Patent Description:
In recent years, media devices have been provided with Internet connectivity and the ability to retrieve media from the Internet. As such, media exposure has shifted away from conventional methods of presentation such as broadcast television, towards presentation via consumer devices accessing media via the Internet.

Media providers and/or other entities such as advertising companies, broadcast networks, etc. are often interested in the viewing, listening, and/or media behavior of audience members and/or public in general. The media usage and/or exposure habits of monitored audience members, as well as demographic data about the audience members, are collected and used to statistically determine the size and demographics of an audience of interest.

Traditionally, audience measurement entities determine audience engagement levels for media programming and/or advertisements based on registered panel members. That is, an audience measurement entity enrolls people who consent to be monitored into a panel. The audience measurement entity then monitors those panel members to collect media measurement data identifying media (e.g., television programs, radio programs, movies, DVDs, etc.) presented to those panel members. In this manner, the audience measurement entity can determine exposure measures for different media (e.g., content and/or advertisement) based on the collected media measurement data.

A method and apparatus to monitor media in a direct media network is disclosed in <CIT>. The apparatus comprises a peer-to-peer (P2P) administrator to establish a first direct media network, the P2P administrator operating as a Group Owner of the first direct media network. The apparatus further comprises a media presenter to transmit media obtained from a streaming client device to a media presentation device different than the apparatus via the first direct media network, a message generator to generate a message including an identification of the media, and a network communicator to transmit the message to a central facility via a network.

In <CIT>, a method and apparatus for communication with an audience metering device are disclosed. An example method includes identifying a context of a message to be transmitted to a configuration device. In response to identifying the context of the message is a first context, the message is stored in a first characteristic memory of the audience measurement device. In response to identifying that the context of the message is a second context, the message is stored in a second characteristic memory of the audience measurement device. The example method includes advertising, to the configuration device, that the message is stored in at least one of the first characteristic memory or the second characteristic memory.

According to <CIT>, a panel provider may transmit queries to an audience measurement server to retrieve measurement data for subsets of clients selected via one or more characteristics, such as characteristics of the client, characteristics of the client's device, characteristics of the received content, etc. To protect panel data, the panel provider need not identify these characteristics to the audience measurement server; rather, queries may be made via a plurality of filters that may be applied to client and/or content identifiers.

In <CIT> (prior art falling under Article <NUM>(<NUM>) EPC) , methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for facilitating network credential updates for media meters. An example method disclosed herein includes accessing a monitoring record from a media monitor received over secondary communication network, determining, by executing an instruction with at least one processor, an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a primary communication network based on a household associated with the monitoring record, transmitting a request to the IP address and in response to not receiving a response from the IP address, transmitting a notification to a mobile device associated with the household, the notification indicating that a network credential associated with the media monitor is to be updated.

The figures are not to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers or regions may be enlarged in the drawings. In general, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.

Apparatuses and methods for monitoring wireless traffic are described according to claim <NUM> (apparatus), and claim <NUM> (method). Further detailed embodiments are described in the dependent claims. Media monitors can be installed into consenting households to monitor media consumed in that household. With recent advances in Internet technology, streaming media have become a major source of media for consumers. Certain types of media monitors, called streaming meters, allow media streamed over a network (e.g., the Internet, etc.) to be monitored. In some examples, streaming meters monitor home wireless networks (e.g., WI-FI networks, etc.) to collect records of media streamed to media devices in the home. In some examples, streaming meters use packet injection and false disassociation/deauthentication to gain passively monitor WI-FI traffic (e.g., by obtaining a Wi-Fi Protected Access <NUM> (WPA2) session key, etc.).

As used herein, streaming refers to a transmission of an object in which the object is used by the destination before entirety of the object is received by the destination. For example, streaming media refers to the transmission of a media object (e.g., a video file, an audio file, etc.), wherein presentation of the media object at a destination may begin before the entirety of the media object is received by the destination. While examples described herein refer to monitoring streaming media, any type of media that travels via a wireless network such as a WI-FI network may be monitored in accordance with this disclosure.

