CN114173337A

CN114173337A - Electronic device, method for executing the same, and computer-readable medium

Info

Publication number: CN114173337A
Application number: CN202010941167.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 焦向中
Original assignee: Arris Enterprises LLC
Current assignee: Arris Enterprises LLC
Priority date: 2020-09-09
Filing date: 2020-09-09
Publication date: 2022-03-11

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a method performed by the same, and a computer-readable medium. An electronic device, comprising: a memory having instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: in response to receiving an indication to modify a password of a first Wi-Fi network, determining a name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network; enabling a second Wi-Fi network, wherein the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network, and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; and switching one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network to connect to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

Description

Electronic device, method for executing the same, and computer-readable medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to Wi-Fi networks and, more particularly, to modifying passwords for Wi-Fi networks.

Background

Wi-Fi networks are widely used today. Typically, a user requests to join a Wi-Fi network of a wireless Access Point (AP) through a client device and successfully joins the Wi-Fi network of the AP via a trust credential. For example, a user joins the Wi-Fi network of the AP by entering a password. The security and privacy of Wi-Fi networks is very important. In order to ensure the security of the Wi-Fi network, it is generally necessary to set a complicated password and frequently change the password of the Wi-Fi network. For example, it may be necessary to periodically change the password of the AP's Wi-Fi network to improve security.

However, there is still a need to improve the convenience of Wi-Fi networks in which users use APs.

Disclosure of Invention

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device, comprising: a memory having instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: in response to receiving an indication to modify a password of a first Wi-Fi network, determining a name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network; enabling a second Wi-Fi network, wherein the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network, and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; and switching one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network to connect to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the one or more client devices disconnect from the first Wi-Fi network and automatically connect to the second Wi-Fi network in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the first Wi-Fi network and the second Wi-Fi network are subnetworks from one network based on a multi-service set identifier, or multi-SSID.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to, in turn, for each of one or more client devices connected to a second Wi-Fi network: sending a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session; determining that a client device has started a WPS session in response to a probe request frame from the client device having a Wi-Fi simple configuration information element therein; and based on determining that the client device has started a WPS session, starting the WPS session on the first Wi-Fi network causes the client device to connect to the first Wi-Fi network.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: determining whether a message has been sent to each of the one or more client devices to request a WPS session to start; and responsive to having sent a message to each of the one or more client devices requesting to start a WPS session, closing the second Wi-Fi network.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: sending a first message to the one or more client devices in response to receiving an indication to modify the password of the first Wi-Fi network, the first message notifying a user of each client device that the password of the first Wi-Fi network is to be modified.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to: sending a second message to the one or more client devices in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified, the second message notifying a user of each client device that an attempt is to be made to reconnect the client device to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method performed by an electronic device, comprising: in response to receiving an indication to modify a password of a first Wi-Fi network, determining a name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network; enabling a second Wi-Fi network, wherein the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network, and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; and switching one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network to connect to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the method further comprises, for each of the one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network in turn, the steps of: sending a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session; determining that a client device has started a WPS session in response to a probe request frame from the client device having a Wi-Fi simple configuration information element therein; and based on determining that the client device has started a WPS session, starting the WPS session on the first Wi-Fi network causes the client device to connect to the first Wi-Fi network.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: determining whether a message has been sent to each of the one or more client devices to request a WPS session to start; and responsive to having sent a message to each of the one or more client devices requesting to start a WPS session, closing the second Wi-Fi network.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: sending a first message to the one or more client devices in response to receiving an indication to modify the password of the first Wi-Fi network, the first message notifying a user of each client device that the password of the first Wi-Fi network is to be modified.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: sending a second message to the one or more client devices in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified, the second message notifying a user of each client device that an attempt is to be made to reconnect the client device to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to: in response to receiving an indication to modify a password of a first Wi-Fi network, determining a name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network; enabling a second Wi-Fi network, wherein the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network, and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; and switching one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network to connect to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to, in turn, for each of one or more client devices connected to a second Wi-Fi network: sending a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session; determining that a client device has started a WPS session in response to a probe request frame from the client device having a Wi-Fi simple configuration information element therein; and based on determining that the client device has started a WPS session, starting the WPS session on the first Wi-Fi network causes the client device to connect to the first Wi-Fi network.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to: determining whether a message has been sent to each of the one or more client devices to request a WPS session to start; and responsive to having sent a message to each of the one or more client devices requesting to start a WPS session, closing the second Wi-Fi network.

