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Off-channel beacons in a wireless network

  • US 20070014267A1
  • Filed: 07/15/2005
  • Published: 01/18/2007
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method in a first wireless device, the wireless device including a transmitter and modulator for transmitting, and MAC hardware coupled to the transmitter and modulator, the method comprising:

  • for a particular network identifier of at least one network identifier active in a wireless network that supports at least one network identifier, each network identifier identifying an infrastructure wireless network, each infrastructure wireless network having an access point transmitting beacon frames at a beacon frame rate, transmitting frames (“

    off-channel beacons”

    ) from the first wireless device, the off-channel beacon frames configured to advertise the infrastructure wireless network of the particular network identifier by including advertising information advertising the infrastructure wireless network, the transmitting of off-channel beacons being in a provided channel (“

    the off-channel-beacon channel”

    ) different than the channel in which the access point of the infrastructure wireless of the particular network identifier transmits beacon frames, the transmitting of off-channel beacons further being at a rate higher than the beacon rate frame at which the access point of the infrastructure wireless of the particular network identifier transmits beacon frames, the advertising information in the off-channel frames including information that indicates the channel or channels where the beacon frames of the advertised infrastructure networks or networks are being transmitted, such that a second wireless device receiving the off-channel beacon can use the information in the off-channel beacon to switch to any of the channels of the infrastructure wireless network or networks advertised in the off-channel beacon and/or to choose whether or not to associate or re-associate with the channel of any infrastructure network advertised in the off-channel beacon, the second wireless device being configured to interpret the information in the off-channel beacon that advertises the one or more infrastructure wireless networks.

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