Current streaming meter methods suffer from several problems that make monitoring WI-FI traffic difficult. Firstly, WI-FI Access Points protected management frames (e.g., as described in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM>. <NUM> w) prevent the streaming meter from forcibly disconnecting a WI-FI client using packet injection, which further prevents the streaming meter from decoding the associated WI-FI traffic. Secondly, future WI-FI security protocols (e.g., WPA3, etc.) may utilize encryption to prevent a third party device from obtaining session keys from traffic monitoring. In such examples, future WI-FI security protocols may only allow bandwidth usage to be determined by a snooping device and not allow for the collection of details of wireless transactions. Thirdly, multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) configurations and multi-user multiple input/multiple output (MU-MIMO) configurations make determining the location of the streaming meter more important in decoding the traffic. In some examples, such configurations make reconstructing multiple signals into useful data difficult.

Methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein enable the monitoring of WI-FI traffic using an alternate access point installed into a home with the same network credentials (e.g., Service Set Identifier (SSID), password, etc.) as the home's primary access point on a different channel. In some examples disclosed herein, the alternate access point, referred to as an alternate access point, includes a router, a traffic monitor, a media monitor, a frame generator and an ethernet switch. In some examples disclosed herein, the router is used for communication with clients and provides conventional access point functionalities. In some examples disclosed herein, the traffic monitor is used to monitor traffic of the household's access point and for packet generation. In some examples disclosed herein, the frame generator can reroute traffic to the alternate access point using a fake channel change announcement (e.g., imposter channel change announcement, etc.). In such examples disclosed herein, the alternate access point can capture a frame (e.g., a beacon frame) associated with the primary access point and insert a channel change announcement to instruct the Wi-Fi client to switch to the channel associated with the alternate access point.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an example environment <NUM> in which the teachings of this disclosure may be implemented. In the illustrated example, the environment <NUM> includes an example WI-FI client <NUM>, an example primary access point <NUM>, an example alternate access point <NUM> and an example external network <NUM>. In the illustrated example, the WI-FI client <NUM> and the primary access point <NUM> exchange first communications <NUM>, which include media requests transmitted by the WI-FI client. In the illustrated example, the alternate access point <NUM> transmits second communications <NUM> which causes the primary access point <NUM> to disconnect from the WI-FI client <NUM>. In the illustrated example, the alternate access point <NUM> and the example WI-FI client <NUM> exchange third communications <NUM> include media requests transmitted by the WI-FI client. In the illustrated example, the environment <NUM> is a home of a consumer. In other examples, the environment <NUM> can be any area in which streaming media is viewed (e.g., public transit, a business, etc.).

The example WI-FI client <NUM> is a device that retrieves media from the external network <NUM> for presentation. In some examples, the WI-FI client <NUM> is capable of directly presenting media (e.g., via a display). In other examples, the WI-FI client <NUM> can present the media on separate media presentation equipment (e.g., speakers, a display, etc.). Thus, the WI-FI client <NUM> may or may not be able to present media without assistance from a second device. WI-FI clients are typically consumer electronics. For example, the WI-FI client <NUM> can be an Internet-enabled mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a portable music player , a portable video player, etc.), video game consoles, tablet computers, digital media players (e.g., digital video recorder, over-the-top devices, etc.), smart televisions, desktop computers, laptop computers, servers, etc..

The example primary access point <NUM> is a networking device that facilities connection between WI-FI client <NUM> and the external network <NUM>. In some examples, the primary access point <NUM> is a hardware device provided by the internet provider of environment <NUM>. In some examples, the primary access point <NUM> can be connected to a router. In other examples, the primary access point <NUM> can be integrated into a router. In the illustrated example, the primary access point <NUM> communicates with the WI-FI client <NUM> using management frames (e.g., beacon frames, etc.). In some examples, the WI-FI client <NUM> and the primary access point <NUM> exchange first communications <NUM> which can include the management frames, media requests, etc..

