Abstract: To achieve a secure and fast handover in a distributed mobile communication environment (10), the control functionality is lying at the borderline between wireless and wire-bound communication network elements, and it is proposed to, firstly, execute a mutual authentication between a mobile device (26) and a new access point (14) using security context information previously transmitted to the new access point. Then, after successful mutual authentication, a handover will be executed from the current access point (12) to the new access point (14).

Abstract: In a wireless system comprising a server and at least one access point operatively coupled to the server, a technique for controlling access to the at least one access point comprises the steps of: (i) assigning a profile to a station adapted for communication with the system, the profile representing at least an access characteristic of the station; and (ii) associating the station to the at least one access point based at least in part on the profile assigned to the station. Access to the at least one access point by the station is thereby selectively controlled by the at least one access point. The access control methodology of the present invention advantageously can allow a system manager to selectively control the accessability of the wireless system to a user, and is configurable to provide such access control at the access point level.

Abstract: In a wireless system comprising a server and at least one access point operatively coupled to the server, a technique for controlling access to the at least one access point comprises the steps of: (i) assigning a profile to a station adapted for communication with the system, the profile representing at least an access characteristic of the station; and (ii) associating the station to the at least one access point based at least in part on the profile assigned to the station. Access to the at least one access point by the station is thereby selectively controlled by the at least one access point. The access control methodology of the present invention advantageously can allow a system manager to selectively control the accessability of the wireless system to a user, and is configurable to provide such access control at the access point level.