CN115499412A - Electronic device, method for executing the same, and computer-readable medium - Google Patents

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: determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

Description

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

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the use of physical addresses of electronic devices, and more particularly, to connecting to a network using physical addresses of electronic devices.

Background

Generally, an electronic device connects to a network using a random, anonymous device identifier instead of its real physical Address, which is called a Media Access Control Address (MAC Address) randomization function of the electronic device. The MAC address randomization function can improve privacy of the electronic device, preventing a network operator from tracking the electronic device by obtaining a real physical address of the electronic device. The MAC address randomization function is a default setting for many operating systems.

However, while improving privacy of electronic devices, the MAC address randomization may also be problematic in some situations, and there is still a need to improve the ease of use of electronic devices.

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: determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

In some aspects, complying with connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device includes the network to which the electronic device is ready to connect being a trusted network.

In some aspects, the trusted network is pre-set according to user input.

In some aspects, complying with connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device includes the electronic device being located in a trusted location.

In some aspects, the trusted location is preset based on user input.

In some aspects, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is determined by determining whether the electronic device is located within the coverage of a specified network.

In some aspects, the designated network is preset according to user input.

In some aspects, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is determined by a global positioning system, GPS, of the electronic device.

In some aspects, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is determined both by the global positioning system, GPS, of the electronic device and by determining whether the electronic device is within a range covered by a specified network.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method performed by an electronic device, comprising: determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

In some aspects, complying with connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device includes the network to which the electronic device is ready to connect being a trusted network.

In some aspects, the trusted network is pre-set according to user input.

In some aspects, complying with connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device includes the electronic device being located in a trusted location.

In some aspects, the trusted location is pre-set according to user input.

In some aspects, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is determined by determining whether the electronic device is located within the coverage of a specified network.

In some aspects, the specified network is preset according to user input.

In some aspects, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is determined by a global positioning system, GPS, of the electronic device.

In some aspects, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is determined both by the global positioning system, GPS, of the electronic device and by determining whether the electronic device is within a range covered by a specified network.

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: determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus implemented by an electronic device, comprising means for performing the steps of the aforementioned method.

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 shows an exemplary flow diagram of a method for an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of a process of an electronic device connecting to a network, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Note that like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

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. 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 previously mentioned, while the MAC address randomization functionality can improve the privacy of the electronic device, it can also present problems in some situations. For example, when the MAC address randomization function is enabled, implementation of the function based on the real physical address of the electronic device may be limited.

One such scenario is where a public network (e.g., a HotSpot network) and a home network are provided at the same time, softblocking functionality is typically enabled for the electronic device. In particular, in a space where a public network is provided, the electronic device may automatically connect to the public network, but in a space where the public network and the home network coexist, the user may desire to connect to the home network. The Softblocking function identifies the electronic device by using a real physical address of the electronic device so that the identified electronic device is connected to a home network instead of a public network. But the MAC address randomization functionality will cause the electronic device to hide its true physical address and only provide a random, anonymous device identifier, thus making Softblocking functionality impractical. At this time, the electronic device may still be automatically connected to the public network instead of the home network, thus providing a poor user experience.

Similarly, many control functions based on the real physical address of the electronic device cannot be implemented when the MAC address randomization function is turned on. For example, parental control functions are provided to enable management of the use of the electronic device by minors, which are implemented based on the actual physical address of the electronic device. In the parental control function, when the electronic device is connected to a network using its real physical address, the electronic device is recognized, thereby being capable of controlling a networking time or a networking range of the electronic device. Also, the MAC address randomization function may cause the electronic device to hide its true physical address and only provide a random, anonymous device identifier, thus making parental control functionality impractical.

In the technical scheme, the electronic equipment can automatically switch the MAC address randomization function. In one embodiment, the electronic device may disable the MAC address randomization function based on the network to which it is to be connected being a trusted network. In another embodiment, the electronic device may disable the MAC address randomization function based on its location in a trusted location. In one embodiment, the electronic device may use its global positioning function to obtain a location to determine whether it is located in a trusted location. In another embodiment, it may be determined whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location by determining whether the electronic device is located within the coverage area of a specified network.

A flexible network connection manner is provided by automatically switching the MAC address randomization function of the electronic device, which enables the realization of a function based on the real physical address of the electronic device, thereby improving user experience.

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 AP210 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 AP210 shown in fig. 2 or a portion thereof, or may be implemented as a client device or a portion thereof.

An AP refers to an access point specified according to, for example, the 802.11 protocol. AP210 is used to provide wireless network connectivity for client device 220. In particular, AP210 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 AP210 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 AP210 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 shows a flow diagram of a method 300 for an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The method 300 may be used, for example, with the electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1 or with the client device shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, in 301, in response to an electronic device preparing to connect to a network, it is determined whether a condition for connecting to the network using a physical address of the electronic device is met. Where the connection to the network using the physical address of the electronic device, i.e. disabling the MAC address randomization function as described above, is connected to the network using the real physical address of the electronic device instead of the randomized virtual physical address.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, complying with connecting to a network using a physical address of an electronic device may include that the network to which the electronic device is ready to connect is a trusted network. The trusted network may be preset by user input. For example, a trusted network may be pre-provisioned by entering a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the network in the electronic device. When the electronic device attempts to connect to a network, the SSID of the network to which it is connected is obtained. The electronic device may compare whether the obtained SSID is the same as the SSID of the stored trusted network. If so, the electronic device determines that the network to be connected is a trusted network and further determines that the condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met. In this embodiment, the user may pre-configure one or more trusted networks, such as a home network, an office network, and so forth. When a user's electronic device attempts to connect to these networks, the MAC address randomization function may be disabled, while the actual physical address of the electronic device is used to connect to the network.