Other aspects of the disclosure relate to an apparatus implemented by an electronic device comprising means for performing steps in accordance with the method described above.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present disclosure, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary network environment, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method that may be performed by an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method that may be performed by an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Note that like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings. Further, multiple instances of the same part are specified by a common prefix separated from the instance number by a dash.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings and is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The following description includes various details to aid understanding, but these details are to be regarded as examples only and are not intended to limit the disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. The words and phrases used in the following description are used only to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known structures, functions, and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the examples described herein can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As described above, in order to ensure security of the Wi-Fi network of the AP, it is necessary to frequently modify a password required to connect to the network. However, changing the password of the AP's Wi-Fi network disconnects all client devices connected to the network. The user of the client device must re-enter a new password to reconnect to the network. This would be particularly cumbersome and time consuming. Sometimes the same user is connected to a Wi-Fi network using multiple client devices in one network environment. For example, in a home network environment, a user may have their cell phone, tablet, laptop, or other smart device all connected to a Wi-Fi network. When the password of the Wi-Fi network is modified, the user needs to re-enter the modified password on each of the plurality of client devices used, which may cause a bad experience to the client. Accordingly, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to enable a Wi-Fi network to connect to the network when a password of the network is modified without an operation of a user to re-input the modified password.

In addition, when the password of the Wi-Fi network is modified, the client device originally connected to the Wi-Fi network cannot be connected to the network so as to enter a disconnected state until the user inputs a new password to reconnect to the network. This process may vary depending on the time taken for the user to input a new password, and sometimes the disconnected state may be maintained for a long time due to the unsmooth re-input of a new password. On the other hand, if the user is not notified that the password of the Wi-Fi network is to be modified before password modification, the user will be forced to disconnect the network, which may cause a bad experience. For example, when a user is conducting an important network video conference, a sudden network disconnection may interrupt the network video conference, resulting in a poor experience and even unnecessary loss. Thus, it is also an object of the present disclosure to prevent a client device originally connected to a Wi-Fi network from entering a disconnected state when a password of the Wi-Fi network is modified.

The inventive concept of the present disclosure is to reconnect a client device, which was originally connected to a network, to the network, the password of which has been modified, by using Wi-Fi protected setup, WPS, without a user providing the modified password, after modifying the password of the network. On the other hand, client devices that were originally connected to the network are enabled to remain networked by providing a backup network for the client devices after password modification.

Some concepts involved in WPS are first briefly explained. WPS is a network security standard proposed by the Wi-Fi alliance, primarily aimed at simplifying the security setup and management of Wi-Fi networks. With WPS, even a user with little knowledge of wireless network security can easily set up a protected Wi-Fi network and easily add new client devices to an existing Wi-Fi network without entering lengthy, possibly unmanageable, passwords. The WPS protocol defines three types of entities in the network: AP, Registrar (registry), Registrar (Enrollee). An AP is an access point specified according to the 802.11 protocol. The registrar is an entity that has the right to allow and revoke access rights to the network, and may be integrated into the AP or separate from the AP, e.g. running on a device separate from the AP. A registrar is an entity attempting to join a Wi-Fi network, which may be a physical entity or a logical entity. Once the registrar has obtained valid credentials, it joins the Wi-Fi network. During WPS, when a registrar attempts to join a Wi-Fi network, a WPS request is triggered, and the registrar determines whether to allow the registrar to join the Wi-Fi network, and if so, interacts with the AP to configure the identity (e.g., MAC address) of the registrar in the AP to allow the registrar to join the Wi-Fi network.

Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 presents a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device 100 in accordance with some embodiments.

The electronic device 100 may be used to perform various embodiments of methods according to the present disclosure described below. Electronic device 100 may include a processing subsystem 110, a memory subsystem 112, and a networking subsystem 114. Processing subsystem 110 includes one or more devices configured to perform computing operations. For example, processing subsystems 110 may include one or more microprocessors, ASICs, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, Graphics Processor Units (GPUs), and/or one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs).

