| Internet-Draft | Connect-Info | February 2026 |
| Grayson & Redmore | Expires 29 August 2026 | [Page] |
This document describes a syntax for the Connect-Info attribute used with the RADIUS protocol, enabling RADIUS clients to provide RADIUS servers information pertaining to a user's connection with an IEEE 802.11 wireless network.¶
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The Connect-Info attribute is defined in [RFC2869] to enable a Network Access Server (NAS) to indicate to a RADIUS server "the nature of the user's connection". [RFC2869] includes the recommendation that:¶
The connection speed SHOULD be included at the beginning of the first Connect-Info attribute in the packet. If the transmit and receive connection speeds differ, they MAY both be included in the first attribute with the transmit speed first (the speed the NAS modem transmits at), a slash (/), the receive speed, then optionally other information.¶
The Connect-Info attribute can be sent in both Access-Request and Accounting-Request messages, as shown in Figure 1.¶
+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Attribute | Request | Accept | Reject | Challenge | Acct-Req | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Connect- | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+ | | Info (77) | | | | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+
Many NAS implementations have implemented the Connect-Info attribute. Wi-Fi vendors supporting the Connect-Info attribute start the text field with "CONNECT" that is followed by a floating point value representing the maximum connection speed in Mbps. Implementations follow this with text information about the IEEE 802.11 amendment supported, as illustrated in Figure 2.¶
Connect-Info = "CONNECT 11.00 Mbps 802.11b"
Other implementations have extended this baseline to signal additional information to the RADIUS server using a slash (/) delimiter, as illustrated in Figure 3.¶
Connect-Info = "CONNECT 54.00 Mbps / 802.11n / RSSI: 53 / Channel: 1"
There are use-cases that benefit from being able to share Wi-Fi network connection metrics between a NAS and a server, including where the NAS is operated by a Wi-Fi Access Network Provider (ANP) and the server is operated by an Identity Provider (IDP). Reception of the Connect-Info attribute by a RADIUS server is intended to be used to assist the IDP in making authorization decisions.¶
The rest of this document describes a syntax for the Connect-Info attribute that is simultaneously able to support existing vendor implementations as illustrated in Figure 2 and Figure 3, while being enhanced with additional optional information to support new use-cases and requirements.¶
The techniques by which a server uses the information encoded in the Connect-Info attribute to assist in making authorization decisions are not defined in this document. Some servers MAY define the use a threshold for one or more parameters received in an access-request, other systems MAY use historical Connect-Info records from previously authenticated sessions, including those in the accounting-request messages received from the same NAS, still other systems MAY decide to algorithmically combine the parameters into a new metric used when making authorization decisions.¶
The examples in Figure 2 and Figure 3 together with the recommendation in [RFC2869] are representations of complex data types, as described in section 3.2.3 of [RFC6158]. Whereas section 3.2.4 of [RFC6158] discourages the use complex data types where viable alternatives are available, it is argued that the present document does not introduce a new complex data type, rather extends the syntax widely used in existing implementations of the Connect-Info attribute that currently encode a complex data type.¶
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.¶
Access Network Provider (ANP):¶
A Wi-Fi operator that has configured its Wi-Fi equipment to support inbound roaming of users.¶
Identity Provider (IDP):¶
An entity that authenticates end-user Wi-Fi devices onto ANP networks.¶
Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI):¶
A measurement of the power level that is received by an antenna from a wireless device.¶
The access network characteristics that can be shared between NAS and AAA include those that can be used to derive a quality metric of the performance of a Wi-Fi network. These include characteristics associated with the IEEE 802.11 connection:¶
transmit and receive bit rates,¶
received signal strength indicator (RSSI),¶
frame loss rate, and¶
frame retry rate.¶
While not uniquely associated with the IEEE 802.11 connection, Section 1 describes legacy implementations which include generic parameters concerning the configuration of the Wi-Fi network in the Connect-Info attribute. These legacy parameters include:¶
The Augmented Backus-Naur form (ABNF) is a syntax for specifications defined in [RFC5234]. The proposed ABNF syntax for the text of the Connect-Info attribute used with Wi-Fi networks is shown below. This syntax is intended to encompass current vendor implementations while supporting optional enhancements to support sharing of new parameters.¶
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; Connect-Info RADIUS Attribute #77 Syntax for Wi-Fi networks
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
connect-info-77 = "CONNECT" [legacyAttributes]
*( DELIMITER keyValueAttribute )
[ DELIMITER legacyChannelNum ]
*( DELIMITER keyValueAttribute )
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; Legacy attributes not linked to a specific connection
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
legacyAttributes = 1*SP MAXSPEED " Mbps" DELIMITER WIFIAMENDMENT
; indication of max achievable data rate together with
; Wi-Fi 802.11 amendment information
legacyChannelNum = "Channel:" *SP CHANNUM
; The 802.11 channel number
; Note - with the introduction of Wi-Fi operation in
; 6 GHz, the Channel Number no longer uniquely identifies
; the band of operation
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; keyValueAttributes - attributes linked to a specific connection;
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
keyValueAttribute = "RSSI:" *SP SS ["(" AGGR ")"]
; The value of Station RSSI in dBm and optionally the
; aggregation technique use for reporting multiple values
keyValueAttribute =/ "TxBitRate:" *SP RATE ["(" AGGR ")"]
; The AP to device transmission rate in Mbps and
; optionally the aggregation technique use for
; reporting multiple values
keyValueAttribute =/ "RxBitRate:" *SP RATE ["(" AGGR ")"]
; The device to AP transmission rate in Mbps and
; optionally the aggregation technique use for
; reporting multiple values
keyValueAttribute =/ "FrameLoss:" *SP PCT ["(" AGGR ")"]
; The AP to device 802.11 frame loss rate experienced,
; encoded as an integer percentage and optionally the
; aggregation technique use for reporting multiple values
keyValueAttribute =/ "FrameRetry:" *SP PCT ["(" AGGR ")"]
; The AP to device 802.11 frame retry rate experienced,
; encoded as an integer percentage and optionally the
; aggregation technique use for reporting multiple values
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; keyValueAttributes - extensibility syntax.
