (230). If reconnection between the IoT device (210) and the AP (230) is required due to a change in the location of the AP (230), a separate connection between the control device (220) and the AP (230) may not be required. However, if the AP (230) itself is changed (e.g., a change in the network), the connection process between the control device (220) and the AP (230) may be performed in advance.

[0106] In one embodiment, although not shown in the drawing, the control device (220) may determine whether the IoT device (210) is a previously connected device based on connection history information (410) included in a first packet (400) received from an IoT server or an AP. The connection history information (410) may include information about a device that is currently connected to a network through an AP or has previously been connected.

[0107] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may determine whether reconnection of the IoT device (210) is required based on the first packet. If the first packet includes information indicating that the IoT device needs to reconnect to the AP (e.g., a network connection request indicator of the device status information (420)), it may be determined that reconnection of the IoT device is required.

[0108] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may determine whether the IoT device (210) is an authenticated device based on the first packet. For example, the control device (220) may determine whether the IoT device (210) is an authenticated device based on whether the serial number of the device included in the first packet is stored in the control device (220) or an IoT server (e.g., the IoT server (240)). If the first packet includes device identification information (430) of the IoT device (210), the control device (220) may determine that the IoT device (210) is an authenticated device. If the first packet does not include device identification information of the IoT device (210), the control device (220) may determine that the IoT device (210) is an unauthenticated device.

[0109] In one embodiment, the control device (220) may generate network connection information. The control device (220) may generate network connection information for the IoT device (210) in response to identifying that the IoT device (210) is an authenticated device.

[0110] According to one embodiment, the network connection information may include a network identifier (e.g., SSID), and / or a network password (PW).

[0111] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) can generate encrypted network connection information. The second packet and / or the network connection information included in the second packet can be encrypted using a secret key.

[0112] In one embodiment, although not shown in the drawing, the IoT device (210) may receive a secret key from the network when it is first connected to the network. The IoT device (210) may be connected to the network (200) through the AP (230) before operation 304 is performed. After the IoT device (210) is connected to the network (200) through the AP (230), the IoT device (210) may receive a secret key from the network (200). In other words, the secret key may include a value exchanged at a specific point in time after the IoT device (210) and the network (200) are connected.

[0113] Figure 5 illustrates an example of network connection information according to one embodiment.

[0114] Referring to FIG. 5, according to one embodiment, the second packet (500) may include first information (510), second information (520), and third information (530). In the following description, the network connection information is described as forming part of a BLE advertising packet, and is described as having a length of 22 bytes.

[0115] Network identifier (0) Before encryption mySsidIsNewAp After encryption 2nd information 3rd information 32 byte (0x1A) 34 35 63 62 62 35 64 61 38 36 64 30 35 39 62 37 66 38 64 32 38 30 39 65 62 30 30 66 61 65 62 65 Network password (1) Before encryption myPasswordIsNewPassword After encryption 2nd information 3rd information 64 byte (0x34) 39 61 38 38 38 63 32 63 61 39 63 32 39 31 33 65 62 34 37 33 62 35 36 39 39 34 32 65 63 64 37 65 39 37 34 64 30 37 36 32 38 66 30 64 32 34 36 31 65 30 33 32 37 39 38 36 32 61 63 37 35 30 37 35

[0116] According to one embodiment, the first information (510) may include a network connection information indicator. The network connection information indicator may indicate either a network identifier or a network password. For example, referring to Table 1, when the network connection information indicator of the second packet (500) has a value of 0, the network connection information of the second packet (500) may be identified by a network identifier (e.g., mySSidIsNewAP). When the network connection information indicator of the second packet (500) has a value of 1, the network connection information of the second packet (500) may include a network password (e.g., myPasswordIsNewPassowrd). According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may encrypt the network connection information using a secret key (e.g., AES 256, CBC) to obtain an encrypted hex value.

[0117] In one embodiment, the second information (520) may include information regarding the length of the network connection information. For example, referring to Table 1, the encrypted network identifier may have a length of 32 bytes, and the second information (520) may include information regarding the length of 32 bytes.

[0118] In one embodiment, the third information (530) may include network data. The network data may include actual data values ​​(bit values). For example, referring to Table 1, the third information (530) may include actual data values ​​(e.g., at least a portion of network identifier data or network encryption data).

[0119] According to one embodiment, in operation 312, the control device (220) may generate a second packet. The second packet may include generated network connection information (e.g., first information (510), second information (520), and third information (530)).

[0120] According to one embodiment, the first information (510) may include a value indicating the order of the packets. For example, if the packet includes information about a network identifier and is the first packet, the first information (510) may have a value of 00000001. For example, if the packet includes information about a network identifier and is the second packet, the first information (510) may have a value of 00000010. For example, if the packet includes information about a network password and is the first packet, the first information (510) may have a value of 10000001. For example, if the packet includes information about a network password and is the second packet, the first information (510) may have a value of 10000010.