Memory subsystem 112 includes one or more devices for storing data and/or instructions for processing subsystem 110 and networking subsystem 114. For example, memory subsystem 112 may include Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), and/or other types of memory (sometimes collectively or individually referred to as "computer-readable storage media").

In some embodiments, memory subsystem 112 is coupled to one or more high capacity mass storage devices (not shown). For example, the memory subsystem 112 may be coupled to a magnetic or optical drive, a solid state drive, or another type of mass storage device. In these embodiments, electronic device 100 may use memory subsystem 112 for fast-access storage of frequently used data, while mass storage devices are used to store infrequently used data.

Networking subsystem 114 includes one or more devices configured to couple to and communicate over a wired and/or wireless network (i.e., to perform network operations), including: control logic 116, interface circuitry 118, and one or more antennas 120 (or antenna elements). (although fig. 1 includes one or more antennas 120, in some embodiments, electronic device 100 includes one or more nodes, such as node 108, which may be coupled to one or more antennas 120. thus, electronic device 100 may or may not include one or more antennas 120.) for example, networking subsystem 114 may include a bluetooth networking system, a cellular networking system (e.g., a 3G/4G/5G network, such as UMTS, LTE, etc.), a USB networking system, a networking system based on standards described in IEEE 802.11 (e.g., a Wi-Fi networking system), an ethernet networking system, and/or another networking system.

Within electronic device 100, processing subsystem 110, memory subsystem 112, and networking subsystem 114 are coupled together using bus 128. Bus 128 may include electrical, optical, and/or electro-optical connections that subsystems may be used to communicate commands, data, and the like. Although only one bus 128 is shown for clarity, different embodiments may include different numbers or configurations of electrical, optical, and/or electro-optical connections among the subsystems.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 includes a display subsystem 126 for displaying information on a display, which may include a display driver and a display, such as a liquid crystal display, multi-touch screen, or the like.

Although electronic device 100 is described using specific components, in alternative embodiments, different components and/or subsystems may be present in electronic device 100. For example, electronic device 100 may include one or more additional processing subsystems, memory subsystems, networking subsystems, and/or display subsystems. Additionally, one or more of the subsystems may not be present in the electronic device 100. Furthermore, in some embodiments, electronic device 100 may include one or more additional subsystems not shown in fig. 1. Additionally, although separate subsystems are shown in fig. 1, in some embodiments, some or all of a given subsystem or component may be integrated into one or more of the other subsystems or components in electronic device 100. For example, in some embodiments, program instructions 122 are included in operating system 124 and/or control logic 116 is included in interface circuitry 118.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example network environment 100 including the electronic device shown in FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The example network environment 200 may include an AP 210 and one or

more client devices

220A, 220B, 220C (hereinafter collectively referred to as client devices 220 for simplicity). The electronic device 100 shown in fig. 1 may be implemented as the AP 210 shown in fig. 2 or a portion thereof, and may also be implemented as the client device 220 shown in fig. 2 or a portion thereof.

As described above, an AP is an access point specified according to the 802.11 protocol. AP 210 is used to provide wireless network connectivity for client device 220. In particular, AP 210 may receive/route various types of communications from client device 220 and/or transmit/route various types of communications to client device 220. It should be noted that the AP described herein may include a router, a gateway, a home controller, and other devices having the AP function.

In some embodiments, client device 220 may be any electronic device having at least one network interface. For example, client device 220 may be: a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server, a mainframe computer, a cloud-based computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a wearable device, a consumer electronic device, a portable computing device, a radio node, a router, a switch, a repeater, an access point, and/or other electronic devices. The client device 220 communicates with the AP 210 using its network interface to access the external network 230 via the AP 210. Although three client devices are shown in fig. 2, it should be understood that the number of client devices to which AP 210 may connect may be less than or more than three, depending on the network capacity supported by AP 210.

External Network 230 may be a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the Internet.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method that may be performed by electronic device 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 100 may be a router, a gateway, a home controller, etc. having an AP function.