;
; This syntax enables the syntax to be extended in the future.
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
keyValueAttribute =/ 1*NO-DELIM-COLON ":" *SP 1*NO-DELIM-COLON
; Syntax permitting extensibility
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; Definitions for legacy attributes
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
MAXSPEED = (DIGIT / (NZDIGIT DIGIT) / (NZDIGIT DIGIT DIGIT) /
(NZDIGIT DIGIT DIGIT DIGIT) /
(NZDIGIT DIGIT DIGIT DIGIT DIGIT)) "." DIGIT DIGIT
; Maximum AP to Device speed in Mbps, (0.00 - 99999.99),
; calculated as:
; SC * MD * CR * SS / (SYM + GD)
; where:
; SC = Number of Data Sub-Carriers
; CR = Coding Rate, e.g., 0.5 (BPSK),
; 0.75 (256QAM)
; MD = Modulation rate (1-8),
; where 2^MD = num mod'n states
; SS = number of spatial streams
; SYM = symbol interval (micro-seconds)
; GD = guard interval (micro-seconds)
WIFIAMENDMENT = "802.11" AMENDMENT
AMENDMENT = "b" / "g" / "a" / "n" / "ac" / "ax" / "be"
; the original 802.11 amendment
CHANNUM = NZDIGIT / (NZDIGIT DIGIT) / ("1" DIGIT DIGIT) /
("2" U4DIGIT DIGIT)
; Encoding for Channel Numbers (1 - 249)
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; Definitions for connection orientated attributes
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
SS = ["-"](DIGIT / (NZDIGIT DIGIT) / ("1" DIGIT DIGIT))
; Value of Received Signal Strength when expressed in dBm
; To accommodate different legacy implementations, both 41
; and -41 represent -41 dBm
RATE = (DIGIT / (NZDIGIT DIGIT) / (NZDIGIT DIGIT DIGIT) /
(NZDIGIT DIGIT DIGIT DIGIT)) ["." DIGIT]
; A transmit or receive rate in Mbps
PCT = DIGIT / (NZDIGIT DIGIT) / "100"
; Percentage (0 - 100)
AGGR = ALGO SP WINDOW
ALGO = "MIN" / "MAX" / ("AVG" ["-" VARIANT] )/ "ACC"
; The algorithm used for combining multiple values:
; MIN = minimum value over window
; MAX = maximum value over window
; AVG = average value over window
; ACC = accumulated ratio over window, corresponding to
; ( num[N] - num[1]) / ( denom[N] - denom[1] )
; and where ACC only applies to loss and retry rates
VARIANT = "LIN" / "EXP"
; LIN = linear (arithmetic) calculation
; EXP = exponential weighted calculation
WINDOW = (DIGIT / (NZDIGIT DIGIT) / (NZDIGIT DIGIT DIGIT))
TIMEUNIT
; The time window over which the aggregation algorithm
; operates, measured in units of TIMEUNIT
TIMEUNIT = "S" / "M"
; S = units of seconds, M = units of minutes
DELIMITER = SLASH / 1*SP
; existing vendor delimiters
NO-DELIM-COLON = %x21-2e / %x30-39 / %x3b-7e
; any characters excluding delimiters - space (0x20) and
; slash (0x2f) - as well as colon (0x3a)
SP = %x20
SLASH = *SP %x2F *SP
DIGIT = %x30-39 ; 0-9
NZDIGIT = %x31-39 ; 1-9
U4DIGIT = %x30-34 ; 0-4 (up to 4)
The Connect-Info attribute value is limited to 253 bytes. Example encodings using the ABNF definition are illustrated in Figure 5 and Figure 6, indicating that the metrics can be signaled while keeping the attribute size below 253 bytes.¶
The inclusion of the above parameters in a Connect-Info attribute signalled in a RADIUS Access-Request message is restricted by the number of IEEE 802.11 frames over which the calculation are based. In such cases, the transmit bit rates, receive bit rates and RSSI level MAY correspond to the instantaneous value of the specific parameter.¶
Connect-Info = "CONNECT 54.00 Mbps / 802.11n / Channel: 1 / RSSI: 53"
Connect-Info = "CONNECT 400.00 Mbps 802.11ac Channel:44 RSSI:50"
Connect-Info = "CONNECT RSSI:56 TxBitRate:150.0 RxBitRate:150.0"
Connect-Info = "CONNECT 400.00 Mbps 802.11ac RSSI:56 TxBitRate:150.0
RxBitRate:150.0"
