US20110292925A1 - Network Device For Implementing Access Points And Multiple Client Stations - Google Patents
Network Device For Implementing Access Points And Multiple Client Stations Download PDFInfo
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- US20110292925A1 US20110292925A1 US13/205,774 US201113205774A US2011292925A1 US 20110292925 A1 US20110292925 A1 US 20110292925A1 US 201113205774 A US201113205774 A US 201113205774A US 2011292925 A1 US2011292925 A1 US 2011292925A1
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- access point
- virtual access
- beacon
- frame
- bssid
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
- H04W88/08—Access point devices
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W8/00—Network data management
- H04W8/26—Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
- H04W88/12—Access point controller devices
Definitions
- the present invention relates to wireless networks, and more particularly to simultaneously implementing multiple access points and multiple client stations in a single network device.
- a wireless Ethernet network device may operate in either an ad-hoc mode or an infrastructure mode.
- ad-hoc mode as shown in FIG. 1 , each client station 10 - 1 , 10 - 2 , . . . , and 10 -N (collectively client stations 10 ) communicates directly with other client stations without requiring an access point (AP).
- AP 24 may provide a connection to a network 26 , a server 28 , and for the Internet 30 .
- the AP 24 and the client station(s) 20 that use the AP 24 constitute a basic service set or BSS.
- a wireless Ethernet network can comprise multiple BSS's. Each BSS is identified by a unique identifier for the AP in the BSS, called a BSSID.
- An AP transmits a beacon, that is, a packet or a frame of information, to inform the client stations in the BSS that the AP is ready to communicate with the client stations.
- a beacon includes the BSSID, a beacon interval, and a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM).
- DTIM delivery traffic indication message
- a beacon interval specifies the period of time between scheduled beacons. Based on the beacon interval, the client stations can determine the duration of time that they can sleep, or wait in low-power mode, before waking up to handle the next beacon and either receive the data from or transmit the data to the AP.
- the beacon intervals are programmable.
- the DTIM in a beacon contains a DTIM count and a DTIM period. The DTIM count indicates the number of beacon intervals prior to the next DTIM beacon and the DTIM period indicates the number of beacon intervals between successive DTIMs.
- An AP schedules a beacon for transmission at a target beacon transmission time (TBTT). Immediately following a beacon transmission of type DTIM, the AP transmits the broadcast and multicast frames to client stations using normal transmission rules.
- TBTT target beacon transmission time
- FIG. 3 shows a typical system on chip (SOC) circuit 40 that can be used to implement a wireless Ethernet network device, that is, a client station and/or an AP.
- the SOC 40 generally includes one or more processors 42 , such as an advanced RISC machine or ARM processor; a medium access controller (MAC) device 44 ; a baseband processor (BBP) 46 ; and a host interface, such as a peripheral component interface (PCI) (not shown).
- the SOC 40 may include a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 48 or the transceiver may be located externally.
- RF radio frequency
- a wireless network device comprises N access point (AP) modules having N BSSID's, where N is an integer greater than 1.
- the wireless network device comprises a control module that communicates with the N AP modules, that stores the N BSSID's, a BSSID of an (N+1) th external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and that communicates with the (N+1) th external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations.
- control module receives a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules, and selectively transmits the frame to the (N+1) th external AP based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1) th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- control module transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- control module receives a frame from the (N+1) th external AP and transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1) th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- the wireless network device further comprises a baseband processor that communicates with the N AP modules and the control module.
- the wireless network device further comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver that communicates with the baseband processor.
- RF radio frequency
- control module comprises a transmit module that generates a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods.
- TBTT pulse trains trigger the N AP modules that transmit beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N.
- the beacons are staggered and non-overlapping.
- control module comprises a receive module that receives frames, compares MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routes the frames to one of one of the N AP modules and at least one of the M client stations.
- a method comprises associating N BSSID's with N access points (AP's), an (N+1) th BSSID with an external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations with at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.
- the method comprises communicating with a client station associated with at least one of the N AP's using at least one of the N BSSID's.
- the method comprises selectively communicating with the external AP using the (N+1) th BSSID and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the method further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's, receiving a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's, and selectively transmitting the frame to the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the method further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the method further comprises receiving a frame from the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations, emulating at least one of the N AP's, and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the method further comprises communicating via one baseband processor when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- the method further comprises communicating via one radio frequency (RF) transceiver when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- RF radio frequency
- the method further comprises generating a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods.
- the method further comprises triggering the N AP's based on the TBTT pulse trains and transmitting beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N.
- the method further comprises transmitting the beacons that are staggered and non-overlapping.
- TBTT target beacon transmission time
- the method further comprises receiving frames, comparing MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routing the frames to one of one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- a wireless network device comprises N access point (AP) modules having N BSSID's, where N is an integer greater than 1.
- the wireless network device comprises control means for communicating with the N AP modules, storing the N BSSID's, a BSSID of an (N+1) th external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and communicating with the (N+1) th external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations.
- control means receives a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules, and selectively transmits the frame to the (N+1) th external AP based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1) th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- control means transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- control means receives a frame from the (N+1) th external AP and transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1) th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- the wireless network device further comprises baseband processor means for communicating with the N AP modules and the control means.
- the wireless network device further comprises radio frequency (RF) transceiver means for communicating with the baseband processor means.
- RF radio frequency
- control means comprises transmit means for generating a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods.
- TBTT pulse trains trigger the N AP modules that transmit beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N.
- the beacons are staggered and non-overlapping.
- control means comprises receive means for receiving frames, comparing MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1) th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routing the frames to one of one of the N AP modules and at least one of the M client stations.
- a computer program executed by a processor comprises associating N BSSID's with N access points (AP's), an (N+1) th BSSID with an external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations with at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.
- the computer program comprises communicating with a client station associated with at least one of the N AP's using at least one of the N BSSID's.
- the computer program comprises selectively communicating with the external AP using the (N+1) th BSSID and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the computer program further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's, receiving a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's, and selectively transmitting the frame to the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the computer program further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the computer program further comprises receiving a frame from the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations, emulating at least one of the N AP's, and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- the computer program further comprises communicating via one baseband processor when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- the computer program further comprises communicating via one radio frequency (RF) transceiver when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- RF radio frequency
- the computer program further comprises generating a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods.
- the computer program further comprises triggering the N AP's based on the TBTT pulse trains and transmitting beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N.
- the computer program further comprises transmitting the beacons that are staggered and non-overlapping.
- TBTT target beacon transmission time
- the computer program further comprises receiving frames, comparing MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the (N+1) th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routing the frames to one of one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless Ethernet network illustrating network devices operating in an ad-hoc mode according to the prior art
- FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless Ethernet network illustrating network devices operating in an infrastructure mode according to the prior art
- FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a wireless Ethernet network device illustrating an exemplary implementation using an SOC circuit according to the prior art
- FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless Ethernet network implementation according to the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a transmit module when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention
- FIG. 6 shows exemplary waveforms generated within and by the transmit module according to the present invention
- FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a receive module when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention.
- FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary frame buffer in the receive module according to the present invention
- FIG. 8B illustrates an exemplary MAC address register in the receive module according to the present invention
- FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for transmitting data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for receiving data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention
- FIG. 11A is a functional block diagram of an exemplary system for routing frames using a network device that simultaneously implements AP's and client stations according to the present invention
- FIG. 11B shows an exemplary communication between two client stations in a basic service set according to the present invention
- FIG. 11C shows an exemplary communication between a client station in one basic service set and a client station in another basic service set according to the present invention
- FIG. 11D shows an exemplary communication between a client station in one basic service set and an access point in another basic service set according to the present invention
- FIG. 12A is a functional block diagram of a set top box
- FIG. 12B is a functional block diagram of a media player.
