Broadcom Corporation

Palo Alto Research Center Inc.

Jeffrey Abramowitz

Stephen Ray Palm

Richard Martin

Jeffrey L Thermond

Bo-chieh Yang

Ted Tsei Kuo

Andrea Peiro

Li-Jen Wang

Diana Kathryn Smetters

Simon E M Barber

A wireless station within a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) includes a processor, a radio and a directional antenna. The radio gathers participatory data based on communications involving the wireless station and non-participatory data based on communications the wireless station listens to, but does not participate in. The processor produces an operational report based on the participatory data and the non-participatory data and provides the operational report to the WLAN. The processor further alters a gain vector of the directional antenna based on instructions received from the WLAN in response to the operational report.

Wireless access point service coverage area management

Apparatus and methods are provided for protecting network resources, particularly in association with automatic provisioning of new client devices. A global PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) scheme is rooted at a globally available server. Roots of PKIs for individual organizations also reside at this server or another globally available resource. To enable access to an organization's network, one or more authenticators are deployed, which may be co-located with access points or other network components. After a client device enabler (CDE) and an authenticator perform mutual authentication with certificates issued within the global PKI, the CDE is used to provision a new client device for the organization. After the client is provisioned, it and an authenticator use certificates issued within the per-organization PKI to allow the client access to the network.

Apparatus and methods for protecting network resources

Apparatus and methods are provided for managing network resources. A central unified services and device management framework is operated to simultaneously manage various types of resources on behalf of multiple organizations. Within the framework, a common management layer provides services (e.g., account management, event logging) common to multiple different services and devices. Within a specific management layer, separate subsystems are implemented for different devices or types of devices. The device-specific subsystems invoke device-independent functional modules through primitives exposed by the common management layer. A given organization may establish tiered logical constructs to group resources deployed at different physical locations (e.g., cities, offices) or within different subdivisions of the organizations (e.g., subsidiaries, departments).

Apparatus and methods for managing network resources

A Wireless Access Point (WAP) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructure includes a processor, a radio and a directional antenna. The radio supports communications with a plurality of wireless terminals to gather participatory data, and listens to, but does not participate in transmissions of at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals to collect non-participatory WAP data. Based upon the participatory WAP data and non-participatory WAP data, the processor creates WAP operational reports and provides the WAP operational reports to the WLAN. The WLAN creates directions based thereon and directs the WAP to alter the gain pattern of the directional antenna.

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Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey Abramowitz