The inclusion of the Connect-Info attribute signalled in a RADIUS Accounting-Request with Acct-Status-Type set to Start, is restricted by the number of IEEE 802.11 frames over which the calculation are based. In such cases, the transmit bit rates, receive bit rates and RSSI level MAY correspond to the instantaneous value of the specific parameter. In other cases where the Connect-Info attribute is signalled in RADIUS Accounting-Request messages with Acct-Status-Type set to Interim-Update or Stop, the NAS SHOULD use multiple measurements when calculating the reported value:¶
the reported transmit and receive bit rates SHOULD represent the maximum values experienced since the last time the connect-info was signalled, i.e. the "ALGO" term SHOULD be set to "MAX".¶
the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) SHOULD represent the average RSSI value, where the average value calculated MAY be either a linear average or an exponential weighted average, i.e. the "ALGO" term SHOULD be set to "AVG".¶
frame loss rate and frame retry rate SHOULD represent the accumulated ratio, i.e. the "ALGO" term SHOULD be set to "ACC".¶
Connect-Info = "CONNECT RSSI:56(AVG-LIN 10M) TxBitRate:150.0(MAX 10M)
RxBitRate:150.0(MAX 10M)"
Connect-Info = "CONNECT 400.00 Mbps 802.11ac RSSI:56(AVG-LIN 600S)
TxBitRate:150.0(MAX 600S) RxBitRate:150.0(MAX 600S)
FrameLoss:3(ACC 60S) FrameRetry:6(ACC 60S)"
Connect-Info = "CONNECT TxBitRate:150.0(MAX 30S)
RxBitRate:120.5(MAX 30S) RSSI:-65(AVG-LIN 30S)
FrameLoss:2(ACC 30S) FrameRetry:4(ACC 30S)"
In July 2024, a proof of concept was built using modified hostapd code (https://w1.fi/) that is able to populate the connect-info attributes according to the syntax defined above. In December 2024, Helium Network (www.helium.com) upgraded their deployment of 17,000 OpenWi-Fi/OpenWRT Wi-Fi Access points to support the enhanced connect-info attribute.¶
This document describes a syntax that enables a RADIUS client to provide a RADIUS server information pertaining to the operation of an IEEE 802.11 wireless network. The terms agreed between the operator of the RADIUS client and the operator of the RADIUS server SHOULD include restrictions on the use of such non-personal information by the operator of the RADIUS server, for example limiting the use of such information to making RADIUS server authorization decisions and prohibiting a RADIUS server from disclosing information signalled in the Connect-Info attribute to any third-party.¶
This document has no IANA Actions.¶
01 - Added extensibility to ABNF and corrected syntax. Added security considerations section. Added note on TxBitRate/RxBitRate when included in Accounting-Request type Stop.¶
02 - Corrected ABNF syntax definition of RATE.¶
03 - Following RADEXT recommendation, switched to independent submission. Updated ABNF to ease parsing of key/value pairs.¶
04 - Updated ABNF i) switching from band to global operating class, ii) added Wi-Fi Alliance generational name support as an alternative to 802.11 amendment designator, iii) permit legacy absolute and signed representations of signal strength, and iv) added WAN-RTT attribute¶
05 - Following RADEXT recommendation, switched back to IETF submission. Added clarifications that information is shared to enable a RADIUS server to make improved authorization decisions. Added text about aligning with legacy implementations that do not adhere to RFC6158.¶
06 - Following RADEXT feedback at IETF 124, removed non-connection orientated key-value pairs from the syntax definition.¶
07 - Updated the ABNF following feedback from Iegor Sergieienkov.¶
The authors would like to thank all the members of the WBA's Access Network Metrics project team, as well as Iegor Sergieienkov, who have helped review and refine the Connect-Info syntax.¶