- module, controller and/or device refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
- ASIC application specific integrated circuit
- processor shared, dedicated, or group
- memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs
- combinational logic circuit and other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
- phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical or. It should be understood that steps within a method may be executed in different order without altering the principles of the present invention.
- a medium access controller (MAC) device in a wireless Ethernet network device has a unique identifier called a MAC address that identifies the wireless Ethernet network device as the sender or the recipient of a data packet or frame. The address is used to route data to the identified network device.
- MAC medium access controller
- a wireless Ethernet network device performs a function that is not unique to the network device.
- a baseband processor performs the same function in each network device.
- RF radio frequency
- each basic service set BSS
- AP access point
- BBP basic service set
- RF access point
- the number of BBP's and RF transceivers in the network also increases.
- the AP's, the BBP's, and the RF transceivers consume a significant amount of power and significantly increase the cost of networking.
- FIG. 4 a system 100 for implementing a wireless Ethernet network when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device is shown.
- Multiple client stations 110 such as CLI 1 , CLI 2 , . . . , CLI m may form multiple basic service sets (BSS's) BSS 1 , BSS 2 , . . . , and BSSx that operate in an infrastructure mode in the network.
- BSS basic service sets
- Each BSS requires an AP to communicate over the network.
- a multi-access point device 114 functions as a single physical AP when supporting each BSS.
- the device 114 comprises multiple virtual AP's 120 such as AP 1 , AP 2 , . . . , AP n that support multiple BSS's.
- the AP's 112 in the device 114 are individual circuits and/or modules. None of the AP's 112 includes a BBP and a RF transceiver that each traditional AP would typically include. The AP's 112 utilize a single BBP 116 and a single RF transceiver 118 that may be either incorporated in the multi-access point device 114 or located external to the multi-access point device 114 .
- the multi-access point device 114 comprises a transmit module 120 and a receive module 122 that manage the communication between the AP's 112 and the client stations 110 .
- the transmit module 120 and the receive module 122 may be implemented in a single module.
- the BBP 116 and the RF transceiver 118 may also be incorporated in the multi-access point device 114 .
- a system 150 for implementing a transmit module 120 when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single multi-access point device 114 is shown.
- a network administrator (not shown) defines beacon intervals for the AP's 112 and stores them in the form of a lookup table in a memory device 152 .
- the beacon interval for each AP is unique, distinct, and depends on the number of AP's in the multi-access point device 114 , that is, the number of BSS's in the network.
- each BSS may also have a different delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period, that is, the period between the DTIM beacons.
- DTIM delivery traffic indication message
- the network administrator defines a DTIM period table and stores the table in a memory device 154 .
- the memory devices 152 and 154 are shown for illustrative purpose only and may be incorporated as a single memory device. Any suitable electronic data storage may be used.
- a transmit clock generator 156 provides a basic clock to a pulse generator 158 .
- the pulse generator 158 uses the values from the beacon interval table and the DTIM period table to generate individual TBTT's for the AP's 112 .
- the AP's 112 are triggered to transmit beacons in a staggered, non-overlapping manner.
- BCN 1 can occur only every other sub_TBTT clock pulse if two BSS's are being supported.
- beacons for any one BSS occur at every fourth sub_TBTT clock pulse if a total of four BSS's are being supported, etc. This serves two purposes: (1) this approach avoids collisions among the beacons transmitted by multiple AP's, and (2) this approach allows the client stations associated with each BSS to wake up at an appropriate time before the corresponding AP's beacon.
- the AP transmits a beacon using the same BBP 116 and the same RF transceiver 118 .
- the beacons are transmitted in a staggered, non-overlapping manner.
- the staggered method of transmission does not apply to data frames or traffic.
- FIGS. 7-8 a system 200 for implementing a receive module 122 when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single multi-access point device 114 is shown.
- the receive module 122 in the multi-access point device 114 determines whether a frame received by the multi-access point device 114 is addressed to one of the AP's 112 or one of client stations CLI m 110 .
- each frame contains a 6-byte identifier or MAC address (BSSID) that identifies the recipient of that frame.
- the recipient may be an access point AP n 112 or a client station CLI m 110 .
- the receive module 122 decodes the 6-byte identifier from each frame and routes the frame to the recipient identified by the MAC address in the frame.
- the receive module 122 comprises a MAC address register 204 that contains the 6-byte MAC addresses (BSSIDs) of each of the AP n 's 112 and CLI m 's 110 in the network.
- BSSIDs 6-byte MAC addresses
- the size of the register 204 is (n+m) ⁇ 6-bytes.
- a bank of (n+m) 8-bit comparators 206 compares each of the six bytes in the MAC address in a frame, one byte at a time, to the corresponding byte of the MAC addresses of all the AP n 's and CLI m 's stored in the register 204 .
- each of the (n+m) 8-bit comparators 206 may include either eight 2-input XOR gates or two 8-input XOR gates etc.
- Byte B 1 of the MAC address in a frame is compared to bytes B 1 of the MAC address of each AP n and CLI m .
- byte B 1 from the frame is fed to one input of each of the (n+m) 8-bit comparators 206 .
- Byte B 1 of AP 1 from the register 204 is fed to the other input of a first comparator of the (n+m) comparators 206 ; byte B 1 of AP n from the register 204 is fed to the other input of an n th comparator of the (n+m) comparators 206 ; byte B 1 of CLI 1 from the register 204 is fed to the other input of an (n+1) th comparator of the (n+m) comparators 206 ; and byte B 1 of CLI m from the register 204 is fed to the other input of an (n+m) th of the (n+m) comparators 206 .
- the results of the (n+m) comparisons made for byte B 1 of the MAC address in the frame are stored in a flag register 208 .
- the size of the flag register 208 is (n+m) ⁇ 1 bit.
- a bank of (n+m) devices such as 2-input AND gates, 210 AND the results of the (n+m) 8-bit comparators for a byte B i with the results of the comparators for a byte B i ⁇ 1 . Therefore, all the (n+m) bits of the flag register 208 are set to 1 before each frame from the buffer 202 is analyzed. For example, when the byte B 2 of the MAC address in the frame is compared to the byte B 2 of the MAC address of each AP n and CLI m , the results of the comparison are ANDed to the results of the comparison for byte B 1 . The procedure is repeated until byte B 6 is compared.
- a maximum of one of the (n+m) bits in the flag register 208 will be set to 1 if the MAC address in a frame matches a MAC address of one of the AP n 's or one of the CLI m 's.
- the MAC address in the frame matches a MAC address of an AP n or a CLI m , then that frame is routed to that AP n or CLI m by a router 212 .
- the matching address from the flag register 208 is decoded and fed to the router 212 by a demultiplexer 214 .
- the analyzed frame from the frame buffer 202 is forwarded to the router 212 . That frame is routed to the addressed AP, or if the frame is addressed to a client station, then the frame is sent to the respective AP in the BSS so that the AP can transmit the frame to the associated client station.
- the frame is discarded. After the completion of the comparison for one frame, a next frame in the frame buffer 202 is selected for comparison, and the procedure is repeated.
- the timing of operation of all the circuits in the system 200 is synchronized by a receive clock 216 .
- the receive clock 216 shifts the (n+m) ⁇ 1 byte in the MAC address register 204 at each clock cycle so that only one of the six bytes of the MAC addresses of each of the AP n and CLI m is fed to the respective comparators 206 .
- a counter 218 that is driven by each clock cycle, addresses the multiplexer 208 so that the multiplexer selects only one of the six bytes of the MAC address in a frame and feeds that byte to the other inputs of the (n+m) comparators 206 .
- the receive clock 216 , the counter 218 , and the multiplexer 208 ensure that at each clock cycle, the same byte B i of the frame is compared to the same byte B i of all the AP n 's or a CLI m 's in the MAC address register 204 .
