Wireless Access Point Handoff Spoofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless network handoffs result in downtime for mobile devices as they need to terminate and re-establish communication links, requiring authentication with each access point, leading to disruptions in internet access.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where a first wireless access point temporarily emulates a second access point by using its identity to spoof the communication device, allowing seamless handoffs without the need for re-authentication, by transmitting communications with a source identifier change and channel change commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional handoff procedures are used where the mobile device terminates and re-establishes communication links with each access point, then authentication security is maintained, but downtime occurs during handoff causing disruption in internet access
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-authenticating the mobile device with the target access point before the actual handoff occurs. The network controller initiates authentication procedures in advance, so that when the handoff is executed, the device is already authorized and can immediately connect without interruption to internet access.
Solution Approach 2:
The network controller serves as an intermediary that coordinates between the mobile device, current access point, and target access point. It manages the handoff process centrally, transferring session information and coordinating authentication, which eliminates the need for the device to manually terminate and re-establish connections, thereby reducing handoff downtime.
2Reliability
If the mobile device authenticates with each access point individually during handoff, then security is ensured, but the handoff process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The network controller acts as an intermediary that centralizes the authentication management during handoff. Instead of the mobile device independently authenticating with each access point, the network controller manages the authentication process, transferring credentials and session information between access points, which simplifies the overall handoff procedure while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the authentication processes of multiple access points into a unified handoff mechanism managed by the network controller. By combining the authentication steps and session establishment into a single coordinated process rather than separate sequential operations, the complexity is reduced while security is preserved through centralized control.
3Ease of operation
If the mobile device terminates the current communication link before establishing the new one, then connection management is simplified, but internet access is disrupted during the transition
Solution Approach 1:
The system ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining the mobile device's internet access throughout the handoff process. The network controller coordinates the transition so that the device remains connected to the network via the current access point until the new connection is fully established, preventing any interruption in internet access while still managing the connection transition.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing the new communication link with the target access point before terminating the current link. The network controller initiates the connection setup in advance, so that when the old connection is terminated, the device already has an active connection to the new access point, ensuring continuous internet access.
Data Source
AI summary
To facilitate a handoff of a communication session in a wireless network, a first wireless access point at least temporarily emulates a second wireless access point, spoofing a target communication device that communications transmitted from the first wireless access point appear to be transmitted from the second wireless access point. According to a first configuration, the communication session is handed off from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point. According to another configuration, the communication session is handed off from the second wireless access point to the first wireless access point.