Patent ID: 9084111
Filing Date: 2015-07-14
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: detecting, by a network device in a wireless network, a roaming or connection pattern of one or more wireless clients in the wireless network based on requests received from the wireless clients; prioritizing two or more of: (1) a first selecting rule based on an initial association of a particular wireless client with the wireless network; (2) a second selecting rule based on at least one of a roaming pattern and a connection pattern of the particular wireless client; (3) a third selecting rule based on a random election among a plurality of network devices capable of servicing as the appropriate key holder for the particular wireless client; or (4) a fourth selecting rule based on connectivity of the particular wireless client; and selecting a key holder for storing a second level key for a particular wireless client among a plurality of network devices based on prioritized rules, wherein the second level key is derived from a first level key which is derived from a pre-configured key, and wherein the second level key is used to generate a derived security key for authenticating the particular wireless client.