- the entire MAC address in the frame is compared to all the MAC addresses of all the AP n 's or a CLI m 's in the MAC address register 204 .
- a clock divider 220 divides the receive clock 216 by six. Thus, after every six clock cycles, that is, after all the six bytes of the MAC address in the frame are compared, the processed frame in the buffer 202 is forwarded to the router 212 . The router 212 transmits the processed frame to the addressed recipient, and a next frame in the frame buffer 202 is concurrently selected for MAC address comparison.
- a delay circuit 222 adds time to the clock output of the clock divider 220 so that the router 212 has sufficient time to get the address of the recipient from the demultiplexer 214 before transmitting the frame to the addressed recipient.
- the delay is equal to the sum of the time the comparators 206 take to compare, the time the AND gates 210 take to AND, and the time the demultiplexer 214 takes to decode the address in the flag register 208 .
- Many devices in the system 200 such as the receive clock 216 , the clock divider 220 , the delay circuit 222 , the counter 218 , the multiplexer 208 , the demultiplexer 214 , etc., are shown as separate devices for illustrative purpose only. More than one device, however, can be implemented in a single module such as the receive module 122 .
- the number of AP's that can be incorporated in a single multi-access point device 114 is a function of the speeds of hardware and software. As the number of AP's 112 increases, the performance of the system 100 can be optimized by sharing of resources within the system 100 by one set of AP's with another set of AP's. For example, if a total of 16 AP's are incorporated in a single multi-access point device 114 , the 16 AP's can be split into two sets of 8, and AP 9 can share resources with AP 1 ; AP 10 can share resources with AP 2 etc.
- the number of AP's and CLI's that can be supported by the multi-access point device 114 may be enhanced by masking some bits of the MAC addresses in the MAC address register 204 . Specifically, when an address bit in an entry in the MAC address register 204 is masked, a comparison by the comparators 206 of that address bit is ignored. This allows each entry in the MAC address register 204 to store multiple MAC addresses instead of a single MAC address. By treating a masked bit in an entry as a match, a group of MAC addresses in the received frames can be treated as matching that entry. Thus, the total number of AP's and CLI's that can be supported by the multi-access point device 114 can be more than the number of MAC address entries in the MAC address register 204 .
- each entry in the MAC address register 204 comprises an enable bit.
- the enable bit can be set so that a MAC address comparison will be disabled for that entry.
- the multi-access point device 114 can communicate with a varying number of AP's and CLI's without changing the number of entries in (and the size of) the MAC address register 204 .
- a method 250 of transmitting data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device begins at step 252 .
- a network administrator creates a beacon interval table 152 and a DTIM period table 154 for the AP's 112 .
- a pulse generator 158 creates staggered, non-overlapping TBTT n pulses for the AP n 's 112 .
- step 258 the AP n 's 112 transmit beacons BCN n 's at the respective TBTT pulse frequencies.
- step 260 the AP's 112 transmit data frames following respective beacon transmissions. All the transmissions of all the AP n 's 112 are carried out by a single BBP 116 and a single RF transceiver 118 . The steps 258 and 260 are repeated.
- a method 300 of receiving data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device begins at step 302 .
- step 304 all the (n+m) bits of a flag register 208 are set to 1.
- step 306 a byte B i of a MAC address in a frame j stored in a frame buffer 202 is read at time T i .
- comparators 206 compare that byte to bytes B i of all the MAC addresses of n AP's and m CLI's.
- step 310 (n+m) devices such as AND gates 210 AND the (n+m) comparator outputs with the (n+m) results stored in the flag register 208 from a previous comparison, or all 1's if byte B i is the first of the six bytes of the MAC address in a new frame.
- step 312 the output of the AND gates 210 are stored in the (n+m) bits in the flag register 208 .
- a 1 indicates that a byte B i in the MAC address of the frame j matched with a byte B i of one of the n AP's and m CLI's, and in that case, a 0 (zero) indicates no match. If inverse logic is used, then a different type of gate may be used; and a 0 (zero) will indicate a match, and a 1 will indicate no match
- step 314 if the number of bytes compared is less than six, then the entire MAC address in frame j is not yet compared, and in step 316 , the byte count is incremented, and the next byte is compared at time T i+1 as indicated in steps 306 , 308 , 310 , and 312 . If, however, in step 314 , the number of bytes compared is six, then the entire MAC address in the frame j is already compared.
- a demultiplexer 214 decodes the (n+m) bits of the flag register 208 . If any of the (n+m) bits of the flag register 208 is a 1, then the MAC address in the frame j matched the MAC address of an AP or a CLI that corresponds to that bit position in the flag register 208 . For example, if the first bit of the flag register 208 is a 1, then the MAC address in the frame j matched the MAC address of the AP 1 .
- the MAC address in the frame j did not match the MAC address of any of the AP n 's and CLI m 's. Again, if inverse logic is used, then a 0 (zero) will indicate a match, and a 1 will indicate no match.
- the demultiplexer 214 forwards the result of decoding the (n+m) bits of the flag register 208 to the router 212 . Concurrently, the frame j is forwarded from the frame buffer 202 to the router 212 .
- step 320 the router 212 determines if the MAC address in frame j matches the MAC address of any of the n AP's or m CLI's.
- step 322 the frame j is discarded if the address in the frame j does not match any of the MAC addresses of the n AP's and the m CLI's. If, however, the MAC address in the frame j matches a MAC address of one of the n AP's and m CLI's, then in step 324 , the router 212 routes the frame j to the addressed recipient.
- step 326 the next frame in the frame buffer 202 is selected for MAC address comparison and routing, and the method 300 returns to step 304 .
- the multi-access point device 114 can implement multiple client stations CLI- 1 , CLI- 2 , . . . , CLI-m (collectively CLI-m) 110 that communicate with an external AP 282 while the multi-access point device 114 simultaneously implements one of the AP's 112 .
- the multi-access point device 114 may implement a client station CLI-m 110 that communicates with the external AP 282 and may implement AP 1 that communicates with client station CLI- 1 A 272 .
- the multi-access point device 114 essentially emulates at least one of the AP's 112 while simultaneously emulating the client station CLI-m 110 that communicates with the external AP 282 .
- the multi-access point device 114 may receive frames that comprise more than one BSSID.
- a frame may comprise a BSSID of AP 1 and a BSSID of APn if the frame is received from the client station CLI- 1 A 272 that communicates with AP 1 112 and is addressed to client station CLI- 1 n 290 that communicates with APn 112 . Therefore, each entry in the MAC address register 204 comprises two BSSIDs: a BSSID of one of the AP's 112 (BSSID 1 ) and the BSSID of the external AP (BSSID 2 ).
- the multi-access point device 114 determines if the BSSID in the frame matches a BSSID 1 of one of the AP's 112 stored in the MAC address register 204 . On the other hand, when a multicast frame is received, the multi-access point device 114 determines if the BSSIDs in the frame match a BSSID 1 of one of the AP's 112 and the BSSID 2 of the external AP in the MAC address register 204 . The frame is accepted when the BSSIDs in the frame match both BSSID 1 and BSSID 2 .
- the multi-access point device 114 may route frames from one BSS comprising one of the AP's 112 to another BSS comprising the external AP 282 and vice versa.
- An exemplary method that may be used by the multi-access point device 114 to route frames is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/389,293, filed on Mar. 24, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- the multi-access point device 114 may comprise a switching module 284 having a connection table 285 to accomplish frame routing.
- the switching module 284 may use a method similar to that described in said U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/389,293.
- the method to route frames can be similar to a method typically used by a network device such as a router or a switch to find a desired location on the Internet.
- the network device may utilize discovery mechanisms that use broadcast packets, such as address resolution protocol (ARP) packets, to find a location on the Internet.
