Techniques to manage roaming

• US 7,706,789 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sood, Kapil, Walker, Jesse, Qi, Emily H.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US11/096,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20060223526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 4554321-4323, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455433-434, 455436-451, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455453-455, 455/41.2, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/554.1, 455/554.2, 455/555, 455557-561, 455/562.1, 455/575.7, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455410-411, 455418-420, 455/422.1, 455440-444, 455/517, 455524-525, 455/551, 370/334, 370/339, 370492-496, 370328-333, 370/338, 370/341, 370/349, 370/395.52, 370400-408, 370474-475, 3703955-39554, 342422-449, 343/751
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link

Abstract

A system, apparatus, method and article to manage roaming in a wireless communication system are described. An apparatus may include a first wireless device having a processor to receive roaming information for a second wireless device from a third wireless device, and send the roaming information to the second wireless device to establish a connection with the third wireless device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a first fixed wireless device having a media access control processor to receive a request for roaming information from a mobile device, send said request to a second fixed wireless device, receive roaming information for said mobile device from said second fixed wireless device, determine whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet, and send said roaming information from said first fixed wireless device to said mobile device to establish a connection with said second fixed wireless device, said roaming information indicating whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet and, when the same subnet is shared, that the mobile device uses an internet protocol (IP) address assigned by the first fixed wireless device when establishing the connection with the second fixed wireless device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said connection to comprise one of a wireless local area network connection and wireless metropolitan area network connection.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, said roaming information to comprise at least one of connectivity parameter, a bandwidth parameter, and a security parameter.

4. A system, comprising:

an antenna;

a transceiver to couple to said antenna; and

a first fixed wireless device having a media access control processor to couple to said transceiver, said media access control processor to receive a request for roaming information from a mobile device, send said request to a second fixed wireless device, receive roaming information for said mobile device from said second fixed wireless device, determine whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet, and send said roaming information from said first fixed wireless device to said mobile device to establish a connection with said second fixed wireless device, said roaming information indicating whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet and, when the same subnet is shared, that the mobile device uses an internet protocol (IP) address assigned by the first fixed wireless device when establishing the connection with the second fixed wireless device.

5. The system of claim 4, said connection to comprise one of a wireless local area network connection and wireless metropolitan area network connection.

6. The system of claim 4, said roaming information to comprise at least one of connectivity parameter, a bandwidth parameter, and a security parameter.

7. A method, comprising:

establishing a first connection between a first fixed wireless device and a mobile device;

receiving a request for roaming information at said first fixed wireless device from said mobile device;

sending said request from said first fixed wireless device to a second fixed wireless device;

receiving said roaming information from said second fixed wireless device at said first fixed wireless device;

determining, at said first fixed wireless device, whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet; and

sending said roaming information from said first fixed wireless device to said mobile device, said roaming information indicating whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet and, when the same subnet is shared, that the mobile device uses an internet protocol (IP) address assigned by the first fixed wireless device when establishing a connection with the second fixed wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising establishing a second connection between said mobile device and said second fixed wireless device using said roaming information.

9. The method of claim 7, said roaming information to comprise at least one of connectivity parameter, a bandwidth parameter, and a security parameter.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising:

receiving said request for roaming information by said second fixed wireless device; and

sending said roaming information to said first fixed wireless device.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising:

sending said request for roaming information to said first fixed wireless device; and

receiving said roaming information by said mobile device.

12. An article comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable a system to establish a first connection between a first fixed wireless device and a mobile device, receive a request for roaming information at said first fixed wireless device from said mobile device, send said request from said first fixed wireless device to a second fixed wireless device, receive said roaming information from said second fixed wireless device at said first fixed wireless device, determine, at said first fixed wireless device, whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet, and send said roaming information from said first fixed wireless device to said mobile device, said roaming information indicating whether or not the first and second fixed wireless devices share the same subnet and, when the same subnet is shared, that the mobile device uses an internet protocol (IP) address assigned by the first fixed wireless device when establishing a connection with the second fixed wireless device.

13. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to establish a second connection between said mobile device and said second fixed wireless device using said roaming information.

14. The article of claim 12, said roaming information to comprise at least one of connectivity parameter, a bandwidth parameter, and a security parameter.

15. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive said request for roaming information by said second fixed wireless device, and send said roaming information to said first fixed wireless device.

16. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to send said request for roaming information to said first fixed wireless device, and receive said roaming information by said mobile device.