Patent ID: 8559337

Claim:
A system for converging Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) networks, comprising: an interworking adaptor (IWA) or interworking control function (IWCF), wherein the IWA or IWCF is configured to communicate with an access point (AP)/access controller (AC) of the WiFi network and also configured to communicate with an entity in a connectivity service network (CSN) of the WiMAX network, and the IWA or IWCF is further configured to perform access control on a terminal STA/MS accessing the CSN from the WiFi network, wherein the entity in the CSN is specifically an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server; the IWA or IWCF is configured to receive an access authentication message from the AP/AC, wherein the access authentication message carries identity information of the terminal STA/MS; the IWA or IWCF is further configured to forward the access authentication message and the identity information of the STA/MS carried in the access authentication message to the AAA server, so that the AAA server performs access authentication on the STA/MS; the IWA or IWCF is further configured to, before receiving the access authentication message from the AP/AC, send an access authentication request message to the AP/AC, so that the AP/AC forwards the access authentication request message to the STA/MS; and the access authentication message received by the IWA or IWCF from the AP/AC is sent by the STA/MS to the AP/AC.