- ARP address resolution protocol
- the network device determines the address of the location that responds.
- the network device thus learns the address of the location that responds.
- the network device builds a connection table comprising addresses derived from the responses. The addresses are paired with the responding locations.
- the network device subsequently uses the addresses in the connection table to route data to locations paired with the addresses.
- ARP address resolution protocol
- connection table 285 builds the connection table 285 in the switching module 284 and uses the addresses in the connection table 285 to route data between clients of AP's 112 and the external AP 282 .
- Each entry in the connection table 285 comprises a pair of addresses: a MAC address of a client station and a BSSID of the associated AP.
- the connection table 285 comprises MAC addresses of client stations CLI-m 110 paired with the BSSID of the external AP 282 , MAC addresses of CLI- 1 A 270 and CLI- 1 B 272 paired with the BSSID of API, etc.
- the switching module 284 communicates with the receive module 122 and the transmit module 120 .
- the switching module 284 receives frames from the receive module 122 .
- the frames may be received from one of the AP's 112 or from the external AP 282 .
- the switching module 284 compares MAC addresses and BSSIDs in the frames to the addresses in the connection table 285 and determines whether the frames are to be routed to one of the AP's 112 or to the external AP 282 .
- the multi-access point device 114 communicates with the external AP 282 as a client station CLI-m 110 of the external AP 282 .
- the multi-access point device 114 communicates with the external AP 282 as a client station CLI-m 110 of the external AP 282 .
- FIGS. 11B-11D various exemplary traffic-flows according to the present invention are shown. Although the traffic-flows are shown in one direction, they may similarly occur in an opposite direction.
- client station CLI- 1 A 272 may communicate with client station CLI- 1 B 274 via associated AP 1 112 .
- the multi-access point device 114 receives a frame from CLI- 1 A 272 that has a destination MAC address of CLI- 1 B 274 , the multi-access point device 114 routes that frame to CLI- 1 B via AP 1 112 .
- client station CLI- 1 A 272 in one BSS may communicate with client station CLI- 3 B 280 in another BSS.
- the multi-access point device 114 receives a frame from CLI- 1 A 272 via associated AP 1 112 .
- the switching module 284 determines if the destination MAC address of CLI- 3 B 280 in the frame matches an entry in the connection table 285 . Accordingly, the multi-access point device 114 routes the frame to CLI- 3 B 280 via AP 3 112 .
- client station CLI- 2 A 274 in one BSS may communicate with the external AP 282 .
- the multi-access point device 114 receives a frame from CLI- 2 A 274 via associated AP 2 112 .
- the switching module 284 determines if the destination MAC address in the frame matches an entry in the connection table 285 . Accordingly, the multi-access point device 114 routes the frame to AP 282 via CLI- 1 . That is, the multi-access point device 114 communicates as CLI- 1 and transmits the frame to AP 282 .
- FIGS. 12A-12B two exemplary implementations of the present invention are shown.
- the present invention can be implemented in a set top box 480 .
- the present invention may be implemented in either or both signal processing and/or control circuits that are generally identified in FIG. 12A at 482 , and a WLAN network interface 496 of the set top box 480 .
- the set top box 480 receives signals from a source such as a broadband source and outputs standard and/or high definition audio/video signals suitable for a display 488 such as a television and/or monitor and/or other video and/or audio output devices.
- the signal processing and/or control circuits 484 and/or other circuits (not shown) of the set top box 480 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other set top box function.
- the set top box 480 may communicate with mass data storage 490 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner.
- the mass data storage 490 may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs.
- the HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8′′.
- the set top box 480 may be connected to memory 494 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage.
- the set top box 480 also may support connections with a WLAN via the WLAN network interface 496 .
- the present invention can be implemented in a media player 500 .
- the present invention may be implemented in either or both signal processing and/or control circuits that are generally identified in FIG. 12B at 504 , and a WLAN network interface 516 of the media player 500 .
- the media player 500 includes a display 507 and/or a user input 508 such as a keypad, touchpad and the like.
- the media player 500 may employ a graphical user interface (GUI) that typically employs menus, drop down menus, icons and/or a point-and-click interface via the display 507 and/or user input 508 .
- GUI graphical user interface
- the media player 500 further includes an audio output 509 such as a speaker and/or audio output jack.
- the signal processing and/or control circuits 504 and/or other circuits (not shown) of the media player 500 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other media player function.
- the media player 500 may communicate with mass data storage 510 that stores data such as compressed audio and/or video content in a nonvolatile manner.
- the compressed audio files include files that are compliant with MP3 format or other suitable compressed audio and/or video formats.
- the mass data storage may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs.
- the HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8′′.
- the media player 500 may be connected to memory 514 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage.
- the media player 500 also may support connections with a WLAN via the WLAN network interface 516 . Still other implementations in addition to those described above are contemplated.
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Abstract
A wireless network device includes N access point (AP) modules having N BSSID's, where N is an integer greater than 1. The wireless network device includes a control module that communicates with the N AP modules. The control module stores the N BSSID's, a BSSID of an (N+1)th external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The control module communicates with the (N+1)th external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations.
Description
- The present invention relates to wireless networks, and more particularly to simultaneously implementing multiple access points and multiple client stations in a single network device.
- IEEE sections 802.11, 802.11(a), 802.11(b), 802.11(g), 802.11(h), 802.11(n), 802.16, 802.20, which are hereby incorporated by reference, define ways for configuring wireless Ethernet networks and devices. According to these standards, a wireless Ethernet network device may operate in either an ad-hoc mode or an infrastructure mode. In the ad-hoc mode, as shown in
FIG. 1 , each client station 10-1, 10-2, . . . , and 10-N (collectively client stations 10) communicates directly with other client stations without requiring an access point (AP). In the infrastructure mode, as shown inFIG. 2 , each client station 20-1, 20-2, . . . , and 20-M (collectively client stations 20) communicates with other client stations through an AP 24. The AP 24 may provide a connection to anetwork 26, aserver 28, and for the Internet 30. - In the infrastructure mode, the AP 24 and the client station(s) 20 that use the AP 24 constitute a basic service set or BSS. A wireless Ethernet network can comprise multiple BSS's. Each BSS is identified by a unique identifier for the AP in the BSS, called a BSSID. An AP transmits a beacon, that is, a packet or a frame of information, to inform the client stations in the BSS that the AP is ready to communicate with the client stations. A beacon includes the BSSID, a beacon interval, and a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM).
- A beacon interval specifies the period of time between scheduled beacons. Based on the beacon interval, the client stations can determine the duration of time that they can sleep, or wait in low-power mode, before waking up to handle the next beacon and either receive the data from or transmit the data to the AP. The beacon intervals are programmable. The DTIM in a beacon contains a DTIM count and a DTIM period. The DTIM count indicates the number of beacon intervals prior to the next DTIM beacon and the DTIM period indicates the number of beacon intervals between successive DTIMs.
- An AP schedules a beacon for transmission at a target beacon transmission time (TBTT). Immediately following a beacon transmission of type DTIM, the AP transmits the broadcast and multicast frames to client stations using normal transmission rules.
-
FIG. 3 shows a typical system on chip (SOC)circuit 40 that can be used to implement a wireless Ethernet network device, that is, a client station and/or an AP. The SOC 40 generally includes one ormore processors 42, such as an advanced RISC machine or ARM processor; a medium access controller (MAC)device 44; a baseband processor (BBP) 46; and a host interface, such as a peripheral component interface (PCI) (not shown). Additionally, theSOC 40 may include a radio frequency (RF)transceiver 48 or the transceiver may be located externally. - A wireless network device comprises N access point (AP) modules having N BSSID's, where N is an integer greater than 1. The wireless network device comprises a control module that communicates with the N AP modules, that stores the N BSSID's, a BSSID of an (N+1)th external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and that communicates with the (N+1)th external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the control module receives a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules, and selectively transmits the frame to the (N+1)th external AP based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1)th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the control module transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the control module receives a frame from the (N+1)th external AP and transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1)th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the wireless network device further comprises a baseband processor that communicates with the N AP modules and the control module. The wireless network device further comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver that communicates with the baseband processor.
