Patent ID: 8166296

Claim:
A method for building a first ad hoc network including a plurality of access devices, comprising: receiving, at an access server configured to establish secure communications between the access server and access devices, first data from a first access device, wherein the first data includes a first credential; verifying that the first credential is enrolled with the access server; sending a cryptographic key corresponding to the first credential to the first access device; receiving, at the access server, a second data from a second access device, wherein the second data includes the first credential; verifying that the first credential is enrolled with the access server; and sending, from the access server, the cryptographic key associated with the first credential to the second access device, wherein the first access device and the second access device join the first ad hoc network using the cryptographic key, and wherein the first ad hoc network is cryptographically separate from a second ad hoc network including access devices authenticated to the access server using a second credential.