Patent ID: 8102814
Filing Date: 2012-01-24
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: (A) receiving in a mesh access point one or more advertisements from one or more potential parent mesh access points of at least one wireless mesh network, each mesh network having a mesh network identifier and controlled by a mesh network controller, each advertisement including the mesh network identifier; and wherein the access point includes non-volatile memory in which an access point profile data structure is stored, the access point profile data structure being pre-configured, prior to joining any wireless mesh network, with a plurality of sub-profiles, such that the mesh access point is able to join a mesh network controlled by a controller using information in the pre-defined sub-profiles, the pre-defined sub-profiles including two or more of: the method further comprising: (B) selecting by the mesh access point a particular wireless mesh network controlled by a particular controller, and a particular parent mesh access point of the particular wireless mesh network, the selecting using one or more parameters stored in the access point profile, (C) setting up a physical radio link with a particular parent mesh access point as a child mesh access point; (D) requesting association with the particular parent mesh access point as a potential child mesh access point of the particular parent mesh access point, the requesting using one or more parameters in the access point profile data structure, including one or more parameters in the security sub-profile data structure; (E) receiving a response to the association request; and (F) in the case that the received response is positive, using one or more policies stored in the access point profile data structure to join the particular wireless mesh network via the particular parent mesh access point; and after joining the particular mesh network, transmitting from the mesh access point advertisements to indicate the mesh access point's access point capabilities, wherein in the case the indication is that mutual authentication is required, the using one or more policies to join includes mutual authenticating with the mesh access point as supplicant, starting with credential information stored in the security sub-profile of the access point profile data structure.