US Patent 11962685 High availability secure network including dual mode authentication

A large-scale Ethernet mesh network including a plurality of dual-mode peer devices in signal communication with one another so as to establish a group connectivity association (CA). Each dual-mode peer device simultaneously operates in a supplicant mode and authenticator mode. Each of dual-mode peer device encrypts data using a shared group encryption key (SAK), and exchanges the encrypted data with peer devices in the group CA.