The example alternate access point <NUM> is networking device that facilitates a connection between the WI-FI client <NUM> and the external network <NUM>. In the illustrated example, the alternate access point <NUM> has the same network credentials (e.g., the same SSID and password, etc.) as the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, the alternate access point <NUM> has a different channel than the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, the primary access point <NUM> is a hardware device provided by a monitoring agency (e.g., a monitoring element of a media provider, an independent monitoring entity, etc.). In some examples, the alternate access point <NUM> monitors the traffic of the primary access point <NUM> (e.g., via the second communications <NUM>, etc.). In some examples, the alternate access point <NUM> can intercept a management frame sent by the primary access point <NUM> to the WI-FI client <NUM>. In such examples, the primary access point <NUM> can insert a channel change request into the management frame. In some examples, the channel change request can conform to the standard set forth in IEEE <NUM>. In such examples, the channel change request is a broadcast packet and cannot be protected by <NUM>.

In some examples, the channel change request can instruct the WI-FI client <NUM> to connect to the alternate access point <NUM>. In some examples, once the WI-FI client <NUM> is connected to the alternate access point <NUM> (e.g., via the third communications <NUM>), the alternate access point <NUM> can directly connect to the external network <NUM> (not depicted. ) In other examples, the alternate access point <NUM> can connect the WI-FI client <NUM> to the external network <NUM> via any other suitable means. In some examples, when presented with two access points with the same SSID, a WI-FI client (e.g., the WI-FI client <NUM>, etc.) will connect to the access point with the strongest signal. In such examples, the alternate access point <NUM> can be configured to have a stronger signal than the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, when the WI-FI client <NUM> is connected to the alternate access point <NUM>, the WI-FI client <NUM> can transmit the example third communications <NUM>. In such examples, the example third communications <NUM> can include the media requests. In some examples, the alternate access point <NUM> can create records of media transmitted to the WI-FI client via the alternate access point <NUM>. In some examples, if the alternate access point <NUM> fails (e.g., a power failure, etc.), the WI-FI client <NUM> will automatically reconnect to the primary access point <NUM> (e.g., by reassuming the communications <NUM>). In some examples, the example alternate access point <NUM> can also be physically connected to one or more media devices (e.g., via an ethernet connection, etc.). In such examples, the alternate access point <NUM> can also monitor traffic transmitted via the physical connection.

The example external network <NUM> is an example network that extends over an area larger than the environment <NUM>. For example, the external network <NUM> can include the Internet, a wide-area network (WAN), etc. The example external network <NUM> allows the WI-FI client <NUM> to connect to a web-location that contains media (e.g., a server associated with a streaming service, etc.). In such examples, the external network <NUM> can facilitate to the transmission of the media to the WI-FI client <NUM> via the primary access point <NUM> and/or the alternate access point <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram an example implementation of the alternate access point <NUM> of <FIG>. The example alternate access point <NUM> includes an example wireless interface <NUM>, an example traffic monitor <NUM>, an example frame generator <NUM>, an example router <NUM>, an example media monitor <NUM> and an example ethernet switch <NUM>.

The example wireless interface <NUM> receives wireless transmissions transmitted within its detection range and transmits wireless signals from the alternate access point <NUM> to the WI-FI client <NUM>. For example, the example wireless interface <NUM> can receive transmissions from the WI-FI client <NUM> and/or the alternate access point <NUM>. In some examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can configure the network credentials (e.g., the SSID, the password, etc.) of the alternate access point <NUM>. For examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can receive instructions to change the SSID and password of the alternate access point <NUM> to that of the primary access point <NUM>. In other examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can configure any other suitable characteristics of the alternate access point <NUM>. In some examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can be implemented using multiple interfaces. In such examples, a first one or more wireless interfaces may monitor traffic and/or packet injection. In such examples, a second one or more wireless interfaces may facilitate standard communication with the WI-FI clients (e.g., the WI-FI client <NUM>, etc.). In some such examples, the first one or more wireless interfaces may not include any of the second one or more wireless interfaces. In other examples, one or more wireless interfaces may be shared by the first one or more wireless interfaces and the second one or more wireless interfaces.

