Apparatus, and associated methods, for facilitating secure, make-before-break hand-off in a radio communication system
View Patent ↗Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating transition, or other communication hand-off, between access points of a wireless local area network. When an old access point is notified of selection to transition communications, the old access point generates a transition request message that is communicated by way of a network to the new access point. The transition request includes a temporary key. And, the old access point notifies the mobile station of the temporary key. The mobile station re-associates with the new access point, and the temporary key is used pursuant to initial communications between the mobile station and the new access point.
1. A method for facilitating hand-off of communications of a mobile station, comprising:
determining that the mobile station is to transition from a first fixed-site station to a second fixed-site station;
in response to the determining that the mobile station is to transition to the second fixed-site station, generating a first random string and sending a transition request to the first fixed-site station to be forwarded to the second fixed-site station, the transition request comprising information concerning the second fixed-site station and the first random string;
receiving from the first fixed-site station a transition response which was initiated by the second fixed-site station, the transition response comprising security-related parameters usable by the mobile station to derive a security key and to reassociate with the second fixed-site station;
deriving the security key based on the security-related parameters and the first random string; and
reassociating with the second-fixed site station comprising the security-related parameters contained within the transition response.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fixed-site station further provides information to the second fixed-site station for use in the reassociation.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disassociating with the first fixed-site station.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the security-related parameters include information relating to a temporary key.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the temporary key includes a selected period of usefulness.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the procedure comprises a handshake procedure.
7. An apparatus configured to:
determine that the apparatus is to transition from a first fixed-site station to a second fixed-site station;
in response to the determining that the apparatus is to transition to the second fixed-site station, generate a first random string and send a transition request to the first fixed-site station to be forwarded to the second fixed-site station, the transition request comprising information concerning the second fixed-site station;
receive from the first fixed-site station a transition response which was initiated by the second fixed-site station, the transition response comprising security-related parameters usable by the apparatus to derive a security key and to reassociate with the second fixed-site station;
derive the security key based on the security-related parameters and the first random string; and
reassociate with the second-fixed site station comprising the security-related parameters contained within the transition response.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first fixed-site station further provides information to the second fixed-site station for use in the reassociation.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to disassociate with the first fixed-site station.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the security-related parameters include information relating to a temporary key.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the temporary key includes a selected period of usefulness.
12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the procedure comprises a handshake procedure.
13. A method for facilitating hand-off of communications of a mobile station, comprising:
receiving a transition request from the mobile station, the transition request comprising information concerning a second fixed-site station to which communications are to be transitioned and a generated first random string, the transition request having been generated in response to a determination that the mobile station is to transition to the second fixed-site station;
in response to the received transition request, forwarding the received transition request to the second fixed-site station;
receiving from the second fixed-site station a transition response, the transition response comprising security-related parameters; and
in response to the received transition response, forwarding the transition response to the mobile station,
wherein the security-related parameters and the first random string are usable by the mobile station to derive a security key, and wherein the security key is usable by the mobile station to reassociate with the second fixed-site station.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the security-related parameters include information relating to a temporary key.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the temporary key includes a selected period of usefulness.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the procedure comprises a handshake procedure.
17. An apparatus configured to
receive a transition request from the mobile station, the transition request comprising information concerning a second fixed-site station to which communications are to be transitioned and a generated first random string, the transition request having been generated in response to a determination that the mobile station is to transition to the second fixed-site station;
in response to the received transition request, forward the received transition request to the second fixed-site station;
receive from the second fixed-site station a transition response, the transition response comprising security-related parameters; and
in response to the received transition response, forward the transition response to the mobile station,
wherein the security-related parameters and the first random string are usable by the mobile station to derive a security key, and wherein the security key is usable by the mobile station to reassociate with the second fixed-site station.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the security-related parameters include information relating to a temporary key.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the temporary key includes a selected period of usefulness.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the procedure comprises a handshake procedure.