Community Wi-Fi network joined access point configuration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9326150-B2
Application number	US-201314071650-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2013
Priority date	Nov 5, 2013
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

Various technologies described herein pertain to configuring an access point in a local network for operation in a community Wi-Fi network. The community Wi-Fi network includes access points in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. A request to join the access point to the community Wi-Fi network is transmitted from the access point to a community aggregation system. Responsive to the request, the community aggregation system transmits a firmware update to the access point. The access point installs the firmware update in memory of the access point. Moreover, responsive to installation of the firmware update, the access point can share network bandwidth capacity with the member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network. Further, the community aggregation system supports transparent handoffs between access points in to the community Wi-Fi network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of configuring an access point in a local network, comprising:
transmitting, from the access point to a community aggregation system, a request to join the access point to a community Wi-Fi network, wherein the community Wi-Fi network comprises disparate access points in disparate local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network;
receiving, at the access point, a firmware update from the community aggregation system responsive to the request;
installing the firmware update in memory of the access point, wherein:
a first Service Set Identifier (SSD) mapped to the local network remains configured upon installation of the firmware update; and
installation of the firmware update configures a second SSID mapped to the community Wi-Fi network; and

responsive to the installation of the firmware update, sharing network bandwidth capacity allocated to an account with the member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network, wherein the network bandwidth capacity allocated to the account is accessible via the access point.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a data packet that comprises the second SSID mapped to the community Wi-Fi network from one of the member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network; and
based upon the second SSID mapped to the community Wi-Fi network, routing the data packet to the community aggregation system utilizing the network bandwidth capacity allocated to the account.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the disparate access points in the disparate local networks is configured to use the second SSID mapped to the community Wi-Fi network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the disparate access points in the disparate local networks is configured to use a third SSID mapped to the community Wi-Fi network, wherein the second SSID differs from the third SSID.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the access point from the community aggregation system, a certificate for authenticating the access point in the community Wi-Fi network;
initializing a communication session with a particular member computing device in the community Wi-Fi network; and
responsive to initialization of the communication session, transmitting the certificate for authenticating the access point in the community Wi-Fi network from the access point to the particular member computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
initializing a communication session with a particular member computing device in the community Wi-Fi network;
receiving, at the access point, a certificate from the particular member computing device; and
authenticating the particular member computing device utilizing the certificate;
wherein, responsive to authentication, the network bandwidth capacity allocated to the account is shared with the particular member computing device in the communication session.

7. A community aggregation system, comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory that comprises computer-executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform act including;
identifying connected access points of a member computing device in a community Wi-Fi network, wherein the member computing device has unexpired communication sessions with the connected access points, wherein the connected access points are in the community Wi-Fi network and each have a first Service Set Identifier (SSID) mapped to a corresponding local network and a second SSID mapped to the community Wi-Fi network, and wherein the community Wi-Fi network comprises access points in differing local networks that share respective network bandwidth capacities with member computing devices of the community Wi-Fi network;
receiving a data packet addressed to the member computing device;
selecting a first connected access point from the connected access points for delivery of the data packet; and
transmitting the data packet to the first connected access point for delivery to the member computing device.

8. The community aggregation system of claim 7 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform acts including:
predicting motion of the member computing device over time; and
determining an anticipated geographic location of the member computing device at a time of delivery of the data packet based upon the predicted motion;
wherein the first connected access point is selected for delivery of the data packet based upon the anticipated geographic location of the member computing device.

9. The community aggregation system of claim 8 , wherein the data packet forms part of a data object, and the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts including:
selectively managing compression of the data object as a function of the predicted motion of the member computing device over time.

10. The community aggregation system of claim 7 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts including:
selecting a second connected access point from the connected access points for duplicate delivery of the data packet; and
transmitting the data packet to the first connected access point and the second connected access point.

11. The community aggregation system of claim 7 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts including:
receiving a second data packet addressed to the member computing device, wherein the data packet and the second data packet form part of a data object;
selecting a second connected access point from the connected access points for delivery of the second data packet; and
transmitting the second data packet to the second connected access point for delivery to the member computing device.

12. The community aggregation system of claim 11 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause least one processor to perform acts including:
performing load balancing of data traffic with the member computing device across at least the first connected access point and the second connected access point.

13. The community aggregation system of claim 7 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts including:
receiving, from the member computing device via one of the connected access points, connection data indicating the connected access points of the member computing device.

14. The community aggregation system of claim 7 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts including:
selecting the first connected access point based at least in part upon costs of the respective network bandwidth capacities of the connected access points.

15. The community aggregation system of claim 7 , the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform

Assignees

• Macdonald David Neil
• Goyal Piyush
• Sharma Saumaya
• Guday Shai
• Kuehnel Thomas Werner
• Mazandarany Darya
• Lamba Triptpal Singh
• Ford Brent Edward
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Macdonald David Neil
• Goyal Piyush
• Sharma Saumaya
• Guday Shai
• Kuehnel Thomas Werner
• Mazandarany Darya
• Lamba Triptpal Singh
• Ford Brent Edward

Classifications

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W84/02

  Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop] · CPC title

• H04W76/11 Primary

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• H04W88/00

  Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices · CPC title

• H04W24/02 Primary

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title