Method and device for accounting in WiFi roaming based on AC and AP interworking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9686722-B2
Application number	US-201114345146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2011
Priority date	Sep 16, 2011
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A WiFi roaming method and device which perform an authentication and accounting process once for multiple APs, thereby reducing the load of an authentication server (RADIUS) in a WiFi roaming method, which separates a terminal session management function and a traffic control function by a access controller and a access point interworked with a tunneling method according to a CAPWAP (Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points) protocol.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, of operating WiFi roaming, performed by an access controller (AC), the method comprising:
receiving an access request of a mobile station from an first access point (AP);
in response to the receiving the access request, allocating an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the mobile station and initiating accounting by controlling an authentication server via authentication of the mobile station while communicating with the authentication server over a network;
permitting access of the mobile station to the first AP;
receiving, from a second AP, a request for access of the mobile station when the mobile station moves to a different location;
receiving, from the first AP, accounting information comprising an amount of data usage of the mobile station via the first AP;
receiving from a third AP, a request for access of the mobile station when the mobile station moves to a different location;
receiving, from the second AP, accounting information comprising an amount of data usage of the mobile station via the second AP;
accumulating the accounting information received from the first AP and the second AP of the mobile station; and
after permitting access of the mobile station to at least the third AP, transmitting, at regular intervals during at least one of a plurality of regular periods, the accumulated accounting information from the first AP and the second AP to the authentication server,
wherein, access of the mobile station to the second AP and the third AP is permitted based on station information stored in relation to access to the first AP without re-authentication of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if use of a wireless Internet service by the mobile station via the second AP is initiated after access to the second AP has been permitted, releasing access of the mobile station to the first AP.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an access request of the mobile station from the second AP before said access to the second AP is permitted; and
releasing access of the mobile station to the first AP.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after said access to the first AP or the second AP has been permitted, notifying the mobile station and the corresponding AP of an encryption key to implement wireless security; and
accessing, by the mobile station, the corresponding AP using the encryption key and using the wireless Internet service.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein accounting information, received and accumulated from a plurality of APs accessed by the mobile station while the mobile station is moving, is periodically transmitted to the authentication server, and wherein the authentication server statistically processes the received accounting information for each mobile station.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising one of:
transmitting, by the AC, the accumulated accounting information to the authentication server, wherein the transmitting is at predetermined intervals, or
receiving a request for the accumulated accounting information from the authentication server and transmitting, by the AC, the accumulated accounting information to the authentication server in response to the request.

7. An Access Controller (AC) for supporting operation of WiFi roaming, comprising:
an authenticator configured to allocate an Internet Protocol (IP) address to a mobile station when an access request of the mobile station is received from a first access point (AP), and configured to initiate accounting by controlling an authentication server via authentication of the mobile station while communicating with the authentication server over a network, and configured to permit access of the mobile station to the first AP after the authentication is successful, and configured to, when the mobile station is moved and requests access to a second AP, permit access of the mobile station to the second AP, and configured to, when the mobile station is moved and requests access to a third AP, permit access of the mobile station to the third AP;
a database (DB) configured to store information about each mobile station, access of which to the first AP is permitted; and
an accounting processor configured to receive, from the first AP, accounting information, comprising an amount of data usage of the mobile station via the first AP, and configured to receive, from the second AP, accounting information, comprising an amount of data usage of the mobile station via the second AP, and configured to accumulate the accounting information received from the first AP and the second AP, and configured to, after permitting access of the mobile station to at least the third AP, transmit, at regular intervals during at least one of a plurality of regular periods, the accumulated accounting information from the first AP and the second AP to the authentication server, wherein the authenticator is further configured to permit access of the mobile station to the second AP and the third AP based on station information stored in the DB in relation to access to the first AP without re-authenticating the mobile station, and
wherein the accounting processor is further configured to receive the accounting information from the first AP after the authenticator receives, from the second AP, a request for access of the mobile station to the second AP, and
wherein the accounting processor is further configured to receive the accounting information from the second AP after the authenticator receives, from the third AP, a request for access of the mobile station to the third AP.

8. The AC of claim 7 , wherein, after said access to the second AP is permitted, the authenticator is further configured to, if use of a wireless Internet service by the mobile station via the second AP is initiated, release access of the mobile station to the first AP.

9. The AC of claim 7 , wherein, before access to the second AP is permitted, the authenticator is configured to, if an access request of the mobile station is received from the second AP, release access of the mobile station to the first AP.

10. The AC of claim 7 , further comprising a security processor configured to, after access to the first AP or the second AP has been permitted, notify the mobile station and the corresponding AP of an encryption key to implement wireless security,
wherein the mobile station accesses the corresponding AP using the encryption key and uses the wireless Internet service.

11. A method, of operating WiFi roaming, performed by an access controller (AC), the method comprising:
receiving, from a first access point (AP), an access request of a mobile station;
in response to the receiving the access request, allocating an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the mobile station and initiating accounting by controlling an authentication server;
permitting access of the mobile station to the first AP based on the allocating and the accounting;
receiving, from a second AP, a request for access of the mobile station when the mobile station moves to a different location;
permitting access of the mobile station to the second AP based on the allocating and the accounting with respect to the first AP;
receiving, from the first AP, accounting information comprising an amount of data usage of the mobile station via the first AP;
receiving, from a third AP, a request for access of the mobile station when the mobile station moves to a different location;
permitting access of the mobile station to the third AP based on the allocating and the accounting with respect to the first AP;
receiving, from the second AP, accounting information comprising an amount of data u

Assignees

• Yoon Joo Young
• Han Kyu Jeong
• Ji Yung Ha
• Kt Corp

Inventors

• Yoon Joo Young
• Han Kyu Jeong
• Ji Yung Ha

Classifications

• H04W4/24

  Accounting or billing · CPC title

• H04W8/02 Primary

  Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks · CPC title

• H04W8/12

  between location registers or mobility servers · CPC title

• H04M15/8083

  involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts · CPC title

• H04W36/0038 Primary

  of security context information · CPC title