Multi-Link Wi-Fi Access Control During Layer 3 Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8 allow client devices to establish multiple links simultaneously, which can be abused by malicious clients for denial of service attacks and resource wastage, especially during Layer 3 authentication.
Innovation Solution
Restrict client devices to a single link during Layer 3 authentication and dynamically adjust the number of additional links based on an MLO policy after successful authentication, using an MLO authorization indicator in beacon and association responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple links are allowed during Layer 3 authentication, then network connectivity and data transmission are improved, but resource wastage and denial of service attacks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by restricting client devices to a single link during the Layer 3 authentication phase before allowing multiple links after successful authentication. This ensures that authentication is completed securely before enabling full multi-link functionality, preventing resource wastage and DoS attacks during the critical authentication period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by dynamically adjusting the number of allowed links based on authentication status. The MLO authorization indicator in beacon and association responses enables the network to transition from a restricted single-link mode during authentication to an unrestricted multi-link mode after successful authentication, optimizing resource allocation at different operational stages.
2Speed
If multiple links are established simultaneously, then data transmission speed is improved, but network resource management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamics to manage network resource management complexity by implementing conditional link establishment based on authentication status. The MLO authorization indicator dynamically controls whether multiple links can be established, simplifying resource management during authentication while enabling high-speed multi-link transmission after authentication completes.
3Loss of energy
If MLO association is restricted to single link during web authentication, then resource wastage is prevented, but authentication time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a single link during the authentication phase to prevent resource wastage, then rapidly enabling additional links after authentication completes. This ensures that resources are not wasted on unauthenticated devices while minimizing the time impact by allowing quick transition to multi-link mode.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods to restrict the number of multi-link operation (MLO) links while Layer 3 (web) authentication is in progress and permit additional links only after the web authentication is completed. The methods involve obtaining an MLO policy for establishing a multi-link connection to a wireless network and performing an MLO association for establishing the multi-link connection to the wireless network based on the MLO policy in which the MLO association is restricted to a single link during a web authentication for access to the wireless network.