WLAN Access Parameter Updates for Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices face challenges in dynamically selecting the most suitable wireless network for data traffic, as they often lack up-to-date information on available wireless network selection policies and WLAN automatic access parameters, leading to suboptimal network access and user experience.
Innovation Solution
The system provides mobile devices with dynamic information, including Passpoint parameters, hotspot selection policies, device configuration, WLAN metrics, and steering profiles, which are periodically updated and location-based, enabling automatic authentication and data traffic steering between cellular and WLAN networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mobile devices rely on static or manually configured network access parameters, then device complexity and user operation burden are reduced, but network selection accuracy and access efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that stores and manages WLAN automatic access parameters and network selection policies. The server pushes updates to mobile devices based on location changes or periodic intervals, eliminating the need for complex device-side update mechanisms while ensuring accurate, up-to-date network parameters. This resolves the contradiction by centralizing the complexity in the server rather than the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the mobile device reports its location and current network status to the server, which then determines whether parameter updates are needed. This feedback loop ensures that devices receive timely updates only when necessary, maintaining high network selection accuracy without requiring continuous polling or complex local decision-making logic.
2Productivity
If mobile devices frequently update network access parameters to maintain optimal connectivity, then network access efficiency improves, but loss of time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The server implements periodic updates of network access parameters based on predetermined time intervals or triggered by location changes. This periodic action ensures devices receive fresh network parameters without requiring constant polling, maintaining high network access efficiency while minimizing unnecessary update overhead and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The server proactively pushes parameter updates to mobile devices before the devices would naturally need them, based on predicted location changes or scheduled intervals. This preliminary action ensures devices always have current network parameters without requiring them to actively search or poll for updates, improving access efficiency while reducing time spent on parameter acquisition.
3Ease of operation
If mobile devices use automatic authentication mechanisms like Passpoint, then ease of operation improves, but reliability of network access may deteriorate due to lack of updated credentials
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device's automatic authentication mechanism operates autonomously using credentials and parameters received from the server. The device self-authenticates to WLAN networks without user intervention, maintaining ease of operation. The server ensures reliability by continuously updating these self-service credentials, so the automated system always uses current, valid authentication data without requiring user input or manual updates.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and techniques for keeping a mobile device up to date with respect to dynamic information necessary to identify and access the most suitable wireless network are disclosed. Such dynamic information includes device configuration update and wireless network selection policies update. Both device configuration data update and wireless network selection policies update includes wireless local area network (WLAN) automatic access parameters. The mobile device receives wireless network selection policies update whenever the mobile device changes location. At statically determined time slots, the mobile device receives device configuration update, followed by an additional wireless network selection policies update, which includes updated WLAN automatic access parameters.