WLAN Hotspot Access via Pre-authenticated Communication Network
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges accessing restricted WLAN hotspots due to security concerns, inconvenience, and inefficiency when entering payment details, and there are issues with authenticating and terminating connections, especially when using pre-paid credits for packet-based communication systems.
Innovation Solution
A method where a user terminal periodically transmits messages to network nodes to manage connections, allowing for secure and efficient access to hotspots using pre-existing payment credits, with the communication client handling authentication and connection termination through periodic 'tick' messages and DNS tunnelling to bypass access restrictions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users enter payment details into the hotspot login server, then access to the hotspot is granted, but security risks increase and user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a communication network as an intermediary between the user terminal and the access node. The communication network handles authentication and payment processing, allowing users to access hotspots securely without directly entering payment details into the hotspot operator's system. This mediator approach transfers trust from the hotspot operator to the communication network provider.
2Reliability
If users manually log in and enter payment information, then access is secured, but the process becomes slow and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication where users are authenticated in advance by the communication network before accessing the hotspot. The communication network pre-establishes authentication credentials and payment arrangements, so when users connect to the hotspot, they don't need to manually enter payment information. This preliminary action enables fast, automatic access while maintaining security.
3Ease of manufacture
If the communication system uses peer-to-peer topology without servers, then system cost decreases, but connection management and authentication become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a communication network as an intermediary that handles complex authentication and connection management tasks. This allows the peer-to-peer system to maintain its cost advantages while offloading complex management functions to the communication network, which handles authentication, payment processing, and connection coordination.
4Reliability
If access to hotspots is restricted and secured, then network security improves, but user access becomes more difficult and requires additional authentication steps
Solution Approach 1:
The communication network serves as a trusted intermediary that manages the authentication process between users and restricted hotspots. Users authenticate with the communication network using their existing credentials, and the network handles the complex authentication with the hotspot operator in the background, presenting a simplified interface to users while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables users to access hotspots using their pre-existing communication network credentials without requiring separate authentication steps for the hotspot. The communication network automatically handles the authentication and payment processing, allowing users to simply connect to the hotspot network and gain access automatically based on their pre-authenticated status.
Data Source
AI summary
The application relates to a communication system comprising: a communication network; an access node connected to the communication network; at least one network node connected to the communication network, wherein the at least one network node does not control the access node; and a user terminal configured to establish a data connection with the access node, herein the user terminal is arranged to periodically generate a message at predetermined intervals and transmit the periodic message to the at least one network node via the access node over the communication network and receive responses to the periodic messages from the at least one network node; wherein the at least one network node is configured to determine that the data connection established between the user terminal and the access node is required to be terminated; the user terminal further arranged to analyse the responses received from the at least one network node to determine whether to terminate the connection to the access node, and, in the case that the connection to the access node should be terminated, transmit a disconnect message to the access node from the user terminal.