[0121] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may generate at least one second packet. Each of the at least one second packet may include first information (510), second information (520), and third information (530).

[0122] According to one embodiment, the number of second packets may be determined according to network connection information. In the following description, the length of the third information (530) is 22 bytes as an example, but the length of the packet may vary. For example, referring to FIG. 5, since the maximum length of data that can be expressed in one packet is 18 bytes of the third information, two packets may be generated to transmit a network identifier (e.g., 0x41 0x50 0x01 0x1A 0x34 0x35 … 0x38) having a length of 32 bytes. Additionally, four packets may be generated to transmit a network password having a length of 64 bytes.

[0123] According to one embodiment, in operation 314, the control device (220) may sequentially transmit at least one second packet generated in operation 312 to the IoT device (210). For example, the control device (220) may transmit the at least one second packet to the IoT device (210) in a unicast, multicast, or broadcast manner.

[0124] According to one embodiment, in operation 316, the IoT device (210) may transmit a network connection request to a new AP based on the second packet received from the control device (220). In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the AP to which the IoT device (210) is previously connected may be referred to as a first AP (or old AP), and the AP to which the IoT device (210) is newly trying to connect may be referred to as a second AP (or new AP).

[0125] According to one embodiment, the IoT device (210) can decrypt at least one second packet received from the control device (220) using a secret key. The IoT device (210) can identify network connection information through decryption and, based on the decryption, transmit a network connection request to a new AP. If the IoT device (210) cannot decrypt the second packet based on the secret key, the IoT device (210) cannot transmit a network connection request to the new AP.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the control device (220) may identify that the IoT device (210) has been reconnected to the network when it receives a signal regarding network reconnection from a new AP or the IoT device (210). For example, when the control device (220) receives information from an IoT server (e.g., IoT server (240)) through an AP that the IoT device has been connected, the control device (220) may identify that the IoT device (210) has been reconnected to the network. For example, when a reconnection request indicator (e.g., AP Connection request) included in device status information of a packet received by the control device (220) from the IoT device indicates that the IoT device does not require reconnection, the control device (220) may identify that the IoT device (210) has been reconnected to the network.

[0127] Fig. 6 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device of Fig. 6 may include a device corresponding to an IoT device (210).

[0128] In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the AP to which the electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is previously connected may be referred to as the first AP (or, old AP), and the AP to which the electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is newly trying to connect may be referred to as the second AP (or, new AP).

[0129] According to one embodiment, in operation 610, the electronic device may transmit the first packet in response to identifying that the strength of a signal received from the first AP (or, old AP) is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0130] In one embodiment, the electronic device may monitor whether the strength of a reference signal (e.g., RSSI) is below a predetermined value.

[0131] In one embodiment, the electronic device may monitor whether reconnection to an AP is required. The electronic device may determine that reconnection to the AP is required if it fails to receive a signal from the first AP (e.g., if a reference signal is not received for a predetermined period of time) or if the strength of the signal received from the first AP is below a predetermined value (e.g., if the strength of the received reference signal is below a predetermined value).

[0132] In one embodiment, the electronic device can identify that the signal strength received from the first AP is below a first threshold value. If the location of the first AP or the electronic device changes to a location where they cannot exchange signals with each other, or if the first AP changes (e.g., network connection information changes), the electronic device may not be able to receive the reference signal from the first AP. Alternatively, the signal strength received by the electronic device from the first AP may decrease below a predetermined value.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may determine that reconnection to the AP is necessary if the electronic device does not receive a reference signal from the first AP for a predetermined period of time or longer (including if the time for which the strength of the reference signal remains below a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or longer). Since reconnection between the AP and the electronic device is not necessary until the signal is not received due to temporary interference that occurs between the AP and the electronic device, the electronic device may determine that reconnection between the AP and the electronic device is necessary (needs to change the AP) if the reference signal is not received or is weakly received for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0134] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may generate a first packet. The first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0135] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may generate the first packet in response to identifying that the strength of the reference signal is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the first packet may include a BLE advertising packet. The BLE advertising packet may include various information about the first AP, the electronic device, the network, and / or the surrounding channel environment.

[0137] According to one embodiment, the first packet may include packet version information, onboarding info, device information, and / or device status information (420).

[0138] In one embodiment, the connection history information may include information regarding the connection history of the first AP and the electronic device. For example, the connection history information may include information regarding the time at which the electronic device connected to the network via the first AP, the network identifier (e.g., SSID), and / or the network password (PW).

[0139] In one embodiment, the device status information may include information regarding the device's connection status. For example, the device status information may include a network connection request indicator (e.g., "AP connection required") indicating whether the electronic device requires a network connection. The network connection request indicator may indicate that a network connection is required or that a network connection is not required.

[0140] In one embodiment, the first packet may include device identification information (e.g., device identification information (430)). For example, the first packet may include device identification information including all or part of the serial number of the electronic device.

