Multi-location Wireless Device Tracking via Alert Filters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless network systems lack effective mechanisms to track and alert security personnel about potentially suspicious mobile devices connecting to networks, especially those with known criminal activity, stolen devices, or disproportionate usage patterns at specific cashiers, across multiple locations.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes MAC address tracking and alert filtering across multiple buildings, integrating with video surveillance and point-of-sale data to generate alerts based on predefined rules, such as repeated connections in different locations or disproportionate cashier usage, and sends notifications via email or SMS.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wireless routers have limited range coverage, then network security can be maintained within confined areas, but multi-location tracking of mobile devices becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple wireless routers from different locations into a unified network system, allowing the server to aggregate connection data from all routers. This merging enables multi-location tracking while maintaining security through centralized control and alert filtering across the entire network infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary between wireless routers and alert recipients. It collects MAC address data from multiple routers, processes connection patterns through alert filters, and generates alerts when suspicious activity is detected. This intermediary approach enables tracking across locations while maintaining security through centralized analysis.
2Reliability
If alert filters monitor all MAC addresses across all buildings, then security coverage is comprehensive, but system complexity and processing load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements location-specific alert filters for different buildings, where each filter is configured with rules appropriate to its specific location. This allows comprehensive security coverage while reducing complexity by avoiding a single monolithic filter system, enabling localized optimization of alert rules for each building's security needs.
3Loss of information
If the system tracks and stores connection data from multiple locations, then historical analysis capability improves, but data storage requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential tracking information (MAC addresses, connection timestamps, location identifiers) needed for security analysis, storing this condensed data set rather than complete connection logs. This extraction approach enables historical analysis capability while minimizing storage requirements and processing time by focusing only on security-relevant data elements.
Data Source
AI summary
An identifier for a mobile device and information to include in an alert message are received. An alert rule is generated and stored in a plurality of alert filters, each alert filter is associated with a respective building, such that when a mobile device with the identifier attempts to connect to a network in any of a plurality of buildings, the alert message is issued with the information. Additionally, an address of a portable device is received in a search request. A database containing entries for a plurality of locations associated with a plurality of networks is searched to find locations where the portable device connected to a network. A list of locations and times where the portable device connected to a network is returned.