Abstract: A system and method for restricting access to a wireless network is disclosed herein. One or more access points are generally associated with the wireless network (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 wireless network), and a visitor gateway for automatically preventing visiting user from directly entering the wireless network. A command and control center communicates with the access points and the visitor gateway and controls data transfer and routing thereof. The visitor gateway can communicate with a remote computer network (e.g., the Internet) and restricts access to the wireless network by a visiting user through or from the remote computer network. The command and control center also can automatically route the visiting user to the visitor gateway when the visiting user attempts to access an access point associated with the wireless network.

Abstract: In a wireless network, an access point supports more than one service with appearance of availability simultaneously to the more than one service, wherein a service relates to supporting a particular protocol, band, channel, etc. An access point might use elements common to more than one service and switch between them often enough that client devices do not conclude that the access point is unavailable each time it is in fact not available for the service expected by the client device. The differing services might be different protocols, bands, channels, etc. The use of the “CTS to self” signal is one method of causing client stations within range to leave a service quiescent for a period so that the access point that sent the signal can activate another service.

Abstract: A system and method in which user management and radio management functionalities associated with a wireless network, such as an IEEE 802.11 wireless network, are integrated to provide wireless network services thereof. In general, according to the present invention disclosed herein, a link layer authentication module for linking a plurality of wireless network layers to one another is integrated with a network management module, such that the network management module and the link layer authentication module together form an integrated user and radio management module which provides wireless network services for the wireless network. The use of link layer authentication under the IEEE 802.1x standard can be integrated with network management functionality thereof in order to associate both and provide a variety of useful wireless network services.

Abstract: A system and method for managing control functions associated with access points of a wireless network. In general, one or more access points are associated with the wireless network (e.g., IEEE 802.11 wireless network). A control module is generally associated with the wireless network, wherein the control module manages and controls the access points associated with the wireless network, such that one or more control frames received by the access point are automatically transferred to the control module, which thereafter transfers a response back to the access point, thereby granting or denying access to the wireless network to users thereof based on the response transferred from the control module.

Abstract: A system and method for generating multiple independent networks using one or more access points of a wireless network are disclosed herein. An access point can serve multiple independent networks by partitioning broadcast messages such that less than all of the network devices able to receive data from the access point do receive and further process that data. In one embodiment, the partitioning is done by having different sets of one or more shared keys for different independent networks and encrypting frames. In that approach, broadcast frames for one network are received by network devices in the other networks, but are not decoded properly as the devices in the other network do not have access to the shared key needed to decode the broadcast frames. As a result, network devices in one network will discard broadcast frames of other networks.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring radio spectrum traffic and interference thereof in a wireless networks. One or more access points are generally associated with the wireless network and monitor passing frames addressed to the access point or otherwise. A command and control center is associated with the wireless network and is capable of communicating with the access points to receive data associated with one or more frames monitored by such access points. Additionally, the command and control center may direct an access point to actively generate radio traffic to be monitored. The returned data can be used to generate a radio mapping of the wireless network and the radio environment thereof based on data received from the access points.