[0141] In one embodiment, in response to generating the first packet, the electronic device can transmit the generated first packet to the control device.

[0142] According to one embodiment, in operation 620, the electronic device may receive at least one second packet from an external device (e.g., the control device (220)). Operation 620 may include all of the contents according to operations 310, 312, and 314 of FIG. 3.

[0143] In one embodiment, the second packet may include network connection information. The network connection information may include a network identifier (e.g., SSID) and / or a network password (PW). The second packet and / or the network connection information included in the second packet may be encrypted using a secret key.

[0144] According to one embodiment, the second packet may include first information (e.g., first information (510)), second information (e.g., second information (520)), and / or third information (e.g., third information (530)).

[0145] In one embodiment, the first information may include a network connection information indicator. The network connection information indicator may indicate either a network identifier or a network password.

[0146] According to one embodiment, the second information may include information regarding the length of the network connection information.

[0147] In one embodiment, the third information may include network data. The network data may include actual data values ​​(e.g., at least a portion of network identifier data or network encryption data).

[0148] In one embodiment, the first information may include a value indicating the order of the packets. For example, if the packet contains information about a network identifier and is the first packet, the first information may have a value of 00000001. For example, if the packet contains information about a network identifier and is the second packet, the first information may have a value of 00000010. For example, if the packet contains information about a network password and is the first packet, the first information may have a value of 10000001. For example, if the packet contains information about a network password and is the second packet, the first information may have a value of 10000010.

[0149] In one embodiment, the number of second packets may be determined based on network connection information.

[0150] In one embodiment, an external device (e.g., a control device (220)) can sequentially transmit at least one second packet to the electronic device.

[0151] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may be transmitted from an external device (e.g., control device (220)) to the electronic device in a unicast, multicast, or broadcast manner.

[0152] According to one embodiment, in operation 630, the electronic device may transmit a network connection request to a second AP (or new AP) based on network connection information identified based on at least one second packet.

[0153] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may transmit a network connection request to a second AP based on a second packet received from an external device (e.g., a control device (220)).

[0154] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can decrypt at least one second packet received from an external device (e.g., control device (220)) using a secret key. The electronic device can identify network connection information through the decryption and transmit a network connection request to the second AP based on the network connection information. If the electronic device cannot decrypt the second packet based on the secret key, the electronic device cannot transmit the network connection request to the second AP.

[0155] Fig. 7 illustrates an operational flow of a control device according to one embodiment. The control device of Fig. 7 may include the control device (220) of Fig. 2. In addition, the IoT device of Fig. 7 may include the IoT device (210) of Fig. 2 and the electronic device of Fig. 6.

[0156] According to one embodiment, in operation 710, the control device may receive a first packet from the IoT device. Operation 710 may include all of the operation contents of operation 308 of FIG. 3 and the IoT device (210) regarding generation of the first packet.

[0157] According to one embodiment, at operation 720, the control device may generate at least one second packet in response to identifying that the IoT device is an authenticated device.

[0158] In one embodiment, the control device can determine whether the IoT device is an authenticated device. Determining whether the device is an authenticated device may include determining whether the device is connected to the same network as the control device and can be controlled by the control device.

[0159] In one embodiment, although not shown in the drawing, the control device may establish a connection with the AP. If a reconnection between the IoT device and the AP is required due to a change in the location of the AP, a separate connection between the control device and the AP may not be required. However, if the AP itself changes (e.g., due to a network change), the connection process between the control device and the AP may be performed first.

[0160] In one embodiment, although not shown in the drawing, the control device may determine whether the IoT device is a device that has previously been connected based on connection history information (e.g., connection history information (410) of FIG. 4) included in a first packet (e.g., first packet (400) of FIG. 4) received from an IoT server or an AP. The connection history information may include information about a device that is currently connected or has been connected to the network via the first AP.

[0161] In one embodiment, the control device may determine whether reconnection of the IoT device is required based on the first packet. If the first packet includes information indicating that the IoT device needs to reconnect to the AP (e.g., a network connection request indicator in the device status information), the control device may determine that reconnection of the IoT device is required.

[0162] In one embodiment, the control device may determine whether the IoT device is an authenticated device based on the first packet. For example, the control device may determine whether the IoT device is an authenticated device based on whether the serial number of the device included in the first packet is stored in the control device (220) or an IoT server (e.g., IoT server (240)). If the first packet includes device identification information of the IoT device, the control device may determine that the IoT device is an authenticated device. If the first packet does not include device identification information of the IoT device, the control device may determine that the IoT device is an unauthenticated device.

[0163] In one embodiment, the control device may generate network connection information. The control device may generate network connection information for the IoT device in response to identifying the IoT device as an authenticated device.

[0164] According to one embodiment, the network connection information may include a network identifier (e.g., SSID), and / or a network password (PW).

[0165] According to one embodiment, the control device may generate encrypted network connection information. The second packet and / or the network connection information included in the second packet may be encrypted using a secret key.