The example traffic monitor <NUM> monitors the traffic of the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can additionally craft the packets used to interact with the WI-FI client <NUM>. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can detect and intercept the management frames transmitted by the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can query the router <NUM> to determine the network addresses of packets transmitted and/or intercepted via the alternate access point <NUM>. For example, the traffic monitor <NUM> can identify identifiers (e.g., a MAC address, an SSID, etc.) identified in the communications between the Wi-Fi client <NUM> and the primary access point <NUM> that indicate the identity of the Wi-Fi client <NUM> and the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can analysis traffic transmitted via the alternate access point <NUM>. In such examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can identify traffic related to media requests from streaming services. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can also monitor traffic transmitted over one or more physical connections.

The example frame generator <NUM> generates and/or modifies frames to be transmitted by the router <NUM> via the wireless interface <NUM>. For example, the frame generator <NUM> can generate management, control and/or data frames to be used to modify the connection between the WI-FI client <NUM>, the primary access point <NUM> and/or the alternate access point <NUM>. For example, the frame generator <NUM> can modify a captured beacon frame to include a channel change request. In some examples, the frame generator <NUM> identifies the section of the management frame associated with transmission channel. In such examples, the frame generator <NUM> inserts, modifies and/or otherwise changes the channel associated with the captured modified frame. In such examples, the frame generator <NUM> can cause the captured beacon frame to include instructions for the WI-FI client <NUM> to connect to the channel associated with the alternate access point <NUM>.

The example router <NUM> is used for communications with WI-FI clients (e.g., the WI-FI client <NUM>) and to allow the alternate access point <NUM> with conventional access point functionalities. For example, the router <NUM> can direct data packets received via the wireless interface <NUM> and/or external network <NUM> to their intended destinations. In such examples, the router <NUM> can detect a network address embedded in the packet to determine the destination of the packet. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> and/or the media monitor <NUM> can interface with the router <NUM> to receive the network address. In some examples, the router <NUM> can include any number of individual routers configured to specific WI-FI transmission bands (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, etc.).

The example media monitor <NUM> analyzes media requests transmitted via the alternate access point <NUM>. For example, the media monitor <NUM> can extract information from a media request (e.g., a request to stream media from a streaming service, etc.) that includes media identifying information. In some examples, the media monitor <NUM> extracts a watermark and/or generates a fingerprint based on the transmitted media request. In some examples, the media monitor <NUM> correlates the destination of the media request (e.g., a particular streaming service, etc.) and the media request to identify the media associated with the media request (e.g., via a look-up table, etc.). In some examples, the media identifying information can include user identifying information. In some examples, the media monitor <NUM> can transmit the extracted media identifying information to a central facility of an audience measurement entity. In such examples, the media monitor <NUM> can transmit the media identifying information periodically or continuously. In some examples, the media monitor <NUM> can store the media identifying information on a memory associated with the alternate access point <NUM>. In such examples, the media identifying information can manually be retrieved by a technician associated with the audience measurement entity.

The example ethernet switch <NUM> enables ethernet connections into the alternate access point <NUM>. For example, the ethernet switch <NUM> allows the alternate access point <NUM> to be physically connected with a media device (e.g., a personal computer, etc.). In such examples, the ethernet switch <NUM> allows the alternate access point <NUM> to monitor media transmitted to physically connected devices (e.g., over an ethernet cable, etc.). In some examples, the ethernet switch <NUM> can be coupled to the primary access point <NUM> (e.g., as illustrated in <FIG>, etc.). In other examples, the ethernet switch <NUM> can be coupled to any suitable external connection. In some examples, the ethernet switch <NUM> can be absent. In such examples, the alternate access point <NUM> can communicate with the external network via wireless communication.

