IEEE 802.11u
Encyclopedia
IEEE 802.11u-2011 is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11-2007 standard to add features that improve interworking with external networks.
802.11 is a family of IEEE technical standards for mobile communication devices such as laptop computers or multi-mode phones to join a wireless local area network
(WLAN) widely used in the home, public hotspots and commercial establishments. Products using 802.11 protocols are marketed with the Wi-Fi
brand name.
currently makes an assumption that a user's device is pre-authorized to use the network. IEEE 802.11u covers the cases where that device is not pre-authorized. A network will be able to allow access based on the user's relationship with an external network (e.g. hotspot roaming agreements), or indicate that online enrollment is possible, or allow access to a strictly limited set of services such as emergency services (client to authority and authority to client.)
From a user perspective, the aim is to improve the experience of a traveling user who turns on a laptop in a hotel many miles from home, or uses a mobile device to place a phone call. Instead of being presented with a long list of largely meaningless SSIDs the user could be presented with a list of networks, the services they provide, and the conditions under which the user could access them. 802.11u is central to the adoption of UMA and other approaches to network mobile devices.
mesh networks.
802.11 is a family of IEEE technical standards for mobile communication devices such as laptop computers or multi-mode phones to join a wireless local area network
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
(WLAN) widely used in the home, public hotspots and commercial establishments. Products using 802.11 protocols are marketed with the Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
brand name.
For users who are not pre-authorized
IEEE 802.11IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
currently makes an assumption that a user's device is pre-authorized to use the network. IEEE 802.11u covers the cases where that device is not pre-authorized. A network will be able to allow access based on the user's relationship with an external network (e.g. hotspot roaming agreements), or indicate that online enrollment is possible, or allow access to a strictly limited set of services such as emergency services (client to authority and authority to client.)
From a user perspective, the aim is to improve the experience of a traveling user who turns on a laptop in a hotel many miles from home, or uses a mobile device to place a phone call. Instead of being presented with a long list of largely meaningless SSIDs the user could be presented with a list of networks, the services they provide, and the conditions under which the user could access them. 802.11u is central to the adoption of UMA and other approaches to network mobile devices.
Encourages mesh deployment
Because a relatively sophisticated set of conditions can be presented, arbitrary contracts could be presented to the user, and might include providing information on motive, demographics or geographic origin of the user. As such data is valuable to tourism promotion and other public functions, 802.11u is thought to motivate more extensive deployment of IEEE 802.11sIEEE 802.11s
IEEE 802.11s is an IEEE 802.11 amendment for mesh networking, defining how wireless devices can interconnect to create a WLAN mesh network, which may be used for static topologies and ad-hoc networks....
mesh networks.
Mobile cellular network off-load to Wi-Fi
Mobile users, whose devices can move between 3G and Wi-Fi networks at a low level using 802.21 handoff, also need a unified and reliable way to authorize their access to all of those networks. 802.11u provides a common abstraction that all networks regardless of protocol can use to provide a common authentication experience.Mandatory requirements
The IEEE 802.11u requirements specification contains requirements in the areas of enrollment, network selection, emergency call support, emergency alert notification, user traffic segmentation, and service advertisement.See also
- Generic Access NetworkGeneric Access NetworkGeneric Access Network or GAN is a telecommunication system that extends mobile voice, data and IP Multimedia Subsystem/Session Initiation Protocol applications over IP networks...
- GSM
- GPRS
- UMTS
- CDMA
- EV-DOEvolution-Data OptimizedEvolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data only is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access...
- IEEE 802.21IEEE 802.21802.21 is an IEEE standard published in 2008. The standard supports algorithms enabling seamless handover between networks of the same type as well as handover between different network types also called Media independent handover or vertical handover...
Media Independent Handover