[0166] In one embodiment, an IoT device may receive a secret key from the network when initially connecting to the network. The IoT device may connect to the network and the access point (AP) before transmitting the first packet. After connecting to the network and the access point, the IoT device may receive the secret key from the network. In other words, the secret key may include a value exchanged at a specific point in time after the IoT device connects to the network.

[0167] According to one embodiment, the second packet may include first information (e.g., first information (510)), second information (e.g., second information (520)), and / or third information (e.g., third information (530)).

[0168] In one embodiment, the first information may include a network connection information indicator. The network connection information indicator may indicate either a network identifier or a network password. For example, referring to Table 1, if the network connection information indicator of the second packet has a value of 0, the network connection information of the second packet may be identified by a network identifier (e.g., mySSidIsNewAP). If the network connection information indicator of the second packet has a value of 1, the network connection information of the second packet may include a network password (e.g., myPasswordIsNewPassowrd).

[0169] According to one embodiment, the control device can obtain an encrypted hex value by encrypting network connection information using a secret key (e.g., AES 256, CBC).

[0170] In one embodiment, the second information may include information regarding the length of the network connection information. For example, the encrypted network identifier may be 32 bytes long, and the second information may include information regarding the 32-byte length.

[0171] In one embodiment, the third information may include network data. The network data may include actual data values. For example, the third information may include actual data values ​​(e.g., at least a portion of network identifier data or network password data).

[0172] In one embodiment, the control device may generate a second packet. The second packet may include generated network connection information (e.g., first information, second information, third information).

[0173] In one embodiment, the first information may include a value indicating the order of the packets. For example, if the packet contains information about a network identifier and is the first packet, the first information may have a value of 00000001. For example, if the packet contains information about a network identifier and is the second packet, the first information may have a value of 00000010. For example, if the packet contains information about a network password and is the first packet, the first information may have a value of 10000001. For example, if the packet contains information about a network password and is the second packet, the first information may have a value of 10000010.

[0174] According to one embodiment, the control device may generate at least one second packet. Each of the at least one packet may include first information, second information, and / or third information.

[0175] In one embodiment, the number of second packets may be determined based on network connection information.

[0176] According to one embodiment, in operation 730, the control device may transmit at least one second packet to the IoT device. Operation 730 may include all of the operation contents of operation 314 of FIG. 3.

[0177] FIG. 8 illustrates a signaling flow of a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a network environment according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 may include all of the contents described in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG. 8 relates to an operational flow in a case where an IoT device that is disconnected from a network transmits a first packet to a control device but does not receive a second packet from the control device. The first electronic device (801) of FIG. 8 may include a device corresponding to the IoT device (210). The second electronic device (802) may include another IoT device that has received network connection information from the first electronic device.

[0178] According to one embodiment, in operation 810, the first electronic device (801) may transmit a first packet to the control device in response to identifying that the strength of a signal received from the AP is less than or equal to a predetermined value. For example, the first electronic device (801) may transmit the first packet to the control device in a unicast, multicast, or broadcast manner. Operation 810 may include all of the operation contents of operations 302, 304, and 306 of FIG. 3.

[0179] According to one embodiment, in operation 820, the first electronic device (801) may generate a third packet in response to identifying that it has not received a second packet from the control device for a predetermined period of time from the time at which the first packet was transmitted. If the location of the first electronic device (801) moves to a location where communication with the control device (220) and / or the AP (230) is difficult, the first packet transmitted by the first electronic device (801) may not reach the control device. Operation 820 may include an operation for determining that the first electronic device (801) requests network connection information from another IoT device that received the third packet, other than the control device.

[0180] Referring to FIG. 9, the network environment (900) may include a plurality of IoT devices (210), an AP (230), and a control device (220) arranged in a first area (910), a second area (920), a third area (930), a fourth area (940), and a fifth area (950) (e.g., a living room). Unlike the second electronic device (802), the first electronic device (801) is located in the second area (920), and due to an obstacle (e.g., a wall) existing between the second area (920) and the AP (230) and the control device (220), the first electronic device (801) may have difficulty receiving signals from the AP (230) and the control device (220). In this case, the first electronic device (801) may transmit a third packet requesting network connection information to the second electronic device (802), which is another IoT device located adjacent to the control device (220).

[0181] In one embodiment, the third packet may include all of the operation contents included in the first packet. Additionally, the third packet may include an indicator indicating that the first electronic device (801) requests network connection information from another IoT device (e.g., the second electronic device (802)).

[0182] In one embodiment, the third packet may be the same packet as the first packet.

[0183] According to one embodiment, in operation 830, the first electronic device (801) may transmit the generated third packet to the second electronic device (802).

[0184] According to one embodiment, the first electronic device (801) can transmit the third packet to a second electronic device (802) located adjacent thereto in a unicast, multicast or broadcast manner.

