Client assisted location data acquisition scheme for secure enterprise wireless networks

Current wireless networks that are widely deployed for various commercial applications, do not keep track of a mobile user's location. However, location information can enhance security by facilitating tracking of misbehaving users, or though implementation of location based network access. Previous work done on location estimation typically involves methods that use a lookup table comprising the client or access point signal strengths, which are collected manually at short distances throughout the site. This paper proposes a new data collection scheme for building a lookup table using client assistance in an enterprise wireless environment. In this work, a network-bused location estimation scheme is implemented using sniffers, which monitor client signal strength. It is observed that the accuracy of location estimation is improved by averaging the lookup table data collected over time. The client assisted data collection scheme can be used to frequently build lookup tables in an efficient manner and hence improve accuracy in location estimation. Thus, this scheme could be used to implement a location based security policy throughout the enterprise wireless network.