Mesh free-space optical system for wireless local area network backhaul
First Claim
1. A backhaul network comprising:
- a plurality of multi-mode access points, each comprising;
a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio-frequency (RF) transceiver; and
a free-space optical transceiver connected to said WLAN RF transceiver and configured to communicate with at least one other free-space optical transceiver in said backhaul network.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In wireless local area networks (WLANS) with a large number of access points, the provisioning and capacity of the WLAN backhaul network connecting the access points to a core network becomes a major issue in network design. Some network services call for access points to be deployed in high densities in a wide range of environments, including outdoor environments. Traditional backhaul networks using fixed media such as twisted pair cable, coax cable, or optical fiber, in many instances are not physically or economically viable. Disclosed are method and apparatus for connecting access points via a mesh network using free-space optical links. The free-space optical links may be supplemented with mm-wave links to increase reliability and capacity.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A backhaul network comprising:
a plurality of multi-mode access points, each comprising; a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio-frequency (RF) transceiver; and a free-space optical transceiver connected to said WLAN RF transceiver and configured to communicate with at least one other free-space optical transceiver in said backhaul network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
9. A method for operating at least one of a plurality of multi-mode access points, each comprising a WLAN transceiver and a free-space optical transceiver, said plurality of multi-mode access points configured in a free-space optical network with a mesh topology, comprising the steps of:
-
receiving at least one RF signal at a first multi-mode access point; and transmitting from said first multi-mode access point at least one free-space optical signal based at least in part on said received at least one RF signal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method for operating at least one of a plurality of multi-mode access points, each comprising a WLAN transceiver and a free-space optical transceiver, said plurality of multi-mode access points configured in a free-space optical network with a mesh topology, comprising the steps of:
-
receiving at least one free-space optical signal at a first multi-mode access point; and transmitting from said first multi-mode access point at least one RF signal based at least in part on said received at least one free-space optical signal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
Specification