technical:pp-nutshell [RADIUSdesk]

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====== Hotspot 2.0/Passpoint in a Nutshell ======
===== Introduction =====
  * Hotspot 2.0 has been around basically since 2012.
  * The hope was that there would be a large uptake in this new standard with its features.
  * It did however never took off for various reasons.
  * One of the reasons is that there are many gears that has to mesh so to speak before you have a working solution.
  * Here are a few of the components
    * WiFi Access Points that supports Hotspot 2.0.
    * RADIUS server that can do EAP Authentication (WPA2 Enterprise)
    * PKI infrastructure or a valid certificate issued by a CA
    * A valid profile that needs to be installed on the WiFi client device.
  * With all this the initial barrier is quite strong and the learning curve for a network administrator is steep.
  * Hotspot 2.0 have however managed to gain some momentum recently due to the following:
    * Better support for Hotspot 2.0 in the WiFi supplicant on the major operating systems.
    * The spread of OpenRoaming is approaching critical mass.
    * Support for Hotspot 2.0 by most hardware manufacturers.
    * Growing awareness of the benefits of Hotspot 2.0 among key industry players.
    * Mobile companies that wants to offer WiFi offloading as a value added service to their clients.

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==== Hotspot 2.0, Passpoint and 802.11u ====
  * 802.11u is a 2011 amendment to the 802.11 standard that enables seamless Wi-Fi roaming and network discovery (**Independent of the SSID of a WiFi network**).
  * Although often used interchangeably with Hotspot 2.0 and Passpoint, these terms have distinct meanings.
  * While they share common goals and technologies, Hotspot 2.0 typically refers to the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification program, Passpoint is a specific implementation, and 802.11u is the underlying standard.
  * In practice, however, these terms are often used loosely to refer to the same general concept of advanced Wi-Fi roaming and network selection.
  * In short, it allows your device to connect to a WiFi network without being dependent on the SSID that is broadcast on the specific WiFi network.
  * 802.11u enables devices to connect to Wi-Fi networks based on other identifiers, such as:
    * Domain names
    * Roaming consortiums
    * Network identifiers
  * So the key takeaway, **802.11u**, **Hotspot 2.0** and **Passpoint** are all part of the same WhatsApp group ;-)

Next we will look how this is accomplish on the WiFi Access Point.

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==== ANQP  (Access Network Query Protocol) ====
  * With the 802.11u standard there are provision for extra data in the WiFi beacons to indicate the Access Point is Hotspot 2.0 enabled.
  * The extra data that 


==== GAS as the Vehicle ====
GAS provides the framework and transport mechanism for queries and responses, allowing devices to request and receive information about networks.

==== ANQP as the Content ====
ANQP is the specific type of information being transported, which includes details about access networks, such as:
  - Network capabilities
  - Roaming consortium information
  - Domain names