Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating access to a home, or other public network
View Patent ↗An apparatus, and an associated method, for facilitating home, or other public network access by a wireless device. The access is made in order to access public-network services by the wireless device when connecting to the public network by way of another network. Access availability by way of 802.1x-capable wireless local area networks, if any, is determined A listing is made of networks through which connections are able to be made. And, if operator policy permits, a public-network access attempter attempts to make communication connections by way of non-802.1x-capable wireless local area networks, if any. Identification is made of network access availability, and such identified network access is displayed to provide a user of the wireless device with an opportunity to select in what manner to connect to the public network.
1. An apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
obtain information indicating whether 802.1x authentication is supported, the information being contained within a broadcast message;
determine whether to use a non-802.1x authentication mechanism based on an indicator stored at a wireless device, the non-802.1x authentication mechanism comprising a tunnel procedure;
based on the information and the indicator stored at the wireless device, identify, via at least one wireless local area network (WLAN), any available network using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism; and
indicate at least one network identified using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to use the non-802.1x authentication mechanism when the at least one WLAN does not support 802.1x authentication.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the indicator comprises OMA DM formatted information.
4. A method comprising:
obtaining information indicating whether 802.1x authentication is supported, the information being contained within a broadcast message;
determining whether to use a non-802.1x authentication mechanism based on an indicator stored at a wireless device, the non-802.1x authentication mechanism comprising a tunnel procedure;
based on the information and the indicator stored at the wireless device, identifying, via at least one wireless local area network (WLAN), any available network using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism; and
indicating at least one network identified using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the non-802.1x authentication mechanism is used when the at least one WLAN does not support 802.1x authentication.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the indicator comprises OMA DM formatted information.
7. A method for a wireless device, the method comprising:
obtaining information indicating whether at least one wireless local area network (WLAN) supports 802.1x authentication, the information being contained within a broadcast message;
determining whether to use a non-802.1x authentication mechanism based on an indicator stored at the wireless device, the non-802.1x authentication mechanism comprising a tunnel procedure;
based on the information and the indicator stored at the wireless device, identifying, via the at least one WLAN, any available network using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism; and
indicating at least one network identified using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the non-802.1x authentication mechanism is used when the at least one WLAN does not support 802.1x authentication.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the indicator comprises OMA DM formatted information.
10. An apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
obtain information indicating whether at least one wireless local area network (WLAN) supports 802.1x authentication, the information being contained within a broadcast message;
determine whether to use a non-802.1x authentication mechanism based on an indicator stored at a wireless device, the non-802.1x authentication mechanism comprising a tunnel procedure;
based on the information and the indicator stored at the wireless device, identify, via the at least one WLAN, any available network using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism; and
indicate at least one network identified using the non-802.1x authentication mechanism.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to use the non-802.1x authentication mechanism when the at least one WLAN does not support 802.1x authentication.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the indicator comprises OMA DM formatted information.