While an example manner of implementing the alternate access point <NUM> of <FIG> is illustrated in <FIG>, one or more of the elements, processes and/or devices illustrated in <FIG> may be combined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other way. Further, the example wireless interface <NUM>, the example traffic monitor <NUM>, the example frame generator <NUM>, the example router <NUM>, the example media monitor <NUM>, the example ethernet switch <NUM> and/or, more generally, the example alternate access point <NUM> of <FIG> may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware and/or any combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the example wireless interface <NUM>, the example traffic monitor <NUM>, the example frame generator <NUM>, the example router <NUM>, the example media monitor <NUM>, the example ethernet switch <NUM> and/or, more generally, the example alternate access point <NUM> could be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits, programmable processor(s), programmable controller(s), graphics processing unit(s) (GPU(s)), digital signal processor(s) (DSP(s)), application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)). When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent to cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the wireless interface <NUM>, the example traffic monitor <NUM>, the example frame generator <NUM>, the example router <NUM>, the example media monitor <NUM> and/or the example ethernet switch <NUM> is/are hereby expressly defined to include a non-transitory computer readable storage device or storage disk such as a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc. including the software and/or firmware. Further still, the example alternate access point <NUM> of <FIG> may include one or more elements, processes and/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated in <FIG>, and/or may include more than one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes and devices. As used herein, the phrase "in communication," including variations thereof, encompasses direct communication and/or indirect communication through one or more intermediary components, and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and/or constant communication, but rather additionally includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and/or one-time events.

<FIG> are block diagrams illustrating interactions between the WI-FI client <NUM>, the alternate access point <NUM>, and the primary access point <NUM>. <FIG> depicts an example first configuration <NUM>. The first configuration <NUM> depicts the example WI-FI client <NUM> and the primary access point <NUM> establishing an example connection <NUM>. In the illustrated example of <FIG>, the alternate access point <NUM> can detect the connection <NUM> with an interception <NUM>. For example, the traffic monitor <NUM> can detect the connection <NUM> and capture a beacon frame associated with the connection <NUM>. In some examples, the beacon frame is not protected (e.g., encrypted, etc.) so the alternate access point <NUM> can intercept and read it without decryption.

<FIG> depicts the example configuration <NUM> after the alternate access point <NUM> has monitored the connection <NUM>. The example first configuration <NUM> depicts the example alternate access point <NUM> transmitting an example channel change command <NUM>. In some examples, the example channel change command <NUM> includes a command to change the channel associated with the connection <NUM> (e.g., the channel of the primary access point <NUM>, etc.) to the channel associated with the alternate access point <NUM>. In some examples, the WI-FI client <NUM> can receive the channel change command <NUM>.

<FIG> depicts the example configuration <NUM> after the WI-FI client <NUM> has received the channel change command <NUM>. In the illustrated example of <FIG>, the WI-FI client <NUM> has established the connection <NUM> to the alternate access point <NUM>. In such examples, the WI-FI client <NUM> transmits media requests via the alternate access point <NUM>.

Flowcharts representative of example hardware logic, machine readable instructions, hardware implemented state machines, and/or any combination thereof for implementing the alternate access point <NUM> of <FIG> are shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The machine readable instructions may be one or more executable programs or portion(s) of an executable program for execution by a computer processor such as the processor <NUM> shown in the example processor platform <NUM> discussed below in connection with <FIG>. The program may be embodied in software stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a DVD, a Blu-ray disk, or a memory associated with the processor <NUM>, but the entire program and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executed by a device other than the processor <NUM> and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware. Further, although the example program is described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, many other methods of implementing the example alternate access point <NUM> may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks may be implemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., discrete and/or integrated analog and/or digital circuitry, an FPGA, an ASIC, a comparator, an operational-amplifier (op-amp), a logic circuit, etc.) structured to perform the corresponding operation without executing software or firmware.

