Method and Apparatus for Automatic Switching Between Networks, Wireless Access Device, and Intermediate Device

• US 20130121311A1
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Device Shenzhen Co Ltd (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shen, Lingguang
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/38 by fixed network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and an apparatus for automatic switching between networks, a wireless access device, and an intermediate device. The method includes: receiving, by the wireless access device, after a connection between the wireless access device and the intermediate device is established, an instruction message sent by the intermediate device, where the instruction message instructs the wireless access device to switch from a currently connected wireless network to a wired network; connecting, by the wireless access device, according to the instruction message, the wired network through the intermediate device, and breaking the connection with the wireless network; and switching, by the wireless access device, from the wired network to the wireless network when a connection between the wireless access device and the wired network is broken. The present invention is applicable to the automatic switching between the wireless network and the wired network.

Claims

1. A method for automatic switching between networks comprising:

receiving, by a wireless access device, an instruction message sent by an intermediate device after a connection between the wireless access device and the intermediate device is established, wherein the instruction message instructs the wireless access device to switch from a currently connected wireless network to a wired network;

connecting, by the wireless access device, the wired network through the intermediate device and breaking the connection with the wireless network according to the instruction message; and

switching, by the wireless access device, from the wired network to the wireless network when the connection between the wireless access device and the wired network is broken.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein connecting the wired network through the intermediate device comprises:

having, by the wireless access device and the intermediate device, a corresponding virtual port;

mounting, by the wireless access device, the virtual port as a wide area network (WAN) side interface to an Internet Protocol (IP) layer;

setting, by the wireless access device, output interfaces of a current route configuration, a firewall, a domain name server (DNS), and a network address translation (NAT) as the virtual port;

obtaining, by the wireless access device, a private network IP address from a home gateway; and

accessing through the intermediate device and the home gateway, by the wireless access device, the wired network which is connected to the home gateway according to the private network IP address.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein switching the wireless access device from the wired network to the wireless network comprises:

switching, by the wireless access device, the virtual port from a WAN side to a local area network (LAN) side, mounting the virtual port under a network bridge, and starting its wireless interface as the WAN side interface;

setting, by the wireless access device, the output interfaces of the current route configuration, the firewall, the DNS, and the NAT as the wireless port;

sending, by the wireless access device, to the home gateway a request of releasing the private network IP address to make the home gateway release the private network IP address; and

establishing, by the wireless access device, the connection with the wireless network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein connecting the wired network through the intermediate device comprises:

having, by the wireless access device and the intermediate device, a corresponding virtual port;

mounting, by the wireless access device, the virtual port as a wide area network (WAN) side interface to an IP layer;

setting, by the wireless access device, output interfaces of a current route configuration, a firewall, a DNS, and a NAT as the virtual port;

obtaining, by the wireless access device, a private network IP address from the intermediate device; and

accessing, by the wireless access device, the wired network according to the private network IP address through the intermediate device after a Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPOE) dialing connection between the intermediate device and the wired network is established.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein switching the wireless access device from the wired network to the wireless network comprises:

switching, by the wireless access device, the virtual port from a WAN side to a LAN side, mounting the virtual port under a network bridge, and starting its wireless interface as the WAN side interface;

setting, by the wireless access device, the output interfaces of the current route configuration, the firewall, the DNS, and the NAT as the wireless port;

sending, by the wireless access device, to the intermediate device a request of releasing the private network IP address to make the intermediate device release the private network IP address; and

establishing, by the wireless access device, the connection with the wireless network, after the PPPOE dialing connection between the intermediate device and the wired network is broken.

6. A wireless access device comprising:

a receiving module configured to receive an instruction message sent by an intermediate device after a connection between the wireless access device and the intermediate device is established, wherein the instruction message instructs the wireless access device to switch from a currently connected wireless network to a wired network;

a first switching module configured to connect the wired network through the intermediate device and break the connection with the wireless network according to the instruction message; and

a second switching module configured to switch from the wired network to the wireless network when the connection between the wireless access device and the wired network is interrupted.

7. The wireless access device according to claim 6, wherein the wireless access device has a virtual port corresponding to the intermediate device, and wherein the first switching module is configured to mount the virtual port as a WAN side interface to an IP layer, set output interfaces of a current route configuration, a firewall, a DNS, and a NAT as the virtual port, obtain a private network IP address from a home gateway, and access a wired network which is connected to the home gateway through the intermediate device and the home gateway according to the private network IP address.

8. The wireless access device according to claim 7, wherein the second switching module is configured to switch the virtual port from a WAN side to a LAN side, mount the virtual port under a network bridge, start its wireless interface as the WAN side interface, set the output interfaces of the current route configuration, the firewall, the DNS, and the NAT as the wireless interface, and send to the home gateway a request of releasing the private network IP address to make the home gateway release the private network IP address and establish a connection with the wireless network.

9. The wireless access device according to claim 6, wherein the wireless access device has a virtual port corresponding to the intermediate device, and wherein the first switching module is configured to mount the virtual port as a WAN side interface to an IP layer, set output interfaces of a current route configuration, a firewall, a DNS, and a NAT as the virtual port, obtain a private network IP address from the intermediate device, and access the wired network through the intermediate device according to the private network IP address after a PPPOE dialing connection between the intermediate device and the wired network is established.

10. The wireless access device according to claim 9, wherein the second switching module is configured to switch the virtual port from a WAN side to a LAN side, mount the virtual port under a network bridge, start its wireless interface as the WAN side interface, set the output interfaces of the current route configuration, the firewall, the DNS, and the NAT as the wireless interface, send to the intermediate device a request of releasing the private network IP address to make the intermediate device release the private network IP address, and establish a connection with the wireless network after the PPOE dialing connection between the intermediate device and the wired network is broken.

11. An intermediate device comprising:

a first interface module that establishes a connection between the intermediate device and a wireless access device through the first interface module; and

an instruction message sending module configured to send an instruction message to the wireless access device through the first interface module and instruct the wireless access device to switch from a currently connected wireless network to a wired network after the connection between the intermediate device and the wireless device is established.

12. The intermediate device according to claim 11, further comprising a second interface module, wherein the intermediate device establishes a connection with a home gateway through the second interface module, and wherein the home gateway is connected to the wired network.

13. The intermediate device according to claim 11, further comprising a third interface module, and wherein the intermediate device establishes a connection with the wired network through the third interface module.