Google Inc.

Yassir Abousselham

Michel Weksler

Ken Krieger

Brian De Vries

A master beacon device emits a data packet that is received and retransmitted by servant beacon devices in a wireless mesh network that enables the beacon devices to detect the received signal strength indicator ('RSSI') of beacon devices in proximity. Each servant beacon device transmits survey data packets comprising the RSSIs and hardware identifiers of proximate beacon devices to the master beacon device, which constructs a first virtual map of the mesh network. At a later time, each servant beacon device transmits authentication data packets, which are retransmitted, each retransmitting beacon inserting an RSSI and hardware identifier of the beacon device from which the authentication data packet was received, until they reach the master beacon device, which constructs a second virtual map of the mesh network. The master beacon device compares the first virtual map to the second virtual map to determine if the network is secure.

Securing a wireless mesh network via a chain of trust

A beacon device establishes a network connection with a user computing device. The beacon device determines the received signal strength indicator of the user computing device (the 'reverse RSSI') and transmits it to the user computing device, which determines the received signal strength indicator (the 'RSSI') of the beacon device, and saves the RSSI with the reverse RSSI as a data pair. At a later time, the beacon device determines a subsequent reverse RSSI and transmits it to the user computing device, which determines a subsequent RSSI, and saves the subsequent RSSI with the subsequent reverse RSSI as a data pair. If the user computing device determines a correspondence in the changes of the RSSI values and reverse RSSI values in the two data pairs, a transaction between the two devices is allowed. If correspondence does not exist, then the user computing device terminates the network connection.

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Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America

Yassir Abousselham