Hotspot Access Control via DHCP Relay and GRE Tunneling

The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between access points and the wider network. The gateway maintains a centralized counter that tracks the total number of devices connected to hotspot SSIDs across multiple access points. When a device attempts to connect, the gateway checks the counter against a maximum limit and either permits or rejects the connection. This intermediary mechanism enables centralized control of the overall number of connected devices, preventing performance degradation that occurs when individual access points independently limit connections without coordination.

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by proactively preventing new device connections when the maximum number of devices is already connected. Instead of allowing connections to proceed and then managing performance degradation, the gateway checks the counter before each connection attempt and rejects requests when the limit is reached. This preemptive approach prevents bandwidth degradation before it occurs, maintaining service quality for existing users while still allowing the hotspot to serve multiple devices up to the configured maximum.

The patent implements dynamics by making the maximum device limit configurable rather than fixed. The gateway allows the maximum number of connected devices to be adjusted based on network conditions, available bandwidth, and service requirements. This dynamic configuration enables operators to optimize the balance between maintaining performance and expanding service capacity - they can increase the limit when network resources are abundant and decrease it when performance degradation is observed, adapting the hotspot capacity to current conditions.