The machine readable instructions described herein may be stored in one or more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmented format, a packaged format, etc. Machine readable instructions as described herein may be stored as data (e.g., portions of instructions, code, representations of code, etc.) that may be utilized to create, manufacture, and/or produce machine executable instructions. For example, the machine readable instructions may be fragmented and stored on one or more storage devices and/or computing devices (e.g., servers). The machine readable instructions may require one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, updating, combining, supplementing, configuring, decryption, decompression, unpacking, distribution, reassignment, etc. in order to make them directly readable and/or executable by a computing device and/or other machine. For example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in multiple parts, which are individually compressed, encrypted, and stored on separate computing devices, wherein the parts when decrypted, decompressed, and combined form a set of executable instructions that implement a program such as that described herein. In another example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in a state in which they may be read by a computer, but require addition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc. in order to execute the instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In another example, the machine readable instructions may need to be configured (e.g., settings stored, data input, network addresses recorded, etc.) before the machine readable instructions and/or the corresponding program(s) can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, the disclosed machine readable instructions and/or corresponding program(s) are intended to encompass such machine readable instructions and/or program(s) regardless of the particular format or state of the machine readable instructions and/or program(s) when stored or otherwise at rest or in transit.

As mentioned above, the example processes of <FIG> and <FIG> may be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/or machine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a cache, a random-access memory and/or any other storage device or storage disk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the term non-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media.

The program <NUM> of <FIG> includes block <NUM>. At block <NUM>, the wireless interface <NUM> configures the network credentials of the alternate access point <NUM> to the same as the primary access point <NUM>. For example, the wireless interface <NUM> can receive the SSID and password from the household associated with the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, a technician installing the alternate access point <NUM> can ask a member of the household for the password. In such examples, the technician can provide the network credentials to the alternate access point via the wireless interface <NUM>. In other examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can configure any other suitable credentials of the alternate access point <NUM>. In other examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can receive network credentials (e.g., the SSID and/or password) by any other suitable means.

At block <NUM>, the traffic monitor <NUM> detects connection of the WI-FI client <NUM> to the primary access point <NUM>. For example, the traffic monitor <NUM> can detect the transmission of a beacon frame from the primary access point <NUM> to the WI-FI client <NUM> via transmissions detected by the wireless interface <NUM>. In some examples, the wireless interface <NUM> can determine identifier(s) included in the communications between the WI-FI client <NUM> to the primary access point <NUM> (e.g., a MAC address, an SSID, etc.). In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can detect any other suitable transmission from the primary access point <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the traffic monitor <NUM> captures a beacon frame from the primary access point <NUM>. For example, the traffic monitor <NUM> receives a beacon frame detected by traffic monitor during the execution from block <NUM>. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can wait for a beacon frame to be transmitted by the primary access point <NUM>. In some examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can identify the transmitted beacon frame based on an identifier associated with WI-FI client <NUM> and/or the primary access point <NUM>. In other examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can capture a beacon frame by any other suitable means.

At block <NUM>, the frame generator <NUM> inserts a channel change announcement into the capture beacon frame. For example, the frame generator <NUM> can insert a channel change announcement into the captured beacon frame that causes the WI-FI client <NUM> to connect to the alternate access point <NUM>. In such examples, because the alternate access point <NUM> has the same network credentials as the primary access point <NUM>, the WI-FI client <NUM> can connect to the primary access point <NUM> without additional information in the event of a failure of the alternate access point <NUM>. At block <NUM>, the frame generator <NUM> outputs the modified beacon frame to WI-FI client <NUM> via the wireless interface <NUM>. For example, the WI-FI client <NUM> can receive the modified beacon frame and begin communication with the alternate access point <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the router <NUM> determines if a connection between the alternate access point <NUM> and the WI-FI client <NUM> has been established. For example, the router <NUM> can determine if packets and/or frames are being exchanged between the WI-FI client <NUM> and/or alternate access point <NUM>. If the connection has been established, the process <NUM> returns to block <NUM>. If the connection has not been established, the process <NUM> returns to block <NUM>.

The program <NUM> of <FIG> begins at block <NUM>. At block <NUM>, the traffic monitor <NUM> to detect a media request from the WI-FI client <NUM>. For example, the traffic monitor <NUM> can detect a request transmitted to a streaming service via the alternate access point. In other examples, the traffic monitor <NUM> can detect a media request by any other suitable method.

