Patent ID: 7069024

Claim:
A method for determining a location of an unauthorized wireless access point (“AP”) accessing a communication network, comprising: upon notification of existence of the unauthorized AP, tracking a beacon of the unauthorized AP using at least three authorized APs of the communication network; generating a tracking data record partially based on information obtained in the tracking step, the tracking record including a location of each of the authorized APs and at least one of (i) a first strength data corresponding to a strength of the tracking beacon as measured by each of the authorized APs and (ii) a first time data corresponding to a time period that it takes for the tracking beacon to arrive at each of the authorized APs; and determining the location of the unauthorized AP as a function of at least one of (i) the tracking record and (ii) a calibrating record, the calibrating record including (a) at least one of a second strength data corresponding to a strength of a calibrating beacon as transmitted from a predetermined location within the communication network and received by each of the authorized APs and a second time data corresponding to a time period that it takes for the calibrating beacon to arrive from the predetermined location to each of the authorized AP, (b) the predetermined location and (c) the location of each of the authorized AP.