Intel eyes Wi-Fi security

Intel is developing a way to locate a Wi-Fi user by timing how long it takes for packets to travel to and from a wireless access point, which could prevent users outside a house or office from accessing a Wi-Fi network indoors.

Knowing where a system is located also could be an invaluable aid in finding and fixing hardware problems in data centers, and informing mobile device users of places or services nearby, said Justin Rattner, an Intel senior fellow. He showed off the technology at the Fall Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco last week.

In the demonstration, the access point timed how long it took a packet to travel out to the client system and come back. From the length of that round-trip time, it extrapolated how far away the client was.

The technology is so precise, even up to 231 feet from the access point, that it can tell whether a client device is inside or outside a wall, Rattner said. For keeping neighbors or passers-by from intruding on a home or enterprise network, it might even be more effective than current encryption systems, he added.

Another possible use of the technology is to make a video program follow a user from room to room. For example, if a user carried a notebook PC, the program could move from a TV in the living room to a large PC monitor in an office and then come up on the notebook when the user got out of range of either stationary display, he said.

Both access points and clients would have to be modified to support the system. Intel plans to bring the technology to the IEEE 802.11 group for standardization.