US Patent 9167053 Advanced network characterization

Some embodiments include a method for determining whether to establish a connection between a computer and a network. In some embodiments, the method includes: receiving first network information from a network; determining a first trust level for the network by matching the network information to provisioning information, wherein the provisioning information indicates the first trust level and an authentication method of the network; verifying that network supports the authentication method, wherein the verifying includes exchanging information with the network; after verifying that the network supports the authentication method, establishing a connection to the network, wherein the connection provides access to an Internet.