Verification of wireless network connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12200515-B2
Application number	US-201816058185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Aug 8, 2018
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for verification of wireless network connection. A wireless local area network may comprise a client device and a gateway. A data connection, within the wireless local area network, between the client device and the gateway may be verified based on gateway identifiers provided to the client device via data communication channels internal and external the wireless local area network.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a client device, a network resource location associated with a gateway of a wireless local area network (WLAN);
receiving, by the client device, via a communication channel external to the WLAN, first gateway data associated with the gateway;
sending, by the client device and via the WLAN, a first data packet directed to the network resource location associated with the gateway;
receiving, by the client device, from the gateway, and via the WLAN, second gateway data associated with the gateway, wherein the receiving the second gateway data is based on the sending the first data packet; and
determining, based on the first gateway data and the second gateway data, that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway comprises determining that the first gateway data and the second gateway data both indicate the gateway.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first data packet comprises a request for the second gateway data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the network resource location associated with the gateway comprises receiving, via the communication channel external to the WLAN, the network resource location associated with the gateway.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gateway data comprises first cryptographic information associated with the gateway and the second gateway data comprises second cryptographic information associated with the gateway, and
wherein the determining that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway is further based on the first cryptographic information and the second cryptographic information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway comprises determining, by a server located external to the WLAN, that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway comprises determining, by the client device, that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, from the client device and via at least one of the communication channel external to the WLAN and a second communication channel external to the WLAN, a second data packet directed to the network resource location associated with the gateway, wherein the network resource location associated with the gateway comprises a non-routable network address; and
determining, based on a response to the sending the second data packet, that the client device is not configured to communicate, via the non-routable network address and the at least one of the communication channel external to the WLAN and the second communication channel external to the WLAN, with the gateway.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication channel external to the WLAN comprises at least one of a cellular network, a public hotspot network, and a second WLAN.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gateway is configured to facilitate data communications between the WLAN and a second network external to the WLAN.

11. A method, comprising:
sending, via a communication channel external to a wireless local area network (WLAN) and to a client device associated with the WLAN, a network resource location associated with a gateway of the WLAN;
accessing first gateway data associated with the gateway;
receiving, by the gateway, from the client device, and via the WLAN, a first data packet directed to the network resource location associated with the gateway;
sending, from the gateway, to the client device, via the WLAN, and based on the first data packet directed to the network resource location associated with the gateway, second gateway data associated with the gateway; and
determining, based on the first gateway data and the second gateway data, that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first gateway data indicates the gateway and the second gateway data indicates the gateway.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first data packet comprises a request for the second gateway data.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the sending the network resource location associated with the gateway comprises sending, from the gateway and to the client device, the network resource location associated with the gateway, and
the accessing first gateway data associated with the gateway comprises sending, from the gateway, to the client device, and via the communication channel external to the WLAN, the first gateway data associated with the gateway.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the sending the network resource location associated with the gateway comprises sending, from a server located external to the WLAN and to the client device, the network resource location associated with the gateway, and
the accessing first gateway data associated with the gateway comprises sending, from the server, to the client device, and via the communication channel external to the WLAN, the first gateway data associated with the gateway.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, by the gateway, an indication that a first gateway indicated by the first gateway data and a second gateway indicated by the second gateway data match, wherein the determining that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway is further based on the indication that the first gateway indicated by the first gateway data and the second gateway indicated by the second gateway data match.

17. A system comprising:
a gateway of a wireless local area network (WLAN); and
a server located external to the WLAN, wherein the server is in communication, via one or more communication channels external to the WLAN, with the gateway and a client device associated with the WLAN,
wherein the gateway is configured to:
send, to the client device and via the one or more communication channels external to the WLAN, a network resource location associated with the gateway;
send first gateway data associated with the gateway;
receive, from the client device, and via the WLAN, a first data packet directed to the network resource location associated with the gateway;
send, to the client device, via the WLAN, and based on the first data packet directed to the network resource location associated with the gateway, second gateway data associated with the gateway;
receive an indication that a first gateway indicated by the first gateway data and a second gateway indicated by the second gateway data match; and
determine, based on the indication that the first gateway indicated by the first gateway data and the second gateway indicated by the second gateway data match, that the client device is configured to communicate, via the WLAN, with the gateway.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first data packet comprises a request for the second gateway data.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the gateway is configured to send, via the server, the network resource location associated with the gateway.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the gateway is configured to receive, fr

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Schmidt Weston
• Chen Michael
• Kotay Sreekant

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W24/06 Primary

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using simulated traffic · CPC title

• H04W48/17 Primary

  Selecting a data network PoA [Point of Attachment] · CPC title