In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, complying with connecting to a network using a physical address of an electronic device may include the electronic device being located in a trusted location. Similarly, the trusted location may be preset based on user input. For example, the user may set the home location to a trusted location or may set the location where disabling of the MAC address randomization function is desired to be trusted.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location may be determined by a global positioning system, GPS, of the electronic device. In this embodiment, the GPS of the electronic device needs to be turned on. For example, the user may be prompted to turn on the GPS of the electronic device when the electronic device attempts to connect to the network. Or when the user authorizes to start the automatic switching MAC address randomization function, the GPS of the electronic equipment can be automatically started when the user authorizes to connect the network.

For example, when the trusted location is an office area, when a user attempts to connect to a network through an electronic device in the office area, it will first be determined whether the electronic device is located in the office area through the GPS of the electronic device. In determining that the electronic device is located in a trusted office area, the network may be connected using the real physical address of the electronic device instead of the virtual physical address.

In another embodiment consistent with the present disclosure, it may be determined whether an electronic device is located in a trusted location by determining whether the electronic device is located within the coverage of a specified network. The designated network may be preset according to user input. In this embodiment, the GPS of the electronic device need not be turned on, but rather, it is determined whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location by determining whether the specified network is detected, i.e., within the range covered by the specified network. This embodiment is particularly useful in situations where it is inconvenient to turn on the GPS. It is also particularly advantageous in multi-story buildings to determine that the electronic device is located in a trusted location by determining that it has entered the range covered by a given network. In the case of multi-story buildings, the GPS may not be able to accurately determine the floor location. Floors can be differentiated to some extent by determining whether the area covered by a given network has been entered.

In yet another embodiment according to the present disclosure, wherein determining whether the electronic device is located at a trusted location is performed both by a global positioning system, GPS, of the electronic device and by determining whether the electronic device is located within a range covered by a specified network. That is, in this embodiment, determining location using both GPS and detecting whether it is within the range covered by a given network may provide a more accurate way of determining location.

Returning to FIG. 3, at 302, a connection to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is made in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or a connection to the network using a virtual physical address of the electronic device is made in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a process of an electronic device connecting to a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The determination of whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location by GPS is described in fig. 4 as an example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other ways to determine whether a connection to a network using the physical address of the electronic device is eligible may also be employed as described above.

As shown in fig. 4, the electronic device is ready to connect to a network at 410. The electronic device may be prepared to connect to the network in response to a user input, or the electronic device may automatically attempt to connect to the network.

At 420, it is determined whether the GPS of the electronic device is on. If GPS is already on, proceed to 430. If the GPS is not turned on, e.g., not previously authorized to be turned on automatically or rejected after prompting the user to turn on, then proceed to 460 without disabling the MAC address randomization functionality, while still connecting the network using the virtual physical address.

At 430, the current location of the electronic device is requested in real time via GPS.

At 440, it is determined whether the current location of the electronic device is a trusted location. If it is determined that the current location of the electronic device is a trusted location, proceed to 450. If it is determined that the current location of the electronic device is not a trusted location, proceed to 460 without disabling the MAC address randomization function, while still connecting the network using the virtual physical address.

At 450, the MAC address randomization functionality is disabled, and the network is connected using the real physical address of the electronic device.

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 that can be used to carry or store desired computer-readable program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that 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 (20)

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:

determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and

connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein compliance with connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device comprises the network to which the electronic device is ready to connect being a trusted network.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the trusted network is pre-set according to user input.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein compliance with connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device comprises the electronic device being located in a trusted location.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the trusted location is preset based on user input.

6. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein determining whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is performed by determining whether the electronic device is located within a range covered by a specified network.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the specified network is preset according to a user input.

8. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein whether the electronic device is located at a trusted location is determined by a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the determination of whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is made both by a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the electronic device and by determining whether the electronic device is located within a range covered by a specified network.

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

determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and

connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein meeting a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device comprises the electronic device preparing to connect to a network that is a trusted network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the trusted network is preset according to user input.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein meeting a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device comprises the electronic device being located in a trusted location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the trusted location is preset based on user input.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is performed by determining whether the electronic device is located within a coverage area of a specified network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the designated network is preset according to user input.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is performed by a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the electronic device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the electronic device is located in a trusted location is performed both by a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the electronic device and by determining whether the electronic device is located within a range covered by a specified network.

19. 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:

determining whether a condition for connecting to a network using a physical address of the electronic device is met in response to the electronic device being ready to connect to the network; and

connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is met, or connecting to the network using the virtual physical address of the electronic device in response to determining that a condition for connecting to the network using the physical address of the electronic device is not met.

20. An apparatus implemented by an electronic device comprising means for performing the steps in the method of any of claims 10-18.

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