- In another feature, the control module comprises a transmit module that generates a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods. The TBTT pulse trains trigger the N AP modules that transmit beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N. The beacons are staggered and non-overlapping.
- In another feature, the control module comprises a receive module that receives frames, compares MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routes the frames to one of one of the N AP modules and at least one of the M client stations.
- In still other features, a method comprises associating N BSSID's with N access points (AP's), an (N+1)th BSSID with an external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations with at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The method comprises communicating with a client station associated with at least one of the N AP's using at least one of the N BSSID's. The method comprises selectively communicating with the external AP using the (N+1)th BSSID and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the method further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's, receiving a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's, and selectively transmitting the frame to the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the method further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the method further comprises receiving a frame from the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations, emulating at least one of the N AP's, and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the method further comprises communicating via one baseband processor when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations. The method further comprises communicating via one radio frequency (RF) transceiver when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the method further comprises generating a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods. The method further comprises triggering the N AP's based on the TBTT pulse trains and transmitting beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N. The method further comprises transmitting the beacons that are staggered and non-overlapping.
- In another feature, the method further comprises receiving frames, comparing MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routing the frames to one of one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- In still other features, a wireless network device comprises N access point (AP) modules having N BSSID's, where N is an integer greater than 1. The wireless network device comprises control means for communicating with the N AP modules, storing the N BSSID's, a BSSID of an (N+1)th external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and communicating with the (N+1)th external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the control means receives a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules, and selectively transmits the frame to the (N+1)th external AP based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1)th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the control means transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the control means receives a frame from the (N+1)th external AP and transmits the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP modules based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, wherein the wireless network device communicates with the (N+1)th external AP as at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the wireless network device further comprises baseband processor means for communicating with the N AP modules and the control means. The wireless network device further comprises radio frequency (RF) transceiver means for communicating with the baseband processor means.
- In another feature, the control means comprises transmit means for generating a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods. The TBTT pulse trains trigger the N AP modules that transmit beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N. The beacons are staggered and non-overlapping.
- In another feature, the control means comprises receive means for receiving frames, comparing MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the BSSID of the (N+1)th external AP, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routing the frames to one of one of the N AP modules and at least one of the M client stations.
- In still other features, a computer program executed by a processor comprises associating N BSSID's with N access points (AP's), an (N+1)th BSSID with an external AP that communicates with M client stations, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations with at least one of the M client stations, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The computer program comprises communicating with a client station associated with at least one of the N AP's using at least one of the N BSSID's. The computer program comprises selectively communicating with the external AP using the (N+1)th BSSID and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the computer program further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's, receiving a frame from a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's, and selectively transmitting the frame to the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the computer program further comprises emulating at least one of the N AP's and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the computer program further comprises receiving a frame from the external AP by emulating at least one of the M client stations, emulating at least one of the N AP's, and transmitting the frame to a client station that communicates with one of the N AP's based on data in the frame, the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the computer program further comprises communicating via one baseband processor when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations. The computer program further comprises communicating via one radio frequency (RF) transceiver when emulating at least one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- In another feature, the computer program further comprises generating a plurality of target beacon transmission time (TBTT) pulse trains based on predetermined beacon intervals and predetermined DTIM periods. The computer program further comprises triggering the N AP's based on the TBTT pulse trains and transmitting beacons having beacon intervals proportional to N. The computer program further comprises transmitting the beacons that are staggered and non-overlapping.
- In another feature, the computer program further comprises receiving frames, comparing MAC addresses in the frames with the N BSSID's, the (N+1)th BSSID, and at least one MAC address of at least one of the M client stations, and selectively routing the frames to one of one of the N AP's and at least one of the M client stations.
- Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
- The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless Ethernet network illustrating network devices operating in an ad-hoc mode according to the prior art; -
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless Ethernet network illustrating network devices operating in an infrastructure mode according to the prior art; -
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a wireless Ethernet network device illustrating an exemplary implementation using an SOC circuit according to the prior art; -
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary wireless Ethernet network implementation according to the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a transmit module when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 6 shows exemplary waveforms generated within and by the transmit module according to the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a receive module when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary frame buffer in the receive module according to the present invention; -
FIG. 8B illustrates an exemplary MAC address register in the receive module according to the present invention; -
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for transmitting data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for receiving data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 11A is a functional block diagram of an exemplary system for routing frames using a network device that simultaneously implements AP's and client stations according to the present invention; -
FIG. 11B shows an exemplary communication between two client stations in a basic service set according to the present invention; -
FIG. 11C shows an exemplary communication between a client station in one basic service set and a client station in another basic service set according to the present invention; -
FIG. 11D shows an exemplary communication between a client station in one basic service set and an access point in another basic service set according to the present invention; -
FIG. 12A is a functional block diagram of a set top box; and -
FIG. 12B is a functional block diagram of a media player. - The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. For purposes of clarity, the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements. As used herein, the term module, controller and/or device refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and other suitable components that provide the described functionality. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical or. It should be understood that steps within a method may be executed in different order without altering the principles of the present invention.
- Some circuits or devices in a wireless Ethernet network device perform a function that is unique to the network device. For example, a medium access controller (MAC) device in a wireless Ethernet network device has a unique identifier called a MAC address that identifies the wireless Ethernet network device as the sender or the recipient of a data packet or frame. The address is used to route data to the identified network device.
- On the other hand, some circuits or devices in a wireless Ethernet network device perform a function that is not unique to the network device. For example, a baseband processor (BBP) performs the same function in each network device. Similarly, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver performs the same function in each network device.
- In a large network, multiple circuits or devices like the BBP and the RF transceiver cumulatively consume substantial electrical power and increase the cost of the network. The problem is compounded when the network operates in an infrastructure mode because each basic service set (BSS) requires an access point (AP), which is an additional device that has a BBP and a RF transceiver, to communicate with other client stations. Moreover, as the number of client stations in a network increases, more AP's may be necessary to operate the network. Correspondingly, the number of BBP's and RF transceivers in the network also increases. As can be appreciated, the AP's, the BBP's, and the RF transceivers consume a significant amount of power and significantly increase the cost of networking.
