An assisted device registration and service access system for future home networks

In today's home networks security features are very rare. Infact, the only service that is usually secured is the access to the wireless network. Services, such as video streaming and audio distribution systems, often use the popular UPnP protocol since it provides dynamic service discovery and is supported by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA). However, UPnP implements no security features which is not only a problem for today's services, but especially for future services in future home networks. Part of the problem is the complexity and the effort that is needed for maintaining a security infrastructure and for the deployment of security mechanisms that are common in administrated enterprise networks. This paper addresses the problem stated above by introducing an assistance system that allows for the easy and almost automatic issuing and distribution of valid X.509 certificates to new devices. We then use these certificates for controlling network access and for the design and implementation of a secure video streaming system based on the Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS). This system shows that certificates not only help within a home, but are absolutely mandatory when interconnecting multiple homes.