As shown in fig. 3, at 301, the electronic device determines a name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network in response to receiving an indication to modify the password of the first Wi-Fi network. At 302, the electronic device modifies a password of the first Wi-Fi network.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the password may be modified in a number of ways. For example, a user may access a configuration page of an AP through his client device (e.g., a cell phone or a laptop) to modify a password required by a Wi-Fi network connected to the AP. If the AP (e.g., router) itself has a display screen, the user can also modify the password required to connect to the network directly through the display screen on the AP. Regardless of the manner in which the network password is modified, when the AP receives an indication to modify the password of the Wi-Fi network, such as from a configuration page of the router or an interface (display screen) of the router, the AP may record the name of the Wi-Fi network and the unmodified password of the Wi-Fi network for establishing a second Wi-Fi network as described at step 303.

In 303, a second Wi-Fi network is enabled, wherein the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network. The AP establishes a second Wi-Fi network using the name of the first Wi-Fi network determined in step 301 and the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network. In an embodiment consistent with the present disclosure, in response to a password of a first Wi-Fi network being modified, one or more client devices disconnect from the first Wi-Fi network and automatically connect to a second Wi-Fi network. That is, since the second Wi-Fi network is established by copying the original unmodified configuration of the first Wi-Fi network, the name and password of the second Wi-Fi network being the same as the name and unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network, after the password of the first Wi-Fi network is modified, the client device originally connected to the first Wi-Fi network may automatically reconnect to the second Wi-Fi network although it cannot connect to the first Wi-Fi network. For the user of the client, since the second Wi-Fi network functions as a backup network, the modification of the password of the first Wi-Fi network does not affect its connection to the Wi-Fi network.

In actual operation, the configuration of the first Wi-Fi network is first modified. The AP may record the name of the Wi-Fi network and the unmodified password of the Wi-Fi network before or at the time of modifying the configuration of the first Wi-Fi network. After the configuration is modified, the Wi-Fi module of the router needs to be restarted to validate the modified configuration. And after the restart is finished, the password of the first Wi-Fi network is updated to the modified password. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified in the above-mentioned steps means that the password of the first Wi-Fi network is updated to the modified password after the Wi-Fi module of the router is restarted. At this time, the device originally connected to the first Wi-Fi network cannot connect to the first Wi-Fi network because the password is incorrect. However, in the technical solution according to the present disclosure, after the Wi-Fi module of the router is restarted, the second Wi-Fi network is also in the enabled state, and the second Wi-Fi network copies the configuration of the first Wi-Fi network before modification, so that a device originally connected to the first Wi-Fi network can automatically connect to the second Wi-Fi network by means of the name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password, and thus automatically enter the network connection state. According to the technical scheme, the standby network is provided for the user, so that the client device disconnected with the first Wi-Fi network after the password is modified can continuously maintain the networking state through the standby network, and the technical problem that the client device cannot be connected with the network in the process of inputting a new password to reconnect to the network after the network password is modified is solved.

Next, at 304, one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network are switched to connect to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

How to reconnect one or more client devices connected to a second Wi-Fi network to a first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS will be described in detail below in connection with fig. 4.

As shown in fig. 4, a flow diagram of an exemplary method that may be performed by an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In order to reconnect one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS, one or more clients connected to the second Wi-Fi network, that is, one or more client devices originally connected to the first Wi-Fi network, are first brought into a queue (hereinafter may be referred to as a WPS queue). The electronic device performs steps 401 through 403 in turn for each of the one or more client devices in the WPS queue. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the AP may listen to all Wi-Fi signals in the vicinity before proceeding with the WPS-wise connection. If there is no ongoing WPS session, execution of steps 401-403 is started. At 401, the electronic device sends a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session. For example, the message may be "please start a WPS session to connect to the first Wi-Fi network". Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this message is merely an example and that the message may be sent in any form to initiate the WPS process. At this time, since one or more client devices in the WPS queue are all connected to the second Wi-Fi network, the AP may transmit a message requesting to start the WPS session to the client devices in the WPS queue through the second Wi-Fi network. The first client device in the WPS queue will receive the message and may start the WPS session. For example, the client device may send a probe request frame to the AP over the second Wi-Fi network, which may include WSC IEs (Wi-Fi simple configuration information element). At 402, the electronic device determines that a WPS session has been started by a client device in response to a probe request frame from the client device having a Wi-Fi simple configuration information element therein. In response, in 403, the electronic device starts a WPS session on the first Wi-Fi network such that the client device connects to the first Wi-Fi network based on determining that the client device has started the WPS session. To this end, the client device is reconnected to the first Wi-Fi network without entering a modified password. The electronic device may repeat the above steps for each client device in the WPS queue.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all client devices support WPS, or some client devices themselves have turned off the WPS functionality, then these client devices do not respond to the message sent by the electronic device requesting to start the WPS session, i.e., they do not send probe request frames including Wi-Fi simple configuration information elements. Thus, these client devices cannot reconnect to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS. For a client device that is not reconnected to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS, the user is still required to enter a new password to get it back connected. Upon not receiving a response from the client device to the message requesting the start of the WPS session, the electronic device will continue to repeat step 401 and 403 for the next client device in the WPS queue.

