Access Point Notification via Disaster Setting Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
During disasters, it is challenging for users to recognize the availability of open wireless LAN access points outside their communication range, hindering effective communication and information dissemination.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a control device that identifies access points based on disaster information, changes their settings to allow communication using a secondary identifier, and notifies users through a notification server, enabling push notifications to terminals within range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If access points use beacon transmission for notification, then terminals within communication range can detect the access points, but terminals outside the beacon range cannot recognize the open status of access points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a notification server as an intermediary component that receives notifications from access points and redistributes them to terminals through push notifications. This mediator extends the notification reach beyond the limited beacon transmission range, allowing terminals outside the access point's communication range to still receive information about open access points through the server's network infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If access points open communication for disaster response, then communication availability improves, but user awareness of available access points decreases when outside transmission range
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where access points send notifications to the notification server when they transition to an open state, and the server subsequently pushes this information to relevant terminals. This closed-loop feedback ensures that users receive timely information about available access points regardless of their current position relative to the access point's transmission range.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification server proactively pushes information about open access points to terminals before users attempt to locate or connect to them. This preliminary action of notifying users in advance allows them to plan their movement or connection attempts more effectively, rather than waiting to discover access points only when physically close enough to receive beacons.
Data Source
AI summary
An access point notification method causing a control device that controls one or more access points to execute a process, the process include: identifying an access point based on disaster information and transmitting, to the access point, a transition instruction to instruct a transition of a setting of the access point to a disaster setting by which communication using a second identifier, different from a first identifier for which the access point allows communication, is allowed; transmitting to a notification server a request for authentication information; notifying the notification server of the information on the access point, using the authentication information; and causing the notification server to register the information on the access point the setting of which is transferred to the disaster setting and transmit a notification message to the terminal that is the distribution destination.