- Referring now to
FIG. 4 , asystem 100 for implementing a wireless Ethernet network when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device is shown.Multiple client stations 110 such as CLI1, CLI2, . . . , CLIm may form multiple basic service sets (BSS's) BSS1, BSS2, . . . , and BSSx that operate in an infrastructure mode in the network. Each BSS requires an AP to communicate over the network. Amulti-access point device 114 functions as a single physical AP when supporting each BSS. Thedevice 114, however, comprises multiple virtual AP's 120 such as AP1, AP2, . . . , APn that support multiple BSS's. - The AP's 112 in the
device 114 are individual circuits and/or modules. None of the AP's 112 includes a BBP and a RF transceiver that each traditional AP would typically include. The AP's 112 utilize asingle BBP 116 and asingle RF transceiver 118 that may be either incorporated in themulti-access point device 114 or located external to themulti-access point device 114. - The
multi-access point device 114 comprises a transmitmodule 120 and a receivemodule 122 that manage the communication between the AP's 112 and theclient stations 110. Although shown separately for illustrative purposes, the transmitmodule 120 and the receivemodule 122 may be implemented in a single module. Similarly, theBBP 116 and theRF transceiver 118 may also be incorporated in themulti-access point device 114. - Referring now to
FIGS. 5 and 6 , asystem 150 for implementing a transmitmodule 120 when multiple AP's are incorporated in a singlemulti-access point device 114 is shown. Depending on the number of BSS's and CLI's in the network, a network administrator (not shown) defines beacon intervals for the AP's 112 and stores them in the form of a lookup table in amemory device 152. The beacon interval for each AP is unique, distinct, and depends on the number of AP's in themulti-access point device 114, that is, the number of BSS's in the network. - Similarly, each BSS may also have a different delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period, that is, the period between the DTIM beacons. Accordingly, the network administrator defines a DTIM period table and stores the table in a
memory device 154. Thememory devices - A transmit
clock generator 156 provides a basic clock to apulse generator 158. Thepulse generator 158 uses the values from the beacon interval table and the DTIM period table to generate individual TBTT's for the AP's 112. As shown inFIG. 6 , the AP's 112 are triggered to transmit beacons in a staggered, non-overlapping manner. For example, BCN1 can occur only every other sub_TBTT clock pulse if two BSS's are being supported. As shown inFIG. 6 , beacons for any one BSS occur at every fourth sub_TBTT clock pulse if a total of four BSS's are being supported, etc. This serves two purposes: (1) this approach avoids collisions among the beacons transmitted by multiple AP's, and (2) this approach allows the client stations associated with each BSS to wake up at an appropriate time before the corresponding AP's beacon. - When an
AP 112 is triggered, the AP transmits a beacon using thesame BBP 116 and thesame RF transceiver 118. Notably, only the beacons are transmitted in a staggered, non-overlapping manner. The staggered method of transmission does not apply to data frames or traffic. - Referring now to
FIGS. 7-8 , asystem 200 for implementing a receivemodule 122 when multiple AP's are incorporated in a singlemulti-access point device 114 is shown. To support multiple client stations while simultaneously functioning as an AP, the receivemodule 122 in themulti-access point device 114 determines whether a frame received by themulti-access point device 114 is addressed to one of the AP's 112 or one ofclient stations CLI m 110. - The frames received by the
multi-access point device 114 are stored in aframe buffer 202. As shown inFIG. 8A , each frame contains a 6-byte identifier or MAC address (BSSID) that identifies the recipient of that frame. The recipient may be anaccess point AP n 112 or aclient station CLI m 110. The receivemodule 122 decodes the 6-byte identifier from each frame and routes the frame to the recipient identified by the MAC address in the frame. - The receive
module 122 comprises a MAC address register 204 that contains the 6-byte MAC addresses (BSSIDs) of each of the APn's 112 and CLIm's 110 in the network. Thus, as shown inFIG. 8B , the size of theregister 204 is (n+m)×6-bytes. - A bank of (n+m) 8-
bit comparators 206 compares each of the six bytes in the MAC address in a frame, one byte at a time, to the corresponding byte of the MAC addresses of all the APn's and CLIm's stored in theregister 204. Thus, each of the (n+m) 8-bit comparators 206 may include either eight 2-input XOR gates or two 8-input XOR gates etc. - Byte B1 of the MAC address in a frame is compared to bytes B1 of the MAC address of each APn and CLIm. Thus, byte B1 from the frame is fed to one input of each of the (n+m) 8-
bit comparators 206. Byte B1 of AP1 from theregister 204 is fed to the other input of a first comparator of the (n+m)comparators 206; byte B1 of APn from theregister 204 is fed to the other input of an nth comparator of the (n+m)comparators 206; byte B1 of CLI1 from theregister 204 is fed to the other input of an (n+1)th comparator of the (n+m)comparators 206; and byte B1 of CLIm from theregister 204 is fed to the other input of an (n+m)th of the (n+m)comparators 206. - The results of the (n+m) comparisons made for byte B1 of the MAC address in the frame are stored in a
flag register 208. Thus, the size of theflag register 208 is (n+m)×1 bit. - A bank of (n+m) devices such as 2-input AND gates, 210 AND the results of the (n+m) 8-bit comparators for a byte Bi with the results of the comparators for a byte Bi−1. Therefore, all the (n+m) bits of the
flag register 208 are set to 1 before each frame from thebuffer 202 is analyzed. For example, when the byte B2 of the MAC address in the frame is compared to the byte B2 of the MAC address of each APn and CLIm, the results of the comparison are ANDed to the results of the comparison for byte B1. The procedure is repeated until byte B6 is compared. Thus, after all the six bytes are compared, a maximum of one of the (n+m) bits in theflag register 208 will be set to 1 if the MAC address in a frame matches a MAC address of one of the APn's or one of the CLIm's. - If the MAC address in the frame matches a MAC address of an APn or a CLIm, then that frame is routed to that APn or CLIm by a
router 212. The matching address from theflag register 208 is decoded and fed to therouter 212 by ademultiplexer 214. At the same time, the analyzed frame from theframe buffer 202 is forwarded to therouter 212. That frame is routed to the addressed AP, or if the frame is addressed to a client station, then the frame is sent to the respective AP in the BSS so that the AP can transmit the frame to the associated client station. - If, however, the MAC address in the frame does not match any of the MAC addresses in the
flag register 208, the frame is discarded. After the completion of the comparison for one frame, a next frame in theframe buffer 202 is selected for comparison, and the procedure is repeated. - If the first byte from the MAC address in the frame does not match the first byte of any of the MAC addresses of the AP's and the CLI's, then the comparisons of the remaining bytes are unnecessary. Nonetheless, all of the six bytes may be compared. Comparing one byte at a time of the MAC address in the frame to the corresponding byte of the MAC addresses of the AP's and the CLI's is more efficient than comparing the entire 6-byte MAC address in the frame to the 6-byte MAC addresses of the API's and the CLI's. The efficiency is more apparent as the number of AP's and the CLI's increases.
