A network traffic hub extracts encryption metadata from messages establishing an encrypted connection between a smart appliance and a remote server and determines whether malicious behavior is present in the messages. For example, the network traffic hub can extract an encryption cipher suite, identified encryption algorithms, or a public certificate. The network traffic hub detects malicious behavior or security threats based on the encryption metadata. These security threats may include a man-in-the-middle attacker or a Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption attack. Upon detecting malicious behavior or security threats, the network traffic hub blocks the encrypted traffic or notifies a user.

Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and system for beam forming and beam steering within ultra-wideband, wireless optical communication devices and systems. According to one embodiment, a free space optical (FSO) communication apparatus is disclosed. The FSO communication apparatus includes a semiconductor optical device configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps), a lens, and a first band select filter.

In a wireless optical network with multiple coordinators or other access points, the coverage area of coordinators may overlap. Interference in the communication between coordinators and devices may occur in these overlapping coverage areas. Various embodiments propose an automatic allocation of reserved time slots to coordinators. These time slots support the coordinators to advertise their presence without interference and enable a device to detect the presence of a neighbour coordinator in a single MAC cycle. Cooperation of coordinators can be supervised by a global controller to determine non-interfering time schedules whereby the coordinators rely on interference reports from the devices in the overlapping coverage areas. Fast detection allows fast re-scheduling of time slots in the wireless optical network in order to prevent interference when a device that enters the overlapping coverage area of two coordinators.

Useful data is transmitted to a terminal existing in a transportation vehicle. A communication apparatus installed in the transportation vehicle and configured to transmit the data to the terminal existing in the transportation vehicle includes a data selection unit and an illumination unit. The data selection unit acquires location information indicating a location of the transportation vehicle in which the terminal exists and which is traveling. Based on the acquired location information, the data selection unit selects approaching-location data related to a location ahead of a current location of the transportation vehicle in a traveling direction from a plurality of pieces of data related to the location. The illumination unit transmits, as a modulated light signal, a signal comprising the approaching-location data.

Provided is an in-store dual-mode communication system in which shelves are disposed within a commercial space. A server is coupled to the Internet and/or a wide-area network and is configured to send and receive communications. Also provided are light-based messaging units that are located on and/or attached to such shelves, each: 1) having a light source, 2) receiving a communication from the server, and 3) in response to receipt of such communication, turning the light source on and off so as to broadcast a digital message that was included within such communication, as a binary-encoded digital signal corresponding to on/off states of the light source. A user device: (i) receives, via its light sensor, and then decodes the binary-encoded digital signal from a light-based messaging unit in order to obtain the digital message that corresponds to it; and also (ii) communicates with the server via its wireless interface.

A two-beam steering device comprising two single-beam steering devices and a motorized, rotating base stage, wherein each single-beam steering device is able to steer an electromagnetic wave beam in a full field of regard, wherein the two single-beam steering devices are fixed on top of the rotating base stage. The two-beam steering device can point the two individual beams into any direction pair in the entire field of regard with full flexibility.

The disclosure provides for a method for reacquiring a communication link between a first communication device and a second communication device. The method includes using one or more processors of the first communication device to receive historical data related to the first communication device and an environment surrounding the first communication device. The one or more processors are then used to determine one or more trends in the historical data related to fading of the communication link. Based on the one or more trends, the one or more processors are used to determine a starting time and an initial search direction for a search for the communication link. The one or more processors then execute the search at the starting time from the initial search direction.

A system for use in issuing commands to a plurality of appliances each of a specific one of a plurality of different appliance types includes a smart device adapted to transmit command communications and a plurality of low-energy consuming controllers each adapted to transmit a command to a one of the plurality of appliances of a specific one of the plurality of different appliance types in response to receipt of a command communication originating from the smart device.

A display device control system includes a first display device configured to include a first ultra-wideband (UWB) module and a first Bluetooth module, a second display device, and a remote controller configured to include an infrared (IR) module, a second UWB module, and a second Bluetooth module. The first display device and the remote controller are paired with each other. When the second display device includes a third UWB module and a third Bluetooth module, the third UWB module of the second display device senses the remote controller, the first display device and the remote controller are unpaired with each other, and the second display device and the remote controller are paired with each other.

A method (100) for managing Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) in a User Equipment (UE) is disclosed, the UE being configured for Radio Frequency (RF) communication with a network and comprising at least two OWC receivers. The method comprises monitoring a captured luminous flux intensity at the OWC receivers (1 10) and, if a captured luminous flux intensity at at least one of the OWC receivers is above a viability threshold (120), selecting the OWC receiver having the highest captured luminous flux intensity (130) and extracting client data from an optical signal received on the selected OWC receiver (140). Also disclosed are a UE (300, 700) configured for RF communication with a network and for OWC, the UE comprising at least two OWC receivers, and a controller (500, 600) for managing OWC in a UE.