Patent ID: 7418591

Claim:
A network configuration method of configuring a wireless network, comprising: an access point device receiving a network configuration request for configuring a new wireless network comprising the access point device and at least one client terminal; a first display step of displaying a first cipher key and a network identifier on a display unit of the access point device, the first cipher key and the network identifier being used for establishing a first wireless communication link through a first encrypted communication that does not require an authentication process; a first link establishing step of establishing, between the access point device and a client terminal, the first wireless communication link by inputting the first cipher key and the network identifier into the client terminal; a second display step of displaying information of the client terminal on the display unit of the access point device, the first wireless communication link having been established between the client terminal and the access point device in the first link establishing step; a determination step of determining whether the client terminal is to be authorized to participate in the network which is configured with a second wireless communication link through a second encrypted communication that requires the authentication process, where the client terminal is determined on the basis of a user operation of selecting information of a client terminal from among a plurality of information of client terminals which are displayed in the second display step; a sending step of, if the determination step determines that the client terminal is authorized to be configured in the network with the access point device, the access point device sending authentication data from said access point device to said client terminal in a state where the first wireless communication link through said first encrypted communication is established; a link discarding step of discarding the first wireless communication link through said first encrypted communication between said access point device and said client terminal in response to the sending of the authentication data to the client terminal by the access point device at said sending step; and a second link establishing step of establishing, between said access point device and said client terminal, the second wireless communication link through the second encrypted communication that requires the authentication process using the authentication data sent to said client terminal after discarding the first communication link at said link discarding step, the second wireless communication link having the same network identifier as that of the first wireless communication link.