Virtual Wi-Fi network and secure tunnel provisioning for reliable, persistent connection of energy devices at the customer's premises

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10362000-B2
Application number	US-201615381265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Jan 15, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A method for providing a virtual Wi-Fi network with secure tunnel provisioning is disclosed. The method provides a reliable, persistent connection between wireless communications enabled devices located at a user's premises and a service provider, and includes the steps of using a software code running on a computing device to pass instructions including a remote server address to an Application Programming Interface (API) running on a wireless router connected to the computing device through a Local Area Network (LAN); using the wireless router to establish a secure communication session with the remote server through a Wide Area Network (WAN); receiving at the wireless router through the WAN parameters required to set up a wireless Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN); and using the router, establishing a wireless VLAN at the user's premises and connecting the wireless VLAN to the remote server through the WAN using a secure tunnel connection.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method of providing a reliable, persistent connection between wireless communications enabled devices located at a user's premises and a service provider, comprising the steps of:
(a) connecting to the service provider's website to obtain a software code, wherein upon connection to the service provider's website, the service provider's website asks permission to enable a network;
(b) using the software code on a computing device to pass instructions including a remote server address to an Application Programming Interface (API) running on a wireless router connected to the computing device through a Local Area Network (LAN);
(c) using the wireless router to establish a secure communication session with the remote server through a Wide Area Network (WAN);
(d) receiving at the wireless router through the WAN parameters required to set up a wireless Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN); and
(e) using the router, establishing a wireless VLAN at the user's premises and connecting the wireless VLAN to the remote server through the WAN using a secure tunnel connection.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the secure tunnel connection is independent of the user's wireless router settings used at the user's premises.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the WAN is an internet connection.

4. A method of providing a reliable, persistent connection between wireless communications enabled devices located at a user's premises and a service provider, comprising the steps of:
(a) using a computing device connected to a wireless router located on the user's premises to connect to the service provider's website;
(b) receiving a software code from the service provider's website and using the software code to pass instructions, including a remote server address, to an API running on a wireless router connected to the computing device through a LAN, wherein upon connection to the service provider's website, the service provider's website asks permission to enable a network;
(c) using the remote server address to connect the wireless router to the remote server and establish a secure session;
(d) activating a single SSID and secure tunnel based on negotiated encryption and keys; and
(e) using the router, establishing a wireless VLAN at the user's premises and connecting the wireless VLAN to the remote server through a WAN using the secure tunnel connection.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the wireless communications enabled device connects to the wireless network through the single SSID.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein packets from the wireless communications enabled device pass through the secure tunnel connection to the remote server.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the wireless router includes a plurality of SSIDs.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the single SSID is isolated from the plurality of SSIDs to prevent a change in wireless parameters and/or credentials of the wireless router from interrupting the secure tunnel connection to the remote server.

9. The method according to claim 4 , further including the step of creating a site-to-site VPN from the VLAN to the remote server.

Assignees

• Electric Power Res Institute Inc

Inventors

• Godfrey Timothy

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04L67/141

  Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70) · CPC title

• H04L63/0272 Primary

  Virtual private networks · CPC title

• G06F9/00

  Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units (program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10) · CPC title