Apparatus and method for accessing WiFi networks

摘要

A method and apparatus are for automatically accessing a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members. The member information about at least one of the social network members, denoted as a particular member, includes a network detection portion and a security portion. The network detection portion is retrieved from the social network for at least the particular member. A detection is made that the wireless device is within range of a secure wireless network associated with the particular member. The detection uses the network detection portion of the particular member as an input. The security portion of the member information of the particular member is retrieved from the social network. The security portion is used to derive access credentials for the secure wireless network. The derived access credentials are used to securely access the secure wireless network.

主权项

1. A method utilized by a wireless device for accessing a secure wireless network, comprising, in a wireless device:
accessing, by the wireless device, a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members, wherein the member information about at least one of the social network members includes a network detection portion and a security portion; retrieving, by the wireless device, the network detection portion for the at least one of the social network members from the social network; detecting, by the wireless device, that the wireless device is within range of a secure wireless network associated with the at least one of the social network members, wherein the detection uses the network detection portion of the at least one of the social network members as an input; retrieving, by the wireless device, the security portion of the member information of the at least one of the social network members from the social network; deriving, by the wireless device, access information for the secure wireless network from the network detection portion and the security portion of the member information; using, by the wireless device, the access information to securely access the secure wireless network; detecting, by the wireless device, that at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the at least one of the social network members has changed and retrieving the changed at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the at least one of the social network members; using, by the wireless device, the changed at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion to derive fresh access information for the secure wireless network; and using, by the wireless device, the fresh access information to securely access the secure wireless network.