[0185] According to one embodiment, in operation 840, the second electronic device (802) may generate at least one second packet in response to identifying that the first electronic device (801) is an authenticated device. Operation 840 may include all of the operation contents of operations 310 and 312 of FIG. 3.

[0186] According to one embodiment, in operation 850, the second electronic device (802) may transmit at least one second packet to the first electronic device (801). Operation 850 may include all of the operation contents according to operation 314 of FIG. 3.

[0187] Fig. 10 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device of Fig. 10 may include a device corresponding to an IoT device (210).

[0188] The embodiment of Fig. 10 may be an example of the embodiment of Fig. 6. The description given above in the embodiment of Fig. 6 may be applied to the embodiment of Fig. 10, as long as they are not contradictory.

[0189] In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the AP to which the electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is previously connected may be referred to as the first AP (or, old AP), and the AP to which the electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is newly trying to connect may be referred to as the second AP (or, new AP).

[0190] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one of the following operations:

[0191] According to one embodiment, in operation 1010, the electronic device may establish a network connection via a first AP using a first communication protocol. The first communication protocol may be, for example, a Wi-Fi communication protocol.

[0192] According to one embodiment, in operation 1020, in response to identifying that a network connection via the first AP has been terminated, the electronic device may transmit a first packet (e.g., the first packet (400) of FIG. 4) using a second communication protocol. The second communication protocol may be, for example, a BLE communication protocol.

[0193] According to one embodiment, the first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator.

[0194] According to one embodiment, in operation 1030, the electronic device may receive at least one second packet (e.g., the second packet (500) of FIG. 5) using a second communication protocol in connection with transmitting the first packet.

[0195] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to a network identifier and / or a network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key (e.g., a secret key).

[0196] According to one embodiment, in operation 1040, the electronic device may transmit a network connection request to a second AP using a first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on at least one second packet.

[0197] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can decrypt at least one second packet using an encryption key to identify a network identifier and a network password, and transmit a network connection request to the second AP based on the network identifier and the network password.

[0198] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include information indicating an order of packets and a network connection information indicator, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network identifier, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network identifier and data constituting the network identifier, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network password, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network password and data constituting the network password.

[0199] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may measure an RSSI of a signal received from a first AP, identify that the measured RSSI is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and transmit a first packet in response to identifying that a signal greater than or equal to the predetermined value is not received from the first AP for a predetermined period of time.

[0200] According to one embodiment, the signal received from the first AP may include a beacon frame of the AP.

[0201] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet is received from a control device, wherein the control device may include a user device for controlling the electronic device.

[0202] According to one embodiment, the electronic device, in response to identifying that it has not received a second packet for a predetermined amount of time after transmitting the first packet, causes the electronic device to transmit a third packet, wherein the third packet may include a reconnection request indicator.

[0203] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet is received from at least one external electronic device, and the at least one external electronic device may include a device connected to the AP.

[0204] In one embodiment, the electronic device may transmit the first packet in response to receiving a fourth packet indicating a change in network connection information. The fourth packet may include an indicator indicating a change in network connection information.

[0205] According to one embodiment, the first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0206] Fig. 11 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device of Fig. 11 may include the control device (220) of Fig. 2. The external electronic device of Fig. 11 may include the IoT device (210) of Fig. 2 and the electronic device of Fig. 6.

[0207] The embodiment of Fig. 11 may be an example of the embodiment of Fig. 7. The description given above in the embodiment of Fig. 7 may be applied to the embodiment of Fig. 11, as long as they are not contradictory.

[0208] In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the AP to which an external electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is previously connected may be referred to as a first AP (or, old AP), and the AP to which the external electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is newly trying to connect may be referred to as a second AP (or, new AP).

[0209] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one of the following actions:

[0210] According to one embodiment, in operation 1110, the electronic device may receive a first packet (e.g., the first packet (400) of FIG. 4) generated based on identifying that a network connection via the first AP has been terminated using the second communication protocol. The first packet may be generated based on identifying that a network connection via the first AP has been terminated by an external electronic device, and the electronic device may receive the first packet from the external electronic device.

[0211] In one embodiment, the first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. In one embodiment, the first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0212] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may be an electronic device that establishes a network connection via a first AP using a first communication protocol. The first communication protocol may be, for example, a Wi-Fi communication protocol.

[0213] In one embodiment, the second communication protocol may be, for example, a BLE communication protocol.

[0214] According to one embodiment, in operation 1120, in connection with receiving the first packet, the electronic device may transmit at least one second packet (e.g., the second packet (500) of FIG. 5) using a second communication protocol. According to one embodiment, the at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to a network identifier and / or a network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key (e.g., a secret key).

[0215] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include information indicating an order of packets and a network connection information indicator, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network identifier, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network identifier and data constituting the network identifier, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network password, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network password and data constituting the network password.

[0216] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device may transmit a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on at least one second packet.

