WPAN-WLAN Coordination for Temporary Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication technologies, such as Bluetooth for WPAN and Wi-Fi for WLAN, face limitations in range and bandwidth, making them unsuitable for high-bandwidth applications like real-time video transmission, and require manual entry of SSID and password for WLAN access, which is inconvenient for devices without input interfaces, such as IoT devices.
Innovation Solution
A communication coordination device that uses both WLAN and WPAN to facilitate temporary access to a WLAN service by transmitting temporary SSID and password over WPAN, allowing devices to connect to WLAN without needing to store or manually enter main access data, enhancing usability and supporting high-bandwidth applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If Bluetooth is used for WPAN communication, then device connectivity and low-bandwidth data transfer are enabled, but bandwidth and range are insufficient for high-bandwidth applications like real-time video transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines Bluetooth (WPAN) and Wi-Fi (WLAN) technologies into a unified communication system. The communication coordination device establishes a Bluetooth connection with a first device and uses this connection to share Wi-Fi access credentials with a second device, enabling the second device to access high-bandwidth WLAN services without requiring direct Wi-Fi connectivity or manual credential entry. This merging allows devices to leverage the strengths of both protocols: Bluetooth for reliable device pairing and Wi-Fi for high-bandwidth data transmission.
2Ease of operation
If manual SSID and password entry is required for WLAN access, then security and access control are maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates for devices without input interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service authentication where the communication coordination device automatically handles the complex task of obtaining and sharing Wi-Fi credentials. The first device (communication coordination device) automatically connects to the Wi-Fi network, retrieves the SSID and password, and transmits these credentials to the second device via Bluetooth without requiring manual intervention. This eliminates the need for second devices to have input interfaces or understand authentication procedures, while still maintaining security through credential sharing rather than open access.
3Productivity
If temporary access data is transmitted over WPAN, then ease of operation and connectivity speed are improved, but transmission time and data security considerations arise
Solution Approach 1:
The communication coordination device performs preliminary actions by establishing the Bluetooth connection and obtaining Wi-Fi credentials before the second device needs to access the network. The credentials are prepared and transmitted in advance through the established Bluetooth connection, allowing the second device to immediately connect to Wi-Fi without experiencing delays in credential acquisition. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for real-time authentication delays and ensures rapid network access.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to a communication coordination device, a communication device and an access point (AP) as well as to corresponding methods and programs. The communication coordination device can communicate with the AP and a communication device using a wireless local area network (WLAN) and communicating with the communication device using a wireless personal area network (WPAN) separate from the WLAN. It can connect with the communication device via WPAN and control the transceiver to transmit, to the communication device over the WPAN, temporary access data for temporary accessing a service of the AP in the WLAN. Correspondingly, the AP may receive requests for the temporary access data, generate the temporary access data and provide them to the requested communication device. Correspondingly, the communication device may receive the temporary access data via WPAN and connect temporarily to the WLAN and communicate with the communication coordination device via the temporary WLAN connection.