Enhanced mobility and address resolution in a wireless premises based network

Abstract

A premises based wireless network having a multi-segment wired network and a plurality of wireless access points connected to the wired network. The wired network operates according to a wired network protocol which may be the Internet Protocol. Wireless terminals communicate with the wireless access points according to a wireless network protocol, inconsistent with the wired network protocol. Each of the wireless terminals has a wired network address corresponding to one of the wireless access points. Each wireless terminal also has an address according to the wired network protocol. As the wireless terminals roam throughout the premises, protocol tunnels route communications between wireless terminals, thereby preserving communications while roaming by allowing the wireless terminals to retain their wired network addresses during the ongoing communications. The wireless terminals are connected to wireless access points. These wireless access points are in turn linked by data link tunnels to a root access point for a subnet. The data link tunnels enable the root access point for a subnet to forward data to the wireless access points. The forwarded data is not bridged onto the particular subnet that connects the wireless access point and the root access point for that subnet.

1 . A communication network providing wireless communication within a premises, the wireless network comprising: 
 a wired network operating according to a wired protocol, the wired network having a first network segment and a second network segment;    a wireless terminal having a wired network protocol address;    a first access point coupled to the first network segment;    a second access point coupled to the first network segment; and    a data link tunnel that communicatively couples the second access point to the first access point when the wireless terminal is in wireless communication with the second access point.    
     
     
         2 . The communication network of  claim 1  wherein the first access point is connected to the first network segment.  
     
     
         3 . The communication network of  claim 2  wherein a protocol tunnel communicatively couples the first access point to the second network segment.  
     
     
         4 . The communication network of  claim 3  further comprising a third access point connected to the second network segment.  
     
     
         5 . The communication network of  claim 4  wherein the wireless terminal has a wired network protocol address respective to the third access point.  
     
     
         6 . The communication network of  claim 5  wherein the first access point and the third access point are communicatively coupled with a protocol tunnel.  
     
     
         7 . The communication network of  claim 6  wherein routed communication through the data link tunnel uses a different protocol scheme than when routed through the protocol tunnel.  
     
     
         8 . The communication network of  claim 1  wherein the wired network operates under the Internet protocol.  
     
     
         9 . The communication network of  claim 1  wherein the data link tunnel operates across the wired network.  
     
     
         10 . The communication network of  claim 1  wherein the data link tunnel operates across a radio link.  
     
     
         11 . The communication network of  claim 1  wherein routed communication from the first tunnel is not bridged onto the second network segment.  
     
     
         12 . A communication network comprising: 
 a wired network having a first network subnet and a second network subnet;    a first tunnel coupling the first network subnet with the second network subnet;    a roaming terminal communicatively coupled with the firs network subnet; and    a second tunnel concatentated with the first tunnel to provide a logical extension of the first subnet for the roaming terminal.    
     
     
         13 . The communication network of  claim 12 , wherein the communication network further sends a data message destined to the roaming terminal as a first message under a first network protocol, the first message encapsulating a second message under a second network protocol, the second message encapsulating a message under the wired network protocol.  
     
     
         14 . The communication network of  claim 13  wherein the second network protocol is a wireless network protocol.  
     
     
         15 . The communication network of  claim 13  wherein the second network protocol is a wired network protocol.  
     
     
         16 . The communication network of  claim 12  wherein the wired network operates under an Internet protocol.  
     
     
         17 . The communication network of  claim 12  wherein the second tunnel operates across the wired network.  
     
     
         18 . The communication network of  claim 12  wherein the second tunnel operates across a radio link.  
     
     
         19 . The communication network of  claim 12  wherein a routed communication from the first tunnel is not bridged onto the second network subnet.  
     
     
         20 . A communication network comprising: 
 a wired network having a first network subnet and a second network subnet;    a first tunnel coupling the first network subnet with the second network subnet;    a roaming terminal communicatively coupled with the first network subnet; and    a second tunnel concatentated with the first tunnel to provide a logical extension of the first subnet for the roaming terminal without requiring the dynamic assignment of pseudo addresses.    
     
     
         21 . The communication network of  claim 20 , wherein the communication network further sends a data message destined to the roaming terminal as a first message under a first network protocol, the first message encapsulating a second message under a second network protocol, the second message encapsulating a message under the wired network protocol.  
     
     
         22 . The communication network of  claim 21  wherein the second network protocol is a wireless network protocol.  
     
     
         23 . The communication network of  claim 21  wherein the second network protocol is a wired network protocol.  
     
     
         24 . The communication network of  claim 20  wherein the wired network operates under an Internet protocol.  
     
     
         25 . The communication network of  claim 20  wherein the second tunnel operates across the wired network.  
     
     
         26 . The communication network of  claim 20  wherein the second tunnel operates across a radio link.  
     
     
         27 . The communication network of  claim 20  wherein a routed communication from the first tunnel is not bridged onto the second network subnet.  
     
     
         28 . A communication network providing wireless communication within a premises, the wireless network comprising: 
 a wired network operating according to a wired protocol, the wired network having at least a first network segment and a second network segment;    a wireless terminal having a wired network protocol address;    a first fixed access point connected to the second network segment;    a second fixed access point connected to the second network segment; and    a data link tunnel that communicatively couples the first and the second fixed access points via wireless communications only such that bridging communication data onto the second network segment is avoided when communications between one of the fixed access points and the wireless terminal require communication with the other fixed access point.    
     
     
         29 . The communication network of  claim 28  wherein the data link tunnel comprises a radio link between the first and the second fixed access points.  
     
     
         30 . The communication network of  claim 28  wherein the wireless terminal is a roaming terminal.  
     
     
         31 . The communication network of  claim 30  wherein the first fixed access point encapsulates a message in a packet for transmission via the data link tunnel to the second fixed access point such that the message is supplied to the wireless terminal without the use of pseudo addresses which are dynamically assigned to roaming terminals.  
     
     
         32 . The communication network of  claim 28  further comprising a router that couples the first and the second network segments.  
     
     
         33 . The communication network of  claim 28  wherein the first network segment and the second network segment have different sub-network addresses.  
     
     
         34 . The communication network of  claim 28  wherein the wired network operates according to an internet protocol.  
     
     
         35 . A communication network comprising: 
 a wired network having a first network access point and a second network access point;    a data link tunnel communicatively coupling the first network access point with the second network access point via wireless communications only; and    a roaming terminal communicatively coupled to the first network access point wherein communications from the roaming terminal pass within the data link tunnel to the second network access point.    
     
     
         36 . The communication network of  claim 35  wherein the data link tunnel comprises a radio link between the first and the second network access points.  
     
     
         37 . The communication network of  claim 35  wherein the roaming terminal is a wireless terminal.  
     
     
         38 . The communication network of  claim 37  wherein the first network access point encapsulates a message in a packet for transmission via the data link tunnel to the second network access point such that the message is supplied to the wireless terminal without the use of pseudo addresses which are dynamically assigned to roaming terminals.  
     
     
         39 . The communication network of  claim 35  wherein the wired network operates according to an internet protocol.