Information and Links
Join the fray by commenting, tracking what others have to say, or linking to it from your blog.
Apple suggests RFID to allow ‘easy’ wireless network setup and security
This patent suggests the use of RFID tags in hardware that exchange the vital information to allow setup of new hardware on a wireless network. You bring your new iTV up in close proximity to your wireless base station (which has a RFID receiver) and they exchange information from the RFID tag.
A common problem with wireless networks is that they aren’t secure. Although some of this is due to design flaws in the current encryption used in the wifi standard the most common reason for unsecured networks is that they are not properly configured and security features not enabled.
The exchange of data would be authentication parameters, encryption keys etc and the device could be anything including a ‘remote control’ and other ‘primitive’ devices which don’t have user interfaces and are difficult to configure.
If you’ve even tried to explain over the phone to someone how to secure their network (get you MAC address, no not the ethernet one the wifi one etc etc etc) you’ll understand how difficult it is for hardware providers to “just make it work” and be secure(ish). Embedding RFID tags may allow easy exchange of configuration and security data and easy setup. Obviously, considering the consumer-resistance to RFID-enabled passports (and RFID-everything else) Apple will need to make sure they have implement this feature carefully. If the RFID-range was longer than necessary one can imagine someone standing outside your house scanning it to see what hardware you have and whether it’s worth stealing, or scanning you for your iPhone etc (these are not insurmountable problems but examples of what can happen with badly implemented RFID systems).
Patent Title: RFID network arrangement
A system for automatic configuration and authentication of network devices is disclosed. A network base station, e.g., a wireless router, includes an RFID transceiver. A network device includes an RFID tag. Then the network device is brought into proximity with the base station, an exchange of information takes place between the RFID transceiver in the base station and the RFID tag in the device. When the network device is powered on, it reads the information in its RFID tag and uses this information to establish a limited connection to the base station. Once connected, the base station and network device exchange authentication and encryption parameters over the limited connection and thus establish a fully functional and secure network connection between the network base station and the network device.
Within the last several years, wireless networking has become increasingly popular. Wireless networking provides numerous benefits, both in public settings and within a closed home or office network. However, installing and configuring wireless network devices requires some understanding of the configuration parameters of the various network protocols. Many users, particularly home and small office users, lack the level of knowledge necessary to install and configure wireless network devices, and are thus unable to take advantage of the benefits of wireless networking.
An even greater problem lies in a lack of security of wireless networks. Despite the fact that fairly robust security algorithms have been developed, often these algorithms are not implemented. Again, this problem is especially acute with respect to home and small office users, who may be relatively unsophisticated with respect to wireless networking security protocols and lack the resources to employ more highly trained network administrators or information technology support staff. Contributing to the problem is the fact that most wireless device manufacturers ship their devices with such security features disabled. As a result, many users never enable the security features, and many wireless networks are left unsecured.
Still another problem is the use of primitive devices that lack user interfaces sophisticated enough to properly configure wireless network. One example of such a device might be a remote control for controlling the playback of audio and/or video media using a computer. Although prior art devices to do so have required additional interfaces, e.g., infrared transceivers, to be added to the computer system, it would be advantageous to provide a remote control that interfaced with a preexisting interface of the computer, e.g., the wireless network interface. However, typical remote controls lack user interfaces of sufficient sophistication to configure a wireless network connection.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a system for simplifying the configuration of wireless network devices and minimizing the amount of traditional user interface required to do so, while still permitting users to employ robust authentication and encryption algorithms.
Inventor: Michael Culbert
Sounds like a great way to throw an iPhone or tablet on a wireless network.
David