Alvarion Israel (2003) Ltd.

Innowave Eci Wireless Systems Ltd.

Darryl Denton

Kirk Treadaway

Tho Le Ngoc

Tat Huen

Moshe Nattiv

Mike Hamilton

Method and apparatus for synchronizing Fast Ethernet data packets to radio frames in a wireless metropolitan area network. A method of synchronizing Fast Ethernet data packets to radio frames includes receiving Fast Ethernet data packets, storing packet data in a packet buffer according to a first clock signal wherein the first clock signal is derived from the data packets, retrieving the packet data from the packet buffer according to a second clock signal wherein the second clock signal is asynchronous with the first clock signal, and formatting the retrieved packet data according to radio frames. According to another aspect of the invention, a method of synchronizing radio frames to Fast Ethernet data packets includes recovering packet data for Fast Ethernet data packets from radio frames, storing packet data from the radio frames in a packet buffer according to a first clock signal synchronous with the radio frames, retrieving the packet data from the packet buffer according to a second clock signal wherein a frequency of the second clock signal is lower than a frequency of the first clock signal, and forwarding the data packets reconstructed from the radio frames. The method can also include adjusting a frequency of the second clock signal according to an amount of space available in the packet buffer, adjusting an inter-packet gap for the data packets according to an amount of space available in the packet buffer, or pausing the step of forwarding according to an amount of space available in the packet buffer.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing fast ethernet data packets to radio frames in a wireless metropolitan area network

Method and apparatus for transporting Ethernet data packets via radio frames in a wireless metropolitan area network. A terminal includes a data packet receiver for receiving data packets for communication over a wireless link wherein not every data packet has a same length; a data packet formatting apparatus for formatting the data packets according to radio frames wherein the radio frames each have a same length and wherein the data packets are formatted into the radio frames such that boundaries for the data packets are not necessarily aligned with boundaries for the radio frames; and a wireless transceiver for communicating the radio frames over the wireless link. The packets can be Fast Ethernet packets. The terminal does not convert the Ethernet data packets into a telephony communication protocol or into an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol prior to communication of the radio frames over the wireless link. The terminal can include a data packet synchronizer for synchronizing the data packets to a clock signal associated with the radio frames. The data packets can be time-division multiplexed into the radio frames. According to another aspect, a method of transporting Ethernet data packets via radio frames includes steps of receiving Ethernet data packets wherein each data packet includes a preamble and a start-of-frame delimiter, stripping off the preamble and start-of-frame delimiter, formatting the packet data according to radio frames, including appending a synch field to the packet data, and appending a length field to the packet data.

Method and apparatus for transporting ethernet data packets via radio frames in a wireless metropolitan area network

Method and apparatus for activating and implementing adaptive countermeasures for wireless communication of Fast Ethernet data packets. A terminal for a wireless communication link includes a data packet receiver for receiving data packets, a packet formatting apparatus coupled to the data packet receiver for formatting the data packets according to radio frames, a wireless transceiver coupled to the packet formatting apparatus for communicating the radio frames over a wireless link, and a processor coupled to the packet formatting apparatus for selectively activating a technique for altering a manner in which the radio frames are communicated over the wireless link. The method can include a step of selectively activating a technique for implementing flow control on the data packets. The broadcast device can monitor a bit error rate associated with radio frames communicated and, in response to the bit error rate, can activate the technique for altering the manner in which the radio frames are communicated. The broadcast device can also monitor a received signal level associated with radio frames communicated and, in response to the received signal level, can activate the technique for altering the manner in which the radio frames are communicated. The technique can alter error correction coding, spectrum spreading, power level, data transmission rate, or modulation scheme utilized for transmitting the radio frames. The packet formatting apparatus includes an adaptive countermeasures apparatus having a plurality of selectively active paths, each path implementing a selected technique for altering the manner in which the radio frames are communicated.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Darryl Denton