TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a method and a network device for providing location-based services to wireless devices based on the VLAN technology.

BACKGROUND

WiFi or WLAN is getting more and more common and is a very popular access network which is virtually available almost all over the globe. In 99.9% of today's WLAN installation, the system works the same, i.e., a user logs in and has the same access everywhere. This provides some security risks, e.g., eavesdropping or even stealing user IDs such as pin code, passwords, etc. Other solutions have at least divided the users or user devices in different groups with different access right(s), Dynamic Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN).

SUMMARY

It is an object of embodiments herein to solve at least the above-mentioned problems by providing a method and a network device for providing at least one service available via an assigned VLAN network as disclosed in main claim1covering a method claim and in claim7covering a network device claim. Additional advantages of the embodiments are further disclosed in dependent claims2-6concerning method claim1and in dependent claims 8-11 concerning apparatus claim7.

According to an aspect of embodiments herein, there is provided a method comprising: authenticating a user device to an access point of a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN or WiFi network; determining, by a network device, a location of the user device; assigning a Virtual Local Area Network, VLAN, to the user device based on the location of the user device; and providing at least one service available via the assigned VLAN network.

According to another aspect of embodiments herein there is provided a network node comprising a memory, a hardware processor executing instructions from the memory to: authenticate a user device to an access point of a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, or WiFi network, determine a location of the user device; assign a Virtual Local Area Network, VLAN, to the user device based on the location of the user device; and provide at least one service available via the assigned VLAN network.

An advantage with the embodiments herein is to let the network be aware of where a wireless device or a client is located to allow usage of different types of services.

Another advantage is to lock different services to different areas, by assigning different VLANs to coordinates in a coverage map wherein the wireless devices are located. Dynamic VLAN assigned by coordinates from connected devices.

