Network access points using multiple devices

• US 8,634,392 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurix Pte., Ltd., TopCoder, Inc. (Wipro Limited)
• Original Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stephens, Spencer, Kalika, Leonid, Berg, Alexander, Irani, Cyrus
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/882,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 370/313, 370/328, 370/329, 370/332, 370/338, 370/344, 370/349, 370/389, 370/465, 455/41.2, 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/443, 455/523
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing access to a communication network includes providing a radio node comprising a first set of access point components including a radio component, and providing a physically separated controller node in communication with the radio node. The access point controller comprises a second set of access point components distinct from the first set of access point components, creating a distributed access point. A system controller may also be used to control at least one of the radio node and the controller node. The radio node, the controller node, and the system controller communicate over a communication link, such as a wireless or wired link.

Claims

1. A distributed access point, comprising:

a radio node of a plurality of radio nodes configured to communicate with a client, the radio node comprising a set of radio frequency layer components and a first remote communication component; and

a controller node configured to be remotely located relative to the radio node, the controller node comprising a set of access point software layer components and a second remote communication component that is configured to establish a first remote communication link with the first remote communication component of the radio node for communication with the radio node, wherein the controller node is configured to communicate with the plurality of radio nodes via remote communication links established between the second remote communication component and respective first communication components of the plurality of radio nodes and communicate with the client only via at least one radio node of the plurality of radio nodes; and

wherein the radio node and the controller node together are configured to provide an intended functionality of the distributed access point, wherein the first remote communication component and the second remote communication component configured to establish a tunnel configured to carry a digitized form of RF data as a relay of a bit stream between an RF layer and a baseband layer that is configured to handle either 802.11 or Bluetooth baseband protocol.

2. The distributed access point of claim 1, wherein one of the radio node or the controller node further comprises a set of physical layer components.

3. The distributed access point of claim 1, wherein one of the radio node or the controller node further comprises a set of medium access control (MAC) layer components.

4. The distributed access point of claim 1, wherein the controller node includes a set of physical layer components and a set of medium access control (MAC) layer components.

5. The distributed access point of claim 1, wherein the remote communication link is a wireless communication link, a short-range wireless communication link, a BLUE-TOOTH link, or a wired link.

6. The distributed access point of claim 1, wherein each of the radio node and the controller node comprises a remote link driver configured to provide the remote communication link by extending a bus or using a protocol stack tunnel between corresponding components of the radio node and the controller node.

7. The distributed access point of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of radio nodes includes a corresponding set of radio frequency layer components and a corresponding first remote communication component, each of the plurality of radio nodes configured to provide a respective client of a plurality of clients, access to the communication network via the same controller node.

8. The distributed access point of claim 7, wherein the radio node is further configured to establish a corresponding remote communication link with the controller node such that the controller node is configured to communicate with each of the plurality of radio nodes to provide the clients corresponding to respective radio nodes of the plurality of radio nodes, access to the communication network.

9. The distributed access point of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of radio nodes and the controller node corresponds to one of a plurality of distributed access points.

10. The distributed access point of claim 9, wherein the controller node is operatively connected to a system controller that is configured to control at least one of the plurality of distributed access points.

11. The distributed access point of claim 10, wherein the system controller is implemented as a physical switch.

12. The distributed access point of claim 10, wherein the system controller is logically centralized and implemented using a physically distributed hosting function incorporated into at least one of the plurality of distributed access points.

13. A system, comprising:

a plurality of distributed access points comprising

i) a first quantity of radio nodes, each radio node comprising a set of radio frequency layer component and a first remote communication component, the radio nodes configured to establish a communication link with at least one client; and

ii) a second quantity of controller nodes configured to be remotely located relative to the radio nodes, each controller node comprising a set of access point software layer components and a second remote communication component that is configured to establish a remote communication link with at least two first remote communication components corresponding to two radio nodes of the first quantity of radio nodes for communications with the two radio nodes, wherein each controller node is configured to communicate with the at least one client only via at least one radio node of the first quantity of radio nodes, wherein the plurality of distributed access points include a greater number of radio nodes than controller nodes, wherein a first remote communication component of a first radio node of the first quantity of radio nodes and a second remote communication component of a first controller node of the second quantity of controller nodes configured to establish a first tunnel configured to carry a digitized form of RF data as a relay of a bit stream between an RF layer and a baseband layer that is configured to handle either 802.11 or Bluetooth baseband protocol and wherein a first remote communication component of a second radio node of the first quantity of radio nodes and the second remote communication component of the first controller node configured to establish a second tunnel configured to carry a digitized form of RF data as a relay of a bit stream between an RF layer and a baseband layer that is configured to handle either 802.11 or Bluetooth baseband protocol; and

wherein the first radio node and the first controller node together are configured to provide an intended functionality of a first distributed access point of the plurality of distributed access points and wherein the second radio node and the first controller node together are configured to provide an intended functionality of a second distributed access point of the plurality of distributed access points.

14. A distributed access point for providing a client access to a communication network, comprising:

a radio node configured to communicate with a client, the radio node comprising a set of radio frequency layer components and a first remote communication component; and

a controller node remotely located relative to the radio node, the controller node comprising a set of access point software layer components and a second remote communication component that is configured to establish a remote communication link with the first remote communication component of the radio node to communicate with the radio node, wherein the controller node is configured to communicate with the client only via the radio node and wherein the radio node and the controller node together are configured to provide an intended functionality of the distributed access point, wherein the first remote communication component and the second remote communication component configured to establish a tunnel configured to carry a digitized form of RF data as a relay of a bit stream between an RF layer and a baseband layer that is configured to handle either 802.11 or Bluetooth baseband protocol.

15. The distributed access point of claim 14, wherein one of the radio node and the controller node further comprises a set of physical layer components and a set of medium access control (MAC) layer components.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller node does not include the set of radio frequency layer components.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the radio node does not include the set of physical layer components or a set of medium access control (MAC) layer components.

18. The distributed access point of claim 14, wherein the controller node is configured to establish a plurality of communication links with remote communication components of a plurality of radio nodes remotely located relative to the controller node.

19. The distributed access point of claim 14, wherein the controller node includes the set of physical layer components and the set of medium access control (MAC) layer components.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the remote communication link is a wireless communication link, a short-range wireless communication link, a BLUE-TOOTH link, or a wired link.