[0217] Fig. 12 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device of Fig. 12 may include the control device (220) of Fig. 2. The external electronic device of Fig. 12 may include the IoT device (210) of Fig. 2 and the electronic device of Fig. 6.

[0218] In the embodiment of Fig. 12, descriptions that overlap with those described above in the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 11 are omitted.

[0219] In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the AP to which an external electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is previously connected may be referred to as a first AP (or, old AP), and the AP to which the external electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is newly trying to connect may be referred to as a second AP (or, new AP).

[0220] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one of the following operations:

[0221] According to one embodiment, in operation 1210, the electronic device may receive a first packet (e.g., the first packet (400) of FIG. 4) using a second communication protocol from an external electronic device with which a network connection has been established via a first AP using a first communication protocol. The first communication protocol may be, for example, a Wi-Fi communication protocol. The second communication protocol may be, for example, a BLE communication protocol.

[0222] In one embodiment, the first packet may include identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator. In one embodiment, the first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0223] According to one embodiment, in operation 1220, in response to identifying that a change in AP is required, the electronic device may transmit at least one second packet (e.g., the second packet (500) of FIG. 5 ) to the external electronic device using a second communication protocol.

[0224] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may identify that a change of AP is necessary when it identifies that the AP is being replaced from a first AP to a second AP.

[0225] In one embodiment, the electronic device may identify that a change of AP is required even if the first AP is maintained, but a network connection between the external electronic device and the second AP needs to be established.

[0226] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to a network identifier and / or a network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key (e.g., a secret key).

[0227] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include information indicating an order of packets and a network connection information indicator, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network identifier, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network identifier and data constituting the network identifier, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network password, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network password and / or data constituting the network password.

[0228] According to one embodiment, the external electronic device may transmit a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on at least one second packet.

[0229] Fig. 13 illustrates an operational flow of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device of Fig. 13 may include a device corresponding to an IoT device (210).

[0230] In the description of Fig. 13, descriptions that overlap with those described above in the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 12 are omitted.

[0231] In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the AP to which the electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is previously connected may be referred to as the first AP (or, old AP), and the AP to which the electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210)) is newly trying to connect may be referred to as the second AP (or, new AP).

[0232] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the electronic device to perform at least one of the following operations:

[0233] In one embodiment, the electronic device may be an electronic device that establishes a network connection via a first AP using a first communication protocol. The first communication protocol may be, for example, a Wi-Fi communication protocol.

[0234] According to one embodiment, in operation 1310, the electronic device may transmit a first packet (e.g., the first packet (400) of FIG. 4) using a second communication protocol. The second communication protocol may be, for example, a BLE communication protocol.

[0235] According to one embodiment, in operation 1320, the electronic device may receive at least one second packet (e.g., the second packet (500) of FIG. 5) generated based on identifying that a change in the AP is required using a second communication protocol. The at least one second packet may be generated in response to an external electronic device (e.g., the control device (200) of FIG. 2) identifying that a change in the AP is required, and the electronic device may receive the at least one second packet from the external electronic device.

[0236] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may identify that a change of AP is necessary when it identifies that the AP is being replaced from a first AP to a second AP.

[0237] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may identify that a change of AP is required even if the first AP remains active, but a network connection needs to be established between the external electronic device and the second AP.

[0238] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include network connection information corresponding to a network identifier and / or a network password associated with the second AP, and may be encrypted using an encryption key (e.g., a secret key).

[0239] According to one embodiment, at least one second packet may include information indicating an order of packets and a network connection information indicator, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network identifier, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network identifier and data constituting the network identifier, and if the network connection information indicator indicates a network password, at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network password and / or data constituting the network password.

[0240] According to one embodiment, in operation 1330, the electronic device may transmit a network connection request generated based on a network identifier and / or a network password identified based on at least one second packet to a second AP using a first communication protocol.

[0241] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the connection between an AP and an IoT device can be performed simultaneously and in parallel, without the need to perform the same task serially for each IoT device. In other words, since the time required does not increase with the number of IoT devices, AP recovery can be performed quickly.

[0242] An electronic device (e.g., IoT device (210), or first electronic device (801)) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a communication unit, a memory, and a processor electrically connected to the communication unit and the memory. The processor is configured to, in response to identifying that no signal is received from a first access point (AP) (or, old AP) (e.g., AP (230)) or that the strength of a signal received from the first AP is below a predetermined value, transmit a first packet (e.g., first packet (400)), receive at least one second packet (e.g., second packet (500)), and transmit a network connection request to the second AP (or, new AP) based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet, wherein the first packet includes identification information of the electronic device (e.g., device identification information (430)) and a network connection request indicator (e.g., a network connection request indicator of device status information (420)), and the at least one second packet is encrypted using a secret key, and the at least one second packet includes a network connection information indicator, and the network connection information indicator may indicate either the network identifier or the network password.

[0243] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to decrypt the at least one second packet using the secret key to identify the network identifier and the network password, and transmit a connection request to the network to the first AP based on the network identifier and the network password.