In 404, the electronic device determines whether a message has been sent to each of the one or more client devices to request a WPS session to start. If not, the electronic device returns to perform step 401 to continue to attempt to reconnect to the first Wi-Fi network via WPS for the next client device in the WPS queue. If so, the electronic device performs step 405.

In 405, the electronic device closes the second Wi-Fi network in response to having sent a message to each of the one or more client devices requesting to start a WPS session. That is, after all the clients in the WPS queue have been polled once, the second Wi-Fi network may be closed, and the process of modifying the password for the Wi-Fi network of the electronic device may end.

As described above, when modifying the password of the first Wi-Fi network, on one hand, by providing the standby network for the user, the client device disconnected from the first Wi-Fi network after the password modification can continue to maintain the networking state through the standby network, and on the other hand, by the WPS method, the client device connected to the Wi-Fi network before the password modification can reconnect to the Wi-Fi network without the user inputting a new password. This improves the user experience while ensuring security.

Moreover, in the technical solution of the present invention, the WPS process is limited to one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network, and the AP requests the client devices to start the WPS session through the second Wi-Fi network, and then the client devices initiate the WPS process. Compared with the WPS process initiated by the AP in a broadcast mode, the technical scheme of the disclosure improves the security, so that the client device which is not connected to the first Wi-Fi network originally cannot be connected to the network in a WPS mode in a secret-free manner.

According to an embodiment of one aspect of the present disclosure, a prompt may also be provided to the user so that the user is aware of the process of the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified and reconnected. For example, the electronic device sends a first message to one or more client devices in response to receiving an indication to modify a password of a first Wi-Fi network, the first message notifying a user of each client device that the password of the first Wi-Fi network is to be modified. According to an embodiment of one aspect of the disclosure, the electronic device may also send a second message to the one or more client devices in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified, the second message notifying a user of each client device that an attempt will be made to cause the client device to be reconnected to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned prompt message is optional and not necessary. Since the disclosed method enables modification of a network password in a state of maintaining networking and does not require a user to input the modified password, the user can be allowed to use the network without interference in the case where the user does not desire to receive a prompt.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the first Wi-Fi network and the second Wi-Fi network may be subnetworks from one Wi-Fi network based on a multi-service set identifier technique, i.e., multi-SSID. The Multi-SSID (i.e. Multi-SSID) is mainly used for enabling the AP end to access the network in different security authentication and encryption modes, and one wireless AP can realize the SSID distinguishing function which can be realized only by a plurality of APs.

It should be noted that, since the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network, and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network, the client device requesting to connect to the Wi-Fi network through the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network can automatically connect to the second Wi-Fi network after the password of the first Wi-Fi network is modified and before the second Wi-Fi network is turned off. The client devices were not originally connected to the first Wi-Fi network. Since the procedure for performing the above-described method of auto-reconnect without password is typically short, e.g. the WPS procedure is typically limited to two minutes, and these devices also provide an unmodified password for the first Wi-Fi network, it is possible to allow such devices to connect to the first Wi-Fi network also without entering a new password, from a security point of view.

While some of the operations in the foregoing embodiments are implemented in software, in general, the operations in the foregoing embodiments may be implemented in a variety of configurations and architectures. Accordingly, some or all of the operations in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in hardware, software, or both. For example, at least some of the operations in the communication techniques may be implemented using program instructions 122 of the electronic device 100, an operating system 124 (such as a driver for the interface circuitry 118), or in firmware in the interface circuitry 118. Alternatively or additionally, at least some operations in the communication techniques may be implemented in hardware in a physical layer, such as in interface circuitry 118 of electronic device 100.

