Convenient use of push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) for provisioning wireless devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9191771-B2
Application number	US-201313906364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2013
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Nov 17, 2015
Grant date	Nov 17, 2015

Abstract

An access point (AP) in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure provides a convenient approach to provision wireless devices. In an embodiment, the AP initiates push button mode of WPS procedures with a wireless device, in response to receiving of a provisioning request from the wireless device, without requiring a WPS push button signal locally. The AP thereafter operates to complete provisioning of the wireless device. According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless device may also participate in push button mode of WPS, without requiring a push button signal locally. In an embodiment, a wireless device automatically transmits a request for provisioning. An AP within the transmission range, responds back with a command to initiate push button mode of WPS procedures. The wireless device communicates with the AP to complete provisioning.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of provisioning a wireless device for communication, said method being performed in an access point, said method comprising:
receiving a provisioning request from said wireless device;
examining an override data to check whether push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) can be initiated without requiring a WPS push button signal locally;
initiating push button mode of WPS procedures with said wireless device, without requiring said WPS push button signal locally, wherein said initiating is performed in response to said provisioning request only if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated without requiring said WPS push button signal; and
completing provisioning of said wireless device, wherein multiple wireless devices are provisioned without requiring said WPS push button signal locally upon receiving corresponding provisioning requests if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated without requiring said WPS push button signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said override data is set based on a user interface provided to a user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said provisioning request is received in a vendor specific information element field of a probe request frame transmitted by said wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said initiating includes triggering said wireless device to also initiate push button mode of WPS procedures,
wherein messages exchanged between said access point and said wireless device during said WPS procedures are identical to those that occur when WPS procedures are invoked by pressing of corresponding push buttons.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said triggering is achieved by transmitting a probe response frame from said access point to said wireless device, wherein a vendor specific information element field in said probe response frame contains information specifying that said wireless device should initiate WPS procedures.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said provisioning request is transmitted by said wireless device without requiring any push button to be pressed on said wireless device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated only upon receipt of said WPS push button signal, then waiting for said WPS push button signal for a pre-specified duration from receipt of said provisioning request; and
performing said initiating and said completing only if said WPS push button signal is received within said pre-specified duration.

8. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for provisioning a wireless device for communication with an access point, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said access point enables said access point to perform the actions of:
receiving a provisioning request from said wireless device;
examining an override data to check whether push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) can be initiated without requiring a WPS push button signal locally;
initiating push button mode of WPS procedures with said wireless device, without requiring said WPS push button signal, wherein said initiating is performed in response to said provisioning request only if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated without requiring said WPS push button signal; and
completing provisioning of said wireless device,
wherein multiple wireless devices are provisioned without requiring said WPS push button signal locally upon receiving corresponding provisioning requests if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated without requiring said WPS push button signal.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated only upon receipt of said WPS push button signal, said access point waits for said WPS push button signal for a pre-specified duration, and performs said initiating and said completing only if said WPS push button signal is received within said pre-specified duration.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein said provisioning request is received in a vendor specific information element field of a probe request frame transmitted by said wireless device.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein said initiating includes triggering said wireless device also to initiate push button mode of WPS procedures,
wherein messages exchanged between said access point and said wireless device during said WPS procedures are identical to those that would occur when WPS procedures are invoked by pressing of corresponding push buttons.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein said triggering is achieved by transmitting a probe response frame from said access point to said wireless device, wherein a vendor specific information element field in said probe response frame contains text specifying that said wireless device should initiate WPS procedures.

13. An access point to provision wireless devices, said access point comprising:
an override memory to store data indicating whether or not said push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) can be initiated without requiring a WPS push button signal locally in said access point;
a wireless interface enabled to receive a provisioning request from a wireless device; and
a provisioning block enabled to initiate push button mode of WPS procedures with said wireless device, without requiring a WPS push button signal locally, and to complete provisioning of said wireless device;
wherein said provisioning block examines said override register and initiates said push button mode of WPS procedures in response to said provisioning request only if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated without requiring said WPS push button signal,
wherein said access point provisions multiple wireless devices without requiring said WPS push button signal locally upon receiving corresponding provisioning requests if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS can be initiated without requiring said WPS push button signal.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein if said override data indicates that push button mode of WPS cannot be initiated without receipt of said WPS push button signal, said provisioning block waits for said WPS push button signal for a pre-specified duration starting from receipt of said provisioning request, and
initiates push button mode of WPS procedures only if said WPS push button signal is received within said pre-specified duration.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein said wireless interface receives said provisioning request in the form of a probe request frame, wherein said wireless interface forwards said probe request frame to said provisioning block,
wherein said provisioning block inspects a vendor specific information element field of said probe request frame to determine whether or not said wireless device has requested said provisioning request.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein said wireless interface, on command from said provisioning block, is further enabled to trigger said wireless device to also initiate push button mode of WPS procedures,
wherein messages exchanged between said access point and said wireless device during said WPS procedures are identical to those

Assignees

• Gainspan Corp

Inventors

• Viswanathan Prashant
• Batra Vishal
• Vyas Pankaj

Classifications

• H04L41/0806

  for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play · CPC title

• H04W12/04

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04L12/2807

  Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50) · CPC title

• H04W4/001 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W48/20

  Selecting an access point · CPC title