[0244] According to one embodiment, the at least one second packet may include information indicating an order of packets, and when the network connection information indicator indicates the network identifier, the at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network identifier and bits constituting the network identifier, and when the network connection information indicator indicates the network password, the at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network password and bits constituting the network password.

[0245] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to measure a receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a signal received from the first AP, identify that the RSSI is less than or equal to the predetermined value, and transmit the first packet in response to identifying that a signal greater than or equal to the predetermined value is not received from the first AP for a predetermined period of time.

[0246] According to one embodiment, the signal received from the first AP may include a beacon frame of the first AP.

[0247] According to one embodiment, the at least one second packet is received from a control device, wherein the control device may include a user device for controlling the electronic device.

[0248] In one embodiment, the processor, in response to identifying that the second packet has not been received for a predetermined period of time after transmitting the first packet, transmits a third packet, wherein the third packet may include a reconnection request indicator.

[0249] According to one embodiment, the at least one second packet is received from at least one external electronic device, and the at least one external electronic device may include a device connected to the AP.

[0250] According to one embodiment, the processor is configured to transmit the first packet in response to receiving a fourth packet for notifying a change in network connection information, wherein the fourth packet may include an indicator for notifying a change in network connection information.

[0251] According to one embodiment, the first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0252] An operating method of an electronic device (e.g., an IoT device (210) or a first electronic device (801)) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes, in response to identifying that no signal is received from a first access point (AP) (or, old AP) (e.g., AP (230)) or that the strength of a signal received from the first AP is below a predetermined value, an operation of transmitting a first packet (e.g., a first packet (400)), an operation of receiving at least one second packet (e.g., a second packet (500)), and / or an operation of transmitting a network connection request to the second AP (or, new AP) based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet, wherein the first packet includes identification information of the electronic device (e.g., device identification information (430)) and / or a network connection request indicator (e.g., a network connection request indicator of device status information (420)), and the at least one second packet is encrypted using a secret key, and the at least one second packet is encrypted using a network connection key. An information indicator is included, wherein the network connection information indicator may indicate either the network identifier or the network password.

[0253] According to one embodiment, the method of operating the electronic device may include an operation of performing decryption on the at least one second packet using the secret key to identify the network identifier and the network password, and / or an operation of transmitting a connection request with the network to the first AP based on the network identifier and the network password.

[0254] According to one embodiment, the at least one second packet may include information indicating an order of packets, and when the network connection information indicator indicates the network identifier, the at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network identifier and bits constituting the network identifier, and when the network connection information indicator indicates the network password, the at least one second packet may include information about a length of the network password and bits constituting the network password.

[0255] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include: measuring a receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a signal received from the first AP; identifying that the RSSI is less than or equal to the predetermined value; and / or transmitting the first packet in response to identifying that a signal greater than or equal to the predetermined value is not received from the first AP for a predetermined period of time.

[0256] According to one embodiment, the signal received from the first AP may include a beacon frame of the first AP.

[0257] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device may include: receiving at least one second packet from a control device; and including a user device for controlling the electronic device.

[0258] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device includes an operation of transmitting a third packet in response to identifying that the second packet has not been received for a predetermined period of time after transmitting the first packet, wherein the third packet may include a reconnection request indicator.

[0259] According to one embodiment, the at least one second packet is received from at least one external electronic device, and the at least one external electronic device may include a device connected to the AP.

[0260] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device includes transmitting the first packet in response to receiving a fourth packet for notifying a change in network connection information, wherein the fourth packet may include an indicator for notifying a change in network connection information.

[0261] According to one embodiment, the first packet may include a BLE advertising packet.

[0262] Electronic devices according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may include various types of devices. Electronic devices may include, for example, display devices, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. Electronic devices according to embodiments of this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0263] The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. For example, a component expressed in the singular should be understood to include a concept including plural components unless the context clearly indicates only the singular. It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this document encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. The terms "comprise," "have," "consist of," and the like used in this disclosure are intended to specify only the presence of a feature, component, part, or combination thereof described in this disclosure, and the use of such terms does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In this document, phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0264] The terms "part" or "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include units implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. The "part" or "module" may be an integrally formed component or a minimum unit or part of the component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, the "part" or "module" may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0265] The term "if" as used in various embodiments of this document may be interpreted to mean "when," "when," "in response to determining," or "in response to detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, "if it is determined that" or "if this is detected" may be interpreted to mean "upon determining," "in response to determining," "upon detecting," or "in response to detecting," depending on the context.

[0266] The program executed by the device described in this document (e.g., IoT device (210), control device (220), AP (230), IoT server (240), first electronic device (801), or second electronic device (802)) may be implemented as hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. The program may be executed by any system capable of executing computer-readable instructions.

