Distributed multi-band wireless networking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11743695-B2
Application number	US-202017098077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Oct 10, 2016
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed is a way to expand the range of Internet of Things devices in a home, office, or structure to the range of a local WiFi network. This is accomplished by generating a network bridge for the devices using machine-to-machine protocols to communicate using the WiFi network backhaul channel. Transmissions in machine-to-machine protocol are tunneled through WiFi communications and extracted by the closest access point. Access points include radios for both WiFi and machine-to-machine protocols.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for networking topology comprising:
establishing a small cell local area network including a first access point and a second access point that communicate wirelessly via WiFi protocol, the small cell local area network implementing the first access point and the second access point operating the WiFi protocol as a range extension to devices operating on a machine-to-machine protocol;
connecting a first device to the first access point via The WiFi protocol;
joining the first device to a second device via a software application, wherein joined devices are configured to indicate each other as a destination address on communications;
connecting the second device to the second access point via the machine-to-machine protocol, wherein the machine-to-machine protocol is a different protocol than the WiFi protocol;
transmitting a data packet wirelessly from the first device to the second device using the small cell local area network via the first access point and the second access point as intermediaries, wherein the data packet is in the machine-to-machine protocol and tunneled in the WiFi protocol;
extracting, by the second access point, the data packet from the tunnel, wherein an extracted data packet is entirely in the machine-to-machine protocol; and
transmitting commands to a cloud server, the cloud server including a specification for communication between the first device and the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the machine-to-machine protocol is any of:
Bluetooth protocol;
Bluetooth Low Energy protocol;
ZigBee protocol; or
Z-wave protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
extracting, by the second access point, the data packet from the tunnel, wherein an extracted data packet is entirely in the machine-to-machine protocol.

4. The method of claim 3 , said extracting further comprising:
transmitting commands to a cloud server, the cloud server including a specification for communication between the first device and the second device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device is any of:
a smartphone;
a computer;
a tablet; or
a voice activated assistant.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said connecting the second device further comprises:
pairing, by the second access point, with the second device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said communicating between the second access point and the second device comprises connection-less data traffic using a generic attribute table.

8. A method for operating an access point or network of access points comprising:
communicatively connecting, by a first access point of a small cell network, with a first device via a first machine-to-machine protocol, wherein the small cell network implementing a plurality of access points, including the first access point, operating WiFi protocol as a range extension to the first device operating on the first machine-to-machine protocol;
communicatively connecting, by a second access point of the small cell network, with a second device via a second machine-to-machine protocol;
receiving output, by the first access point from the first device via the first machine-to-machine protocol;
tunneling the output, by the first access point, to the second access point over a small cell network backhaul channel, wherein the output is in the first machine-to-machine protocol and tunneled in the WiFi protocol, and wherein the first access point has a greater transmit range than the first device; and
transmitting the output, by the second access point, to the to the second device via the second machine-to-machine protocol;
translating the output from the first machine-to-machine protocol to the second machine-to-machine protocol; and
transmitting the output to a cloud server, the cloud server including a specification for communication between the first device and the second device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first and second machine-to-machine protocol are any of:
Bluetooth protocol;
Bluetooth Low Energy protocol;
ZigBee protocol; or
Z-wave protocol.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the communicatively connected first and second devices are any of:
a smartphone;
a computer;
a tablet; or
a voice activated assistant; and
wherein the first device is any of:
a wireless speaker;
a wireless camera;
a wireless refrigerator;
a wireless thermostat;
a wireless light;
a wireless cooking appliance;
a wireless television; or
a voice assistant.

Assignees

• Netgear Inc

Inventors

• Amini Peiman
• Emmanuel Joseph Amalan Arul

Classifications

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• H04L41/12

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04W4/30 Primary

  Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes · CPC title

• G08B13/2494 Primary

  by interference with electro-magnetic field distribution combined with other electrical sensor means, e.g. microwave detectors combined with other sensor means · CPC title

• H04W36/16

  Performing reselection for specific purposes · CPC title