Subscriber unit for managing dual wireless communication links

Abstract

A technique for communication with a local area network (LAN) via a wireless connection determines whether a first short-range, high-speed, wireless communication path is available and connects to the LAN using a longer range, lower speed wireless communication path if the short-range, high-speed wireless communication path is not available. The low-range, high-speed wireless communication path is a wireless communication path is a wireless LAN connection such as an IEE 802.11-compliant wireless LAN and the long-range, low-sped wireless communication mode is a cellular CDMA-type connection. Determining whether the first IEEE 802.11 mode is available can be done by detecting a beacon signal, or transmitting a probe request message and detecting a probe response message in response to the probe request, indicating the presence or availability of the short-range, high-speed wireless communication path. Alternatively, the availability of short-range, high-speed wireless communication path can be detected by simply detecting activity on it.

1 . A subscriber unit comprising:
 a first transceiver configured to communicate with a first wireless network via a plurality of assigned physical layer channels;   a second transceiver configured to communicate with a second wireless network; and   a processor coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver, and configured to maintain a communication session, above a physical layer, with the first wireless network in the absence of the plurality of assigned physical layer channels.   
     
     
         2 . The subscriber unit of  claim 1 , wherein the first wireless network is a cellular wireless network and the second wireless network is an IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless network. 
     
     
         3 . The subscriber unit of  claim 2 , wherein the second wireless network is an IEEE 802.11x compliant wireless network. 
     
     
         4 . The subscriber unit of  claim 1 , wherein the second transceiver is configured to transmit transmission control protocol and Internet protocol (TCP/IP) data to the second wireless network while the communication session above the physical layer is maintained. 
     
     
         5 . The subscriber unit of  claim 1 , wherein the communication session above the physical layer is a transmission control protocol (TCP) layer session, an Internet protocol (IP) layer session, or a network layer session. 
     
     
         6 . The subscriber unit of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a detector configured to detect the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network; and   a circuit configured to select the second transceiver in response to the detector detecting the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network.   
     
     
         7 . The subscriber unit of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to release the plurality of assigned physical layer channels. 
     
     
         8 . The subscriber unit of  claim 6 , wherein the detector is configured to detect a beacon frame or a probe response frame received by the second transceiver from the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network. 
     
     
         9 . The subscriber unit of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of physical layer channels is a data channel. 
     
     
         10 . The subscriber unit of  claim 2 , wherein the first wireless network is a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless network and the second wireless network is an IEEE 802.11x compliant wireless network, and the first transceiver is a cellular code division multiple access (CDMA) transceiver and the second transceiver is an IEEE 802.11x compliant transceiver. 
     
     
         11 . A method for use in a dual mode subscriber unit, the method comprising:
 establishing a non-physical layer communication session with a first wireless network;   maintaining the non-physical layer communication session in the absence of any physical layer channels associated with the first wireless network; and   communicating with a second wireless network while maintaining the non-physical layer communication session with the first wireless network.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first wireless network is a cellular wireless network and the second wireless network is an IEEE 802 compliant wireless network. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the second wireless network is an IEEE 802.11x compliant wireless network. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein communicating with the second wireless network comprises transmitting transmission control protocol and Internet protocol (TCP/IP) data. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the non-physical layer communication session is a transmission control protocol (TCP) layer session, an Internet protocol (IP) layer session, or a network layer session. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 detecting the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network; and   communicating with the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network in response to detecting the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 releasing any of the assigned physical layer channels associated with the first wireless network.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein detecting the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network comprises receiving a beacon frame or a probe response frame from the IEEE 802 compliant wireless network. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the physical layer channels is a data channel. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first wireless network is a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless network and the second wireless network is an IEEE 802.11x compliant wireless network.