- The timing of operation of all the circuits in the
system 200 is synchronized by a receiveclock 216. For example, the receiveclock 216 shifts the (n+m)×1 byte in the MAC address register 204 at each clock cycle so that only one of the six bytes of the MAC addresses of each of the APn and CLIm is fed to therespective comparators 206. Concurrently, acounter 218 that is driven by each clock cycle, addresses themultiplexer 208 so that the multiplexer selects only one of the six bytes of the MAC address in a frame and feeds that byte to the other inputs of the (n+m)comparators 206. - Thus, the receive
clock 216, thecounter 218, and themultiplexer 208 ensure that at each clock cycle, the same byte Bi of the frame is compared to the same byte Bi of all the APn's or a CLIm's in theMAC address register 204. Thus, in six clock cycles, the entire MAC address in the frame is compared to all the MAC addresses of all the APn's or a CLIm's in theMAC address register 204. - A
clock divider 220 divides the receiveclock 216 by six. Thus, after every six clock cycles, that is, after all the six bytes of the MAC address in the frame are compared, the processed frame in thebuffer 202 is forwarded to therouter 212. Therouter 212 transmits the processed frame to the addressed recipient, and a next frame in theframe buffer 202 is concurrently selected for MAC address comparison. - A
delay circuit 222 adds time to the clock output of theclock divider 220 so that therouter 212 has sufficient time to get the address of the recipient from thedemultiplexer 214 before transmitting the frame to the addressed recipient. The delay is equal to the sum of the time thecomparators 206 take to compare, the time the ANDgates 210 take to AND, and the time thedemultiplexer 214 takes to decode the address in theflag register 208. - Many devices in the
system 200, such as the receiveclock 216, theclock divider 220, thedelay circuit 222, thecounter 218, themultiplexer 208, thedemultiplexer 214, etc., are shown as separate devices for illustrative purpose only. More than one device, however, can be implemented in a single module such as the receivemodule 122. - The number of AP's that can be incorporated in a single
multi-access point device 114, that is, the number of BSS's that can be supported by themulti-access point device 114, is a function of the speeds of hardware and software. As the number of AP's 112 increases, the performance of thesystem 100 can be optimized by sharing of resources within thesystem 100 by one set of AP's with another set of AP's. For example, if a total of 16 AP's are incorporated in a singlemulti-access point device 114, the 16 AP's can be split into two sets of 8, and AP9 can share resources with AP1; AP10 can share resources with AP2 etc. - Furthermore, the number of AP's and CLI's that can be supported by the
multi-access point device 114 may be enhanced by masking some bits of the MAC addresses in theMAC address register 204. Specifically, when an address bit in an entry in theMAC address register 204 is masked, a comparison by thecomparators 206 of that address bit is ignored. This allows each entry in theMAC address register 204 to store multiple MAC addresses instead of a single MAC address. By treating a masked bit in an entry as a match, a group of MAC addresses in the received frames can be treated as matching that entry. Thus, the total number of AP's and CLI's that can be supported by themulti-access point device 114 can be more than the number of MAC address entries in theMAC address register 204. - Additionally, each entry in the
MAC address register 204 comprises an enable bit. The enable bit can be set so that a MAC address comparison will be disabled for that entry. Thus, by properly setting the enable bits, themulti-access point device 114 can communicate with a varying number of AP's and CLI's without changing the number of entries in (and the size of) theMAC address register 204. - Referring now to
FIG. 9 , amethod 250 of transmitting data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device is shown. The method begins atstep 252. Instep 254, a network administrator creates a beacon interval table 152 and a DTIM period table 154 for the AP's 112. Instep 256, apulse generator 158 creates staggered, non-overlapping TBTTn pulses for the APn's 112. - In
step 258, the APn's 112 transmit beacons BCNn's at the respective TBTT pulse frequencies. Instep 260, the AP's 112 transmit data frames following respective beacon transmissions. All the transmissions of all the APn's 112 are carried out by asingle BBP 116 and asingle RF transceiver 118. Thesteps - Now referring to
FIG. 10 , amethod 300 of receiving data when multiple AP's are incorporated in a single device is shown. The method begins atstep 302. Instep 304, all the (n+m) bits of aflag register 208 are set to 1. - In
step 306, a byte Bi of a MAC address in a frame j stored in aframe buffer 202 is read at time Ti. Instep 308,comparators 206 compare that byte to bytes Bi of all the MAC addresses of n AP's and m CLI's. Instep 310, (n+m) devices such as ANDgates 210 AND the (n+m) comparator outputs with the (n+m) results stored in the flag register 208 from a previous comparison, or all 1's if byte Bi is the first of the six bytes of the MAC address in a new frame. - In
step 312, the output of the ANDgates 210 are stored in the (n+m) bits in theflag register 208. For example, a 1 indicates that a byte Bi in the MAC address of the frame j matched with a byte Bi of one of the n AP's and m CLI's, and in that case, a 0 (zero) indicates no match. If inverse logic is used, then a different type of gate may be used; and a 0 (zero) will indicate a match, and a 1 will indicate no match - In
step 314, if the number of bytes compared is less than six, then the entire MAC address in frame j is not yet compared, and instep 316, the byte count is incremented, and the next byte is compared at time Ti+1 as indicated insteps step 314, the number of bytes compared is six, then the entire MAC address in the frame j is already compared. - In
step 318, after the entire MAC address in the frame J is compared, ademultiplexer 214 decodes the (n+m) bits of theflag register 208. If any of the (n+m) bits of theflag register 208 is a 1, then the MAC address in the frame j matched the MAC address of an AP or a CLI that corresponds to that bit position in theflag register 208. For example, if the first bit of theflag register 208 is a 1, then the MAC address in the frame j matched the MAC address of the AP1. If, however, none of the (n+m) bits is 1, then the MAC address in the frame j did not match the MAC address of any of the APn's and CLIm's. Again, if inverse logic is used, then a 0 (zero) will indicate a match, and a 1 will indicate no match. - The
demultiplexer 214 forwards the result of decoding the (n+m) bits of theflag register 208 to therouter 212. Concurrently, the frame j is forwarded from theframe buffer 202 to therouter 212. - In
step 320, therouter 212 determines if the MAC address in frame j matches the MAC address of any of the n AP's or m CLI's. Instep 322, the frame j is discarded if the address in the frame j does not match any of the MAC addresses of the n AP's and the m CLI's. If, however, the MAC address in the frame j matches a MAC address of one of the n AP's and m CLI's, then instep 324, therouter 212 routes the frame j to the addressed recipient. Instep 326, the next frame in theframe buffer 202 is selected for MAC address comparison and routing, and themethod 300 returns to step 304. - Referring now to
FIG. 11A , themulti-access point device 114 can implement multiple client stations CLI-1, CLI-2, . . . , CLI-m (collectively CLI-m) 110 that communicate with anexternal AP 282 while themulti-access point device 114 simultaneously implements one of the AP's 112. For example, themulti-access point device 114 may implement a client station CLI-m 110 that communicates with theexternal AP 282 and may implement AP1 that communicates with client station CLI-1 A 272. Themulti-access point device 114 essentially emulates at least one of the AP's 112 while simultaneously emulating the client station CLI-m 110 that communicates with theexternal AP 282. - The
multi-access point device 114 may receive frames that comprise more than one BSSID. For example, a frame may comprise a BSSID of AP1 and a BSSID of APn if the frame is received from the client station CLI-1 A 272 that communicates withAP1 112 and is addressed to client station CLI-1n 290 that communicates withAPn 112. Therefore, each entry in theMAC address register 204 comprises two BSSIDs: a BSSID of one of the AP's 112 (BSSID1) and the BSSID of the external AP (BSSID2). - When a unicast frame is received, the
multi-access point device 114 determines if the BSSID in the frame matches a BSSID1 of one of the AP's 112 stored in theMAC address register 204. On the other hand, when a multicast frame is received, themulti-access point device 114 determines if the BSSIDs in the frame match a BSSID1 of one of the AP's 112 and the BSSID2 of the external AP in theMAC address register 204. The frame is accepted when the BSSIDs in the frame match both BSSID1 and BSSID2. - Additionally, the
multi-access point device 114 may route frames from one BSS comprising one of the AP's 112 to another BSS comprising theexternal AP 282 and vice versa. An exemplary method that may be used by themulti-access point device 114 to route frames is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/389,293, filed on Mar. 24, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Essentially, themulti-access point device 114 may comprise aswitching module 284 having a connection table 285 to accomplish frame routing. Theswitching module 284 may use a method similar to that described in said U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/389,293. - The method to route frames can be similar to a method typically used by a network device such as a router or a switch to find a desired location on the Internet. For example, the network device may utilize discovery mechanisms that use broadcast packets, such as address resolution protocol (ARP) packets, to find a location on the Internet. When the ARP packets receive a response, the network device determines the address of the location that responds. The network device thus learns the address of the location that responds. The network device builds a connection table comprising addresses derived from the responses. The addresses are paired with the responding locations. The network device subsequently uses the addresses in the connection table to route data to locations paired with the addresses.