[0267] Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing device to perform a desired operation or command the processing device, independently or collectively. The software may be implemented as a computer program including instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include magnetic storage media (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical reading media (e.g., CD-ROMs, digital versatile discs (DVDs)). The computer-readable storage medium may be distributed across network-connected computer systems so that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed manner. The computer program may be stored on an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones), online distribution (e.g., downloading or uploading). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0268] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In electronic devices, At least one communications circuit; at least one processor; and A memory comprising: a processor configured to cause the electronic device to: Using the first communication protocol, a network connection is established through the first AP (access point), In response to identifying that the network connection via the first AP has been terminated, transmitting a first packet using a second communication protocol, In connection with transmitting the first packet, at least one second packet is received using the second communication protocol, Store instructions that cause a network connection request to be transmitted to a second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on at least one of the second packets; The first packet includes at least one of identification information of the electronic device or a network connection request indicator, A device wherein said at least one second packet includes network connection information corresponding to said network identifier and / or said network password associated with said second AP, and is encrypted using an encryption key.

2. In claim 1, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: Decrypting at least one second packet using the encryption key to identify the network identifier and the network password; A device causing the network connection request to be transmitted to the second AP based on the network identifier and the network password.

3. In claim 1 or claim 2, The at least one second packet includes at least one of information indicating the order of packets or a network connection information indicator, If the above network connection information indicator indicates the network identifier, the at least one second packet includes at least one of information about the length of the network identifier or data constituting the network identifier, A device, wherein when the network connection information indicator indicates the network password, the at least one second packet includes at least one of information about the length of the network password or data constituting the network password.

4. In any one of claims 1 to 3, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: Measure the RSSI (receive signal strength indicator) of the signal received from the first AP, Identify that the measured RSSI is below a predetermined value, A device that causes the first packet to be transmitted in response to identifying that a signal having an RSSI greater than or equal to the predetermined value has not been received from the first AP for a predetermined period of time.

5. In claim 4, A device wherein a signal received from the first AP includes a beacon frame of the AP.

6. In any one of claims 1 to 5, At least one of the second packets is received from a control device, The control device is a device including a user device for controlling the electronic device.

7. In claim 1, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: In response to identifying that the second packet has not been received for a predetermined period of time after transmitting the first packet, a third packet is caused to be transmitted, The third packet, the device including a reconnection request indicator.

8. In any one of claims 1 to 5 or claim 7, wherein said at least one second packet is received from at least one external electronic device; A device, wherein at least one external electronic device comprises a device connected to the AP.

9. In any one of claims 1 to 8, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: In response to receiving a fourth packet notifying a change in network connection information, causing the first packet to be transmitted, The above fourth packet is a device that includes an indicator notifying a change in network connection information.

10. In any one of claims 1 to 9, The device, wherein the first packet includes a BLE advertising packet.

11. In the method of operating an electronic device, An operation of establishing a network connection through a first AP (access point) using the first communication protocol. In response to identifying that the network connection via the first AP has been terminated, an action of transmitting a first packet using a second communication protocol; In connection with transmitting the first packet, an operation of receiving at least one second packet using the second communication protocol, and An operation of transmitting a network connection request to a second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on at least one of the second packets, The first packet includes identification information of the electronic device and / or a network connection request indicator, A method wherein said at least one second packet comprises at least one of the network identifier associated with said second AP or the network connection information corresponding to said network password, and is encrypted using an encryption key.

12. In claim 11, An operation of identifying the network identifier and the network password by performing decryption on the at least one second packet using the encryption key, and A method comprising the action of transmitting the network connection request to the second AP based on the network identifier and the network password.

13. In claim 11 or claim 12, The at least one second packet includes at least one of information indicating the order of packets or a network connection information indicator, If the above network connection information indicator indicates the network identifier, the at least one second packet includes at least one of information about the length of the network identifier or data constituting the network identifier, A method wherein, when the network connection information indicator indicates the network password, the at least one second packet includes information about the length of the network password and / or data constituting the network password.

14. In any one of claims 11 to 13, An operation of measuring the RSSI (receive signal strength indicator) of a signal received from the first AP; An action to identify that the measured RSSI is below a predetermined value, and A method comprising the action of transmitting the first packet in response to identifying that a signal having an RSSI greater than or equal to the predetermined value has not been received from the first AP for a predetermined period of time.

15. In electronic devices, At least one communications circuit; at least one processor; and A memory comprising: a processor configured to cause the electronic device to: A first packet is received using a second communication protocol from an external electronic device with which a network connection is established through a first AP (access point) using a first communication protocol, In response to identifying that a change in AP is required, storing instructions causing at least one second packet to be transmitted to the external electronic device using the second communication protocol; The external electronic device is set to transmit a network connection request to the second AP using the first communication protocol based on a network identifier and a network password identified based on the at least one second packet, The first packet includes identification information of the electronic device and a network connection request indicator, A device wherein said at least one second packet includes network connection information corresponding to said network identifier and / or said network password associated with said second AP, and is encrypted using an encryption key.

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