The present disclosure may be implemented as any combination of apparatus, systems, integrated circuits, and computer programs on non-transitory computer readable media. One or more processors may be implemented as an Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI), a system LSI, or a super LSI, or as an ultra LSI package that performs some or all of the functions described in this disclosure.

The steps of the method according to the present disclosure may also be performed separately by a plurality of components comprised in the device. According to one embodiment, these components may be implemented as computer program modules created to implement the steps of the method, and the apparatus comprising these components may be a framework of program modules implementing the method by means of a computer program.

The present disclosure includes the use of software, applications, computer programs or algorithms. Software, applications, computer programs, or algorithms may be stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium to cause a computer, such as one or more processors, to perform the steps described above and depicted in the figures. For example, one or more memories store software or algorithms in executable instructions and one or more processors may associate a set of instructions to execute the software or algorithms to enhance security in any number of wireless networks according to embodiments described in this disclosure.

Software and computer programs (which may also be referred to as programs, software applications, components, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and may be implemented in a high-level procedural, object-oriented, functional, logical, or assembly or machine language. The term "computer-readable medium" refers to any computer program product, apparatus or device, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, solid state storage devices, memories, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions or data to a programmable data processor, including a computer-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a computer-readable signal.

By way of example, computer-readable media can comprise Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired computer-readable program code in the form of instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Disk or disc, as used herein, includes Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

In one or more embodiments, use of the terms "can," "operable" or "configured" refer to some apparatus, logic, hardware, and/or element that is designed to be used in a specified manner. The subject matter of the present disclosure is provided as examples of apparatus, systems, methods, and programs for performing the features described in the present disclosure. However, other features or variations are contemplated in addition to the features described above. It is contemplated that the implementation of the components and functions of the present disclosure may be accomplished with any emerging technology that may replace the technology of any of the implementations described above.

Additionally, the above description provides examples, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory having instructions stored thereon; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

in response to receiving an indication to modify a password of a first Wi-Fi network, determining a name of the first Wi-Fi network and an unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network;

modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network;

enabling a second Wi-Fi network, wherein the name of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the name of the first Wi-Fi network, and the password of the second Wi-Fi network is the same as the unmodified password of the first Wi-Fi network; and

one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network are switched to connect to the first Wi-Fi network by means of WPS.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more client devices disconnect from the first Wi-Fi network and automatically connect to the second Wi-Fi network in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first Wi-Fi network and the second Wi-Fi network are subnetworks from one network based on a multi-service set identifier.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to, in turn, for each of one or more client devices connected to a second Wi-Fi network:

sending a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session;

determining that a client device has started a WPS session in response to a probe request frame from the client device having a Wi-Fi simple configuration information element therein; and

based on determining that the client device has started a WPS session, starting the WPS session on the first Wi-Fi network causes the client device to connect to the first Wi-Fi network.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

determining whether a message has been sent to each of the one or more client devices to request a WPS session to start; and

in response to having sent a message to each of the one or more client devices requesting to start a WPS session, closing the second Wi-Fi network.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

sending a first message to the one or more client devices in response to receiving an indication to modify the password of the first Wi-Fi network, the first message notifying a user of each client device that the password of the first Wi-Fi network is to be modified.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to cause the electronic device to:

sending a second message to the one or more client devices in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified, the second message notifying a user of each client device that an attempt is to be made to reconnect the client device to the first Wi-Fi network by way of WPS.

8. A method performed by an electronic device, comprising:

modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network;

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more client devices disconnect from the first Wi-Fi network and automatically connect to the second Wi-Fi network in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first Wi-Fi network and the second Wi-Fi network are subnetworks from one network based on a multi-service set identifier.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, for each of the one or more client devices connected to the second Wi-Fi network in turn, performing the steps of:

sending a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session;

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

modifying a password of the first Wi-Fi network;

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more client devices disconnect from the first Wi-Fi network and automatically connect to the second Wi-Fi network in response to the password of the first Wi-Fi network being modified.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first Wi-Fi network and the second Wi-Fi network are subnetworks from one network based on a multi-service set identifier.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to, in turn, for each of one or more client devices connected to a second Wi-Fi network:

sending a message to a client device requesting to start a WPS session;

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

20. An apparatus implemented by an electronic device comprising means for performing the steps in the method of any of claims 9-14.