- Similarly, the
multi-access point device 114 builds the connection table 285 in theswitching module 284 and uses the addresses in the connection table 285 to route data between clients of AP's 112 and theexternal AP 282. Each entry in the connection table 285 comprises a pair of addresses: a MAC address of a client station and a BSSID of the associated AP. For example, the connection table 285 comprises MAC addresses of client stations CLI-m 110 paired with the BSSID of theexternal AP 282, MAC addresses of CLI-1 A 270 and CLI-1 B 272 paired with the BSSID of API, etc. - The
switching module 284 communicates with the receivemodule 122 and the transmitmodule 120. Theswitching module 284 receives frames from the receivemodule 122. The frames may be received from one of the AP's 112 or from theexternal AP 282. Theswitching module 284 compares MAC addresses and BSSIDs in the frames to the addresses in the connection table 285 and determines whether the frames are to be routed to one of the AP's 112 or to theexternal AP 282. When the frames are routed to theexternal AP 282, themulti-access point device 114 communicates with theexternal AP 282 as a client station CLI-m 110 of theexternal AP 282. Similarly, when themulti-access point device 114 receives frames from theexternal AP 282, themulti-access point device 114 communicates with theexternal AP 282 as a client station CLI-m 110 of theexternal AP 282. - Referring now to
FIGS. 11B-11D , various exemplary traffic-flows according to the present invention are shown. Although the traffic-flows are shown in one direction, they may similarly occur in an opposite direction. As shown inFIG. 11B , client station CLI-1 A 272 may communicate with client station CLI-1 B 274 via associatedAP1 112. When themulti-access point device 114 receives a frame from CLI-1 A 272 that has a destination MAC address of CLI-1 B 274, themulti-access point device 114 routes that frame to CLI-1B viaAP1 112. - As shown in
FIG. 11B , client station CLI-1 A 272 in one BSS may communicate with client station CLI-3 B 280 in another BSS. Themulti-access point device 114 receives a frame from CLI-1 A 272 via associatedAP1 112. Theswitching module 284 determines if the destination MAC address of CLI-3 B 280 in the frame matches an entry in the connection table 285. Accordingly, themulti-access point device 114 routes the frame to CLI-3 B 280 viaAP3 112. - As shown in
FIG. 11D , client station CLI-2 A 274 in one BSS may communicate with theexternal AP 282. Themulti-access point device 114 receives a frame from CLI-2 A 274 via associatedAP2 112. Theswitching module 284 determines if the destination MAC address in the frame matches an entry in the connection table 285. Accordingly, themulti-access point device 114 routes the frame toAP 282 via CLI-1. That is, themulti-access point device 114 communicates as CLI-1 and transmits the frame toAP 282. - Referring now to
FIGS. 12A-12B , two exemplary implementations of the present invention are shown. As shown inFIG. 12A , the present invention can be implemented in a settop box 480. The present invention may be implemented in either or both signal processing and/or control circuits that are generally identified inFIG. 12A at 482, and aWLAN network interface 496 of the settop box 480. - The set
top box 480 receives signals from a source such as a broadband source and outputs standard and/or high definition audio/video signals suitable for adisplay 488 such as a television and/or monitor and/or other video and/or audio output devices. The signal processing and/orcontrol circuits 484 and/or other circuits (not shown) of the settop box 480 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other set top box function. - The set
top box 480 may communicate withmass data storage 490 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner. Themass data storage 490 may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs. The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″. - The set
top box 480 may be connected tomemory 494 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. The settop box 480 also may support connections with a WLAN via theWLAN network interface 496. - Referring now to
FIG. 12B , the present invention can be implemented in amedia player 500. The present invention may be implemented in either or both signal processing and/or control circuits that are generally identified inFIG. 12B at 504, and aWLAN network interface 516 of themedia player 500. In some implementations, themedia player 500 includes adisplay 507 and/or auser input 508 such as a keypad, touchpad and the like. In some implementations, themedia player 500 may employ a graphical user interface (GUI) that typically employs menus, drop down menus, icons and/or a point-and-click interface via thedisplay 507 and/oruser input 508. - The
media player 500 further includes anaudio output 509 such as a speaker and/or audio output jack. The signal processing and/orcontrol circuits 504 and/or other circuits (not shown) of themedia player 500 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other media player function. - The
media player 500 may communicate withmass data storage 510 that stores data such as compressed audio and/or video content in a nonvolatile manner. In some implementations, the compressed audio files include files that are compliant with MP3 format or other suitable compressed audio and/or video formats. The mass data storage may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs. The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″. - The
media player 500 may be connected tomemory 514 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. Themedia player 500 also may support connections with a WLAN via theWLAN network interface 516. Still other implementations in addition to those described above are contemplated. - Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims.
Claims (14)
1. A device comprising:
a radio frequency (RF) transceiver;
a baseband processor in communication with the radio frequency (RF) transceiver;
an access point, wherein the access point comprises a plurality of virtual access points, and wherein each virtual access point of the plurality of virtual access points supports a basic service set identifier (BSSID) that is unique relative to that supported by another virtual access point of the plurality of virtual access points;
a memory device configured to store a corresponding beacon interval for each virtual access point; and
a transmit module configured to respectively generate a corresponding target transmission beacon time (TBTT) for each virtual access point based on the beacon interval corresponding to the virtual access point,
wherein each virtual access point is respectively configured to use i) the baseband processor and ii) the radio frequency (RF) transceiver in order to transmit a corresponding beacon in accordance with the target transmission beacon time (TBTT) corresponding to the virtual access point, and wherein each beacon includes the basic service set identifier (BSSID) corresponding to the virtual access point transmitting the beacon.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the memory device is further configured to store a corresponding delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period for each virtual access point; and
wherein each virtual access point is respectively configured to use i) the baseband processor and ii) the radio frequency (RF) transceiver in order to transmit a corresponding delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) in accordance with the delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period corresponding to the virtual access point.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein each beacon is transmitted in a staggered, non-overlapping manner.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the transmit module, the memory device, and the baseband processor are implemented on a same system on chip (SOC).
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the radio frequency (RF) transceiver is also implemented on the same system on chip (SOC).
6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a medium access controller (MAC) device in communication with the baseband processor.
7. The device of claim 6 , further comprising a processor in communication with the medium access controller (MAC) device.
8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the processor comprises an ARM processor.
9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the processor comprises an advanced RISC machine.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a wireless Ethernet network device.
11. A method for transmitting a beacon from a device, wherein the device comprises
a radio frequency (RF) transceiver,
a baseband processor in communication with the radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and
an access point, wherein the access point comprises a plurality of virtual access points, and wherein each virtual access point of the plurality of virtual access points supports a basic service set identifier (BSSID) that is unique relative to that supported by another virtual access point of the plurality of virtual access points, the method comprising:
storing, in a memory device, a corresponding beacon interval for each virtual access point; and
respectively generating a corresponding target transmission beacon time (TBTT) for each virtual access point based on the beacon interval corresponding to the virtual access point,
wherein each virtual access point is respectively configured to use i) the baseband processor and ii) the radio frequency (RF) transceiver in order to transmit a corresponding beacon in accordance with the target transmission beacon time (TBTT) corresponding to the virtual access point, and wherein each beacon includes the basic service set identifier (BSSID) corresponding to the virtual access point transmitting the beacon.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
storing, in the memory device, a corresponding delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period for each virtual access point,
wherein each virtual access point is respectively configured to use i) the baseband processor and ii) the radio frequency (RF) transceiver in order to transmit a corresponding delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) in accordance with the delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period corresponding to the virtual access point.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein each beacon is transmitted in a staggered, non-overlapping manner.
14. The method of claim 11 , the device comprises a wireless Ethernet network device.
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US20070258397A1 (en) | 2007-11-08 |
WO2007130340A2 (en) | 2007-11-15 |
JP2009536503A (en) | 2009-10-08 |
CN101485228B (en) | 2011-05-18 |
DE602007007207D1 (en) | 2010-07-29 |
WO2007130340A3 (en) | 2008-01-24 |
CN101485228A (en) | 2009-07-15 |
JP5440890B2 (en) | 2014-03-12 |
JP2012191627A (en) | 2012-10-04 |
EP2016788B1 (en) | 2010-06-16 |
US7995543B2 (en) | 2011-08-09 |
EP2016788A2 (en) | 2009-01-21 |
JP4986304B2 (en) | 2012-07-25 |
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