Establishing a Mesh Network with Wired and Wireless Links

• US 20110119360A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mok, Ron, Miu, Allen, Kish, William S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,979,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention solve problems experienced by mesh networks concerning loop formation where two nodes are connected by both a wired and wireless link. The present invention prevents or ‘breaks’ a loop that that would otherwise result in continually repeating and delayed network data transmission.

Claims

1. A system for hybrid mesh networking, the system comprising:

a root node configured to act as a gateway between a wired network and a plurality of nodes in a hybrid mesh network;

a first node communicatively connected to the root node; and

a second node connected to the first node via an Ethernet connection, wherein wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended based upon on a determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection and wherein the second node commences communication with the first node by way of the Ethernet connection.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node is further based on detection of a gateway via the Ethernet connection.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node is further based on detection of a root node via the Ethernet connection.

4. The system in claim 1, wherein suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node is further based on detection of an upstream node via the Ethernet connection.

5. The system in claim 1, wherein suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node is further based on detection of an appearance of a source packet on multiple ports.

6. The system in claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node are among a plurality of nodes connected via the Ethernet connection and wherein the first node has the largest approximation of uplink throughput to the root node in comparison to any other approximation of uplink throughput of any other node to the root node and wherein the second node commences communication with the root node by way of the first node based on the first node having the largest approximation of uplink throughput to the root node.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a determination that the first node is connected to the second node via the Ethernet connection occurs at the first node and wherein the first node suspends wireless communication with the second node.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a determination that that the first node is connected to the second node via the Ethernet connection occurs at the second node and wherein the second node suspends wireless communication with the first node.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node includes changing a radio channel of the first node or the second node.

11. The system of claim 10, further including a centralized management controller configured to monitor and assign radio channel selection of the first node and the second node.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller directs the second node to suspend wireless communication with the root node and wherein the second node commences communication with the root node by way of the first node and the Ethernet connection based on the direction by the controller.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller assigns the first node and the second node to different radio channels.

14. A method for hybrid mesh networking, the system comprising:

detecting at a first node the presence of a second node in the hybrid mesh network;

executing instructions stored in a memory of the first node, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor of the first node determines that the first node and a second node are connected via an Ethernet connection; and

suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node based on the determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection, wherein communication between the first node and the second node commences by way of the Ethernet connection.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection is based on detection of a gateway via the Ethernet connection.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection is based on detection of a root node via the Ethernet connection.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection is based on detection of an upstream node via the Ethernet connection.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection is based on detection of a source packet on multiple ports.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node includes changing a radio channel of the first node or the second node.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the first node suspends wireless communication with the second node.