Network device configuration by mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9173115-B2
Application number	US-201313954485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2013
Priority date	Jul 30, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2015
Grant date	Oct 27, 2015

Abstract

In one implementation, a wireless network device is automatically accessed and configured through a mobile device. The mobile device receives provisioning data encoded for installation and operation of a network device and decodes the provisioning data to identify at least one access parameter for the network device. The mobile device accesses a wireless network of the network device according to the access parameter. Once access has been established, the mobile device transmits a configuration signal including a network configuration setting through the wireless network to the network device for the installation of the network device. The network device is provisioned based on the network configuration setting.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
scanning, at a mobile device, an optically scannable image including provisioning data encoded for installation and operation of a network device;
decoding, at the mobile device, the provisioning data to identify at least one access parameter for the network device;
accessing, by the mobile device, a wireless network of the network device according to the at least one access parameter;
transmitting, from the mobile device, a configuration signal including at least one network configuration setting through the wireless network to the network device for the installation of the network device;
generating a uniform resource locator from the provisioning data; and
accessing data stored in the network device using a browser of the mobile device and the uniform resource locator,
wherein the at least one network configuration setting encoded in the provisioning data includes a network name and wherein the provisioning data includes an initial service set identification of the network device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
decoding the provisioning data to identify the at least one network configuration setting for the network device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one network configuration setting and the at least one access parameter are encoded into the optically scannable image.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein scanning the optically scannable image comprises:
capturing an image including the optically scannable image with a camera.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the optically scannable image includes a quick response code.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a message including the optically scannable image including provisioning data encoded for installation and operation of the network device.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a mobile device controller configured to receive provisioning data from an optically scannable image, the provisioning data encoded for installation and operation of a network device and decode the provisioning data to identify at least one access parameter for the network device and at least one network configuration setting for the network device, wherein the at least one network configuration setting includes an initial service set identification of the network device and the at least one access parameter includes a network name; and
a communication interface configured to automatically access the network device according to the access parameter and automatically transmit a configuration signal including the at least one network configuration setting to the network device for the installation of the network device,
wherein the mobile device controller is configured to generate a uniform resource locator from the provisioning data and access data stored in the network device using a browser and the uniform resource locator.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
an image capture device configured to capture the optically scannable image including the provisioning data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the image includes a quick response code.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least one access parameter includes a default name for a network and the at least one network configuration setting includes a provisioned name for the network.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the provisioning data includes a uniform resource locator that accesses a configuration mode of the network device.

12. A method comprising:
identifying at least one access parameter for a network device, wherein the at least one access parameter includes a network name;
identifying at least one network configuration setting for the network device, wherein the at least one network configuration setting includes an initial service set identification of the network device;
encoding the at least one access parameter and at least one network configuration setting into an optically scannable code; and
electronically providing the optically scannable code to a technician, wherein a uniform resource locator is generated from the provisioning data to access data stored in the network device using a browser and the uniform resource locator,
wherein the optically scannable code is configured to be scanned by a mobile device of the technician to identify the at least one access parameter and the at least one network configuration setting.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mobile device is configured to, in response to the optically scannable code, access a network through the network device and transmit a configuration signal including the at least one network configuration setting through the network to the network device.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein providing the optically scannable code comprises emailing the optically scannable code as an image.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one network configuration setting includes a security encryption and a password.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a database configured to associate at least one network device identifier with at least one access parameter for a network device and at least one network configuration setting for the network device wherein the at least one network configuration setting includes an initial service set identification of the network device and the at least one access parameter includes a network name; and
a controller configured to encode the at least one access parameter and the at least one network configuration setting into an optically scannable code,
wherein the controller is configured to generate an email including the optically scannable code to a technician, wherein the optically scannable code is configured to be scanned by a mobile device of the technician to identify the at least one access parameter and the at least one network configuration setting,
wherein a uniform resource locator is generated from the scannable code to access data stored in the network device using a browser and the uniform resource locator.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the access parameter includes a default address and a default password for the network device.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Sundareswaran Nitya
• Suri Rohit
• Lakshminarayan Keerti
• Lin Lizhen
• Tong Mei
• Nagaraju Manjunathaharsha

Classifications

• H04W88/18

  Service support devices; Network management devices · CPC title

• H04W24/02 Primary

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04L61/5014

  using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP] · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04L63/083

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title