At block <NUM>, the example media monitor <NUM> extracts media identifying information from media request. For example, the media monitor <NUM> can extract a media identifier from the media identifier. In some examples, the media monitor <NUM> can extract other information from the media request (e.g., demographic information associated with a user of the WI-FI client <NUM>, a timestamp related to the.

At block <NUM>, the router <NUM> transmits media identifying information to the audience measurement entity. For example, the router <NUM> can cause the media identifying to be transmitted via the ethernet switch <NUM>. In other examples, the router <NUM> can cause the media identifying information to be transmitted via any other suitable means (e.g., wireless, cellular, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the media identifying information can be stored on a memory associated with the alternate access point <NUM>. In such examples, the media identifying information can be retrieved from the alternate access point <NUM> by a technician associated with the audience measurement entity.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an example processor platform <NUM> structured to execute the instructions of <FIG> and <FIG> to implement the alternate access point <NUM> of <FIG>. For example, the processor platform <NUM> can be a router manufactured to implement the teachings of this disclosure, can be a router that has been modified after manufacture (e.g., modified firmware, modified software, adding or removing hardware, etc.), and/or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the processor platform <NUM> can be a server, a personal computer, a workstation, a self-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobile device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as an iPad™), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a DVD player, a CD player, a digital video recorder, a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, a personal video recorder, a set top box, a headset or other wearable device, or any other type of computing device.

For example, the processor <NUM> can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer. The hardware processor may be a semiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) device. In this example, the processor implements the example wireless interface <NUM>, the example traffic monitor <NUM>, the example frame generator <NUM>, the example router <NUM>, the example media monitor <NUM> and the example ethernet switch <NUM>.

The interface circuit <NUM> may be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as one or more Ethernet interface(s), one or more universal serial bus(es) (USB), one or more Bluetooth® interface(s), one or more near field communication (NFC) interface(s), and/or one or more PCI express interface(s).

The communication can be via, for example, an Ethernet connection, a WI-FI connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, a satellite system, a line-of-site wireless system, a cellular telephone system, etc..

The machine executable instructions <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG> may be stored in the mass storage device <NUM>, in the volatile memory <NUM>, in the non-volatile memory <NUM>, and/or on a removable non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been disclosed that allow monitoring of Wi-Fi traffic using an alternate access point. The example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture capture all Wi-Fi traffic that would be routed through the primary access point without needing to decode the traffic. Additionally, because the alternate AP uses the network credentials as the primary AP, it is transparent to users when they are moved to another access point. Furthermore, by broadcasting a change channel announcement, clients using the primary AP can be convinced to transfer to the alternate access point. Such a broadcast can appear to originate with primary AP by capturing a modifying a message transmitted by the primary AP (e.g., selecting a message for modification that is not encrypted by the primary AP). Additionally, if the alternate access point malfunctions, the client device will automatically connect back to the primary access point.

Claim 1:
An alternative access point apparatus (<NUM>) configured to monitor wireless traffic, the apparatus comprising:
a first wireless interface (<NUM>) configured to establish a wireless connection with first network credentials to match second network credentials of a primary access point (<NUM>), the primary access point (<NUM>) being a separate device from the alternative access point (<NUM>);
a second wireless interface (<NUM>), different than the first wireless interface (<NUM>), configured to monitor traffic;
a traffic monitor (<NUM>) configured to:
identify, via the traffic monitored via the second wireless interface, a connection of a Wi-Fi client (<NUM>) to the primary access point (<NUM>); and
capture a management frame transmitted from the primary access point (<NUM>) to the Wi-Fi client (<NUM>);
a frame generator (<NUM>) configured to insert a change channel announcement into the captured management frame; and
a router (<NUM>) configured to cause the first wireless interface to re-transmit the captured management frame including the change channel announcement, the channel change announcement is to cause the Wi-Fi client (<NUM>) to connect to the alternative access point apparatus (<NUM>).