Wireless router deployment

1. A method of a wireless router, comprising:

accessing, by the wireless router, default credentials, wherein the default credentials include a birth certificate, wherein the birth certificate was issued by a manufacturer of the wireless router;

checking, by the wireless router, access to a backhaul link to an upstream network;

authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials;

procuring, by the wireless router, from a CA (Certificate Authority) server, a customer certificate of a customer comprising the wireless router procuring digital certificates issued by the customer for a certificate validity time using a standard protocol;

replacing, by the wireless router, the birth certificate with the customer certificate;

authenticating, by the wireless router, with an authentication server using the customer certificate;

procuring, by the wireless router, from a management server, a customer specific wireless mesh configuration after being authenticated by the authentication server, comprising the wireless router connecting to the management server using the customer certificate, and once authenticated, the management server downloading the customer specific wireless mesh configuration to allow the wireless router to operate within the wireless mesh network, wherein the customer specific wireless mesh configuration comprises at least a mesh ID, a radio channel number, and IP addresses of the wireless router;

rebooting, by the wireless router, using the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, thereby allowing the wireless router to operate within a wireless mesh network, wherein the rebooting is triggered upon obtaining the customer specific wireless mesh configuration; and

broadcasting, by the wireless router, service set identifiers (SSIDs) derived from the default credentials.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless router operates in a bootstrapping mode and a normal operating mesh mode,

wherein during the bootstrapping mode the wireless router obtains the customer certificate of the customer and the customer specific wireless mesh configuration;

wherein the normal operation mode occurs after procuring the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, and wherein during the normal operation mode the wireless router broadcasts the SSIDs and is operable to connect client devices to the wireless mesh network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the checking, by the wireless router, access to the backhaul link to an upstream network indicates no access to the backhaul link, and further comprising:

searching, by the wireless router, for reception of a specific SSID (service set identifier);

associating, by the wireless router, with an upstream router that broadcast the specific SSID and provides access to the backhaul link; wherein

the authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials is executed after associating with the upstream router.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein searching, by the wireless router, for reception of the specific SSID comprises the wireless router scanning wireless channels searching for reception of the specific SSID from upstream wireless routers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the default credentials of the wireless router are preset before deployment of the wireless router.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein checking for backhaul access comprises checking for a presence of an Ethernet backhaul link.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, the wireless router operates as a gateway if the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link is detected, and wherein the wireless router operating as a gateway includes the wireless router operating in a normal mesh network mode that includes providing wireless access to the wireless mesh network to downstream wireless access nodes and client devices.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, if the backhaul link is not present then the wireless router operates as a wireless access node, and the wireless access node is authenticated through an upstream wireless router that is transmitting upstream SSIDs.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials comprises authenticating the birth certificate between the wireless router, an authenticator, and the authentication server.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein authenticating using the default credentials comprises the wireless router presenting the birth certificate to the authentication server through the authenticator, and the authentication server providing the wireless router with the customer certificate.

11. The method of claim 1 , authenticating, by the wireless router, with the authentication server using the customer certificate comprises authenticating a customer issued 802.1x certificate.

12. A wireless router, comprising:

one or more wireless radios;

a controller, wherein the controller operates to:

access default credentials, wherein the default credentials include a birth certificate, wherein the birth certificate was issued by a manufacturer of the wireless router;

check access to a backhaul link to an upstream network;

authenticate the wireless router using the default credentials;

procure from a CA server, a customer certificate of a customer comprising the wireless router procuring digital certificates issued by the customer for a certificate validity time using a standard protocol;

replace the birth certificate with the customer certificate;

authenticate the wireless router with an authentication server using the customer certificate;

procure from a management server, a customer specific wireless mesh configuration after being authenticated by the authentication server, comprising the wireless router connecting to the management server using the customer certificate, and once authenticated, the management server downloading the customer specific wireless mesh configuration to allow the wireless router to operate within the wireless mesh network, wherein the customer specific wireless mesh configuration comprises at least a meshID, a radio channel number, and IP addresses of the wireless router; and

reboot the wireless router using the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, wherein the rebooting is triggered upon obtaining the customer specific wireless mesh configuration; and wherein

SSID(s) derived from the default credentials are broadcast though the one or more wireless radios.

13. The wireless router of claim 12 , wherein the wireless router operates in a bootstrapping mode and a normal operating mesh mode,

wherein during the bootstrapping mode the wireless router obtains the customer certificate of the customer and the customer specific wireless mesh configuration;

wherein the normal operation mode occurs after procuring the customer specific wireless mesh configuration, and wherein during the normal operation mode the wireless router broadcasts the SSIDs and is operable to connect client devices to the wireless mesh network.

14. The wireless router of claim 12 , wherein the checking, by the wireless router, access to the backhaul link to an upstream network indicates no access to the backhaul link, and further comprising:

searching, by the wireless router, for reception of a specific SSID (service set identifier), wherein searching, by the wireless router, for reception of the specific SSID comprises the wireless router scanning wireless channels searching for reception of the specific SSID from upstream wireless routers;

associating, by the wireless router, with an upstream router that broadcast the specific SSID and provides access to the backhaul link; wherein

the authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials is executed after associating with the upstream router.

15. The wireless router of claim 12 , wherein checking for backhaul access comprises checking for a presence of an Ethernet backhaul link, wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, the wireless router operates as a gateway if the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link is detected, and wherein the wireless router operating as a gateway includes the wireless router operating in a normal mesh network mode that includes providing wireless access to the wireless mesh network to downstream wireless access nodes and client devices.

16. The wireless router of claim 15 , wherein after checking for the presence of the Ethernet backhaul link, if the backhaul link is not present then the wireless router operates as a wireless access node, and the wireless access node is authenticated through an upstream wireless router that is transmitting upstream SSIDs.

17. The wireless router of claim 12 , wherein authenticating, by the wireless router, using the default credentials comprises authenticating the birth certificate between the wireless router, an authenticator, and the authentication server, wherein authenticating using the default credentials comprises the wireless router presenting the birth certificate to the authentication server through the authenticator, and the authentication server providing the wireless router with the customer certificate.