Key distribution for wireless devices

1. A method for communicating a key for communicating on a wireless local area network to a wireless device, the method comprising

communicating the key to the wireless device via a communication network, other than the wireless local area network,

wherein communicating the key to the wireless device comprises:

the wireless device informing a cellular base station that the wireless local area network has been found;

the cellular base station communicating with a network management server;

the network management server communicating with a residential gateway/access point to request a key;

the residential gateway/access point communicating the key to the network management server;

the network management server communicating the key to the cellular base station; and

the cellular base station communicating the key to the wireless device,

wherein the wireless device comprises a dual mode device that is configured to communicate via both a cellular telephone system and a wireless local area network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the key is communicated to the wireless device via a cellular telephone system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is configured to communicate with a computer network.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless device comprises a WiFi Protected Access device operating in a WPA-Personal mode without the use of an authentication server.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless device associates to the wireless local area network prior to receiving the key and a gateway/access point of the wireless kcal area network communicates information received from the wireless device to a network management server of a cellular telephone system to facilitate distribution of the key to the wireless device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to scan for an available IEEE 802.11 network and to preferentially use an IEEE 802.11 network.

7. A method for communicating using a dual-mode wireless device, the method comprising:

communicating a key to the wireless device from a first mode method of wireless communication other than cellular via a second mode method of wireless communication, different from the first mode method of wireless communication; and

subsequently communicating via a local area network access point using the first mode method of wireless communication,

wherein communicating the key to the wireless device comprises:

the wireless device informing a cellular base station that the wireless local area network has been found;

the cellular base station communicating with a network management server;

the network management server communicating with a residential gateway/access point to request a key;

the residential gateway/access point communicating the key to the network management server;

the network management server communicating the key to the cellular base station; and

the cellular base station communicating the key to the wireless device 2 ,

wherein the wireless device comprises a dual mode device that is configured to communicate via both a cellular telephone system and the wireless local area network.

8. A method for communicating a key to a dual-mode wireless device, the method comprising:

the wireless device scanning for a wireless local area network;

the wireless device informing a cellular base station that a local area network has been found and identifying the local area network;

the cellular base station communicating with a network management server,

the network management server communicating with a residential gateway/access point to request a key;

the residential gateway/access point communicating the key to the network management server;

the network management server communicating the key to the cellular base station;

the cellular base station communicating the key to the wireless device, and

communicating identifying information relating to the dual-mode phone to the network management server (NMS),

wherein the access point communicates the identifying information relating to the dual-mode phone to the network management server (NMS) and communicates the identifying information relating to the wireless network to the network.

9. A method of wireless communication using a dual-mode device, comprising:

finding a wireless network;

communicating identifying information relating to the wireless network to a cellular phone system network management server (NMS);

requesting a key from an access point of the wireless network, wherein the cellular phone system network management server (NMS) requests the key;

communicating the key to the dual-mode device via the cellular phone system network management server (NMS) and a cellular phone base station;

communicating data with the wireless network subsequent to receiving the key, wherein the dual-mode device communicates the data via the access point, and

communicating identifying information relating to the dual-mode phone to the network management server (NMS),

wherein the access point communicates the identifying information relating to the dual-mode phone to the network management server (NMS) and communicates the identifying information relating to the wireless network to the network.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the wireless network is a wireless local area network.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein communicating identifying information relating to the wireless network comprises the dual-mode device communicating the identifying information via the cellular phone base station.

12. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first mode method of communication is a wireless local area network method of communication and the second mode method of communication is a cellular telephone method of communication.