Management frames and usage in a wireless network environment
Instead of monitoring a wireless region for beacons, to learn of availability of different wireless access points in a particular geographical region, an end user-operated communication device generates a network discovery request message. The communication device initiates wireless broadcast of the network discovery request message from the user-operated communication device to any of one or more listening non-beacon-generating wireless access points in a wireless network environment. Each of the non-beacon generating wireless access points receiving the network discovery request message from the user-operated communication device produces a respective network discovery response message including network identity information (such as one or more SSIDs) associated with the respective non-beacon generating wireless access point. The non-beacon generating wireless access points transmit network discovery response messages to the user-operated communication device, informing the communication device of network availability.
1. A method comprising:
at a communication device operated by a user:
generating a network discovery request message, the network discovery request message indicating attributes of different types of networks to which the user of the communication device desires to establish a wireless communication link;
initiating wireless broadcast of the network discovery request message in a wireless network environment, the network discovery request message received by a non-beacon-generating wireless access point in the wireless network environment;
receiving a network discovery response message from the non-beacon-generating wireless access point, the network discovery response message including network identity information associated with the non-beacon-generating wireless access point, the network discovery response message further including signal strength information indicating a wireless signal strength at which the non-beacon-generating wireless access point received the network discovery request message;
wherein the non-beacon generating wireless access point is a first non-beacon-generating wireless access point in the wireless network environment, the method further comprising:
generating a subsequent network discovery request message in response to detecting that a signal strength of wireless communications received from the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point are below a threshold level;
receiving a response from second non-beacon-generating wireless access point in which corresponding received communications from the second non-beacon-generating wireless access point are above the threshold level; and
performing a wireless communication link handoff from the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point to the second non-beacon-generating wireless access point.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point measures a wireless power level of receiving the network discovery request message, the network discovery response message including power information indicating the measured wireless power level at which the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point received the network discovery request message.
3. The method as in claim 2 further comprising:
as a response to the broadcasted network discovery request message, receiving network discovery response messages from multiple non-beacon-generating wireless access points in the wireless network environment, each of the network discovery response messages indicating a power level of receiving the respective network discovery request message; and
analyzing the network discovery response messages to identify a non-beacon-generating wireless access point of the multiple non-beacon-generating wireless access points in which to establish a wireless communication link.
4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the network discovery response message includes information indicating attributes of types of different networks supported by the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point.
5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
repeatedly broadcasting the wireless network discovery request message in the wireless network environment to elicit generation of a network discovery response message by the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point.
6. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
using roaming support information received in the network discovery response message to determine which of multiple non-beacon-generating wireless access points to establish a wireless communication link.
7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the communication device is operable to determine a signal strength of receiving communications from the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point.
8. The method as in claim 7 , wherein the communication device determines the signal strength based upon a number of lost data packets.
9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the network discovery response message includes attributes of networks supported by the first non-beacon-generating wireless access point.
10. A method comprising:
at a communication device operated by a user:
generating a network discovery request message, the network discovery request message indicating attributes of different types of networks to which the user of the communication device desires to establish a wireless communication link;
initiating wireless broadcast of the network discovery request message in a wireless network environment, the network discovery request message received by a non-beacon-generating wireless access point in the wireless network environment; and
receiving a network discovery response message from the non-beacon-generating wireless access point, the network discovery response message including network identity information associated with the non-beacon-generating wireless access point, the network discovery response message further including signal strength information indicating a wireless signal strength at which the non-beacon-generating wireless access point received the network discovery request message;
wherein the network discovery request message indicates that the communication device is passpoint enabled to support passpoint handoffs; and
wherein the network discovery response message indicates multiple network service providers supported by the wireless access point.
11. A system comprising:
a wireless access point comprising:
a first wireless communication interface to wirelessly communicate with multiple communication devices in a network environment, the first wireless communication interface being a passive interface configured to prevent non-solicited transmission of wireless communications indicating a presence of the wireless access point in the network environment;
a power monitor resource, the power monitor resource measuring a wireless power level of receiving a network discovery request message over the first wireless communication interface from a communication device in the network environment;
a second communication interface to communicate with a remote network;
a communication management resource to facilitate conveying communications between the multiple communication devices and the remote network; and
wherein the network discovery request message indicates that the communication device supports passpoint, the communication management resource operable to produce a network discovery response message to include information indicating multiple service providers supported by the wireless access point.
12. The system as in claim 11 further comprising:
the communication management resource operable to produce the network discovery response message to include power signal level information indicating the measured wireless power level at which the wireless access point received the network discovery request message.
13. The system as in claim 12 , wherein the communication management resource is operable to produce the network discovery response message to include information indicating attributes of types of different networks supported by the wireless access point.
14. The system as in claim 12 , wherein the communication management resource is operable to produce the network discovery response message to include network identity information assigned to the wireless access point in response to receiving the network discovery request message.