Configuration Protocol for Embedded Networked Devices on Secure Wireless Networks

摘要

With the rise of wireless networking products based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, traditional embedded networked devices are shedding their cables. As the cost and size of Wi-Fi chipsets continues to decrease and the number of deployed Wi-Fi networks increases, we are likely to see an explosion in Wi-Fi enabled embedded networked devices. Applications for traditional embedded networked devices span such areas as physical security systems, environmental monitoring and control, Internet applications, personal digital assistants, industrial monitoring and control, and health monitoring systems. Devices wishing to join a wired network, such as Ethernet, typically need only be plugged into a hub or switch to gain network connectivity. The device may then utilize higher-level configuration protocols such as DHCP or it can be configured via a SNMP configuration utility or browser accessing a built-in web server. Wireless devices do not have that luxury and require configuration at the data link level. In the common case of a Wi-Fi enabled laptop joining a wireless network, the user generally enters the SSID (network name) and optionally the WEP keys, and then uses higher-level configuration protocols. The SSID and WEP configuration parameters require embedded devices with limited or no input capabilities (e.g., keyboard) to implement additional user interfaces, such as a USB connection or wired Ethernet, to facilitate initial network configuration which adds cost and complexity to the embedded devices. In this paper, we present a new protocol that allows a wireless embedded networked device to be easily configured for use on a WEP enabled Wi-Fi network.