A Robust RSS-Based Rogue AP Localization Algorithm with Unknown Transmit Power

Abstract

The existence of rogue access points (RAP) poses a huge security threat to the wireless network environment. Therefore, it is of great significance to realize accurate positioning of RAP with low cost. At present, the main indoor positioning methods based on RSS (Received Signal Strength) are distance-based and fingerprint-based methods. The former is easy to implement but must ensure that the transmit power of the AP to be measured is known, while the latter often requires tedious deployment work. The problem of unknown transmit power brings great challenges for RAP positioning. In this paper, we propose a RSS-based heuristic algorithm for locating RAP. Firstly, the initial location of RAP is obtained by distance-based localization method, and then a simplified fingerprint-based method is adopted to improve the location precision. Our algorithm also gives the robust estimation interval of the localization effect on transmit power. Experimental results acquired in an office environment show that our proposed algorithm can locate RAP robustly and accurately without knowing the transmit power.