Fortinet, Inc.

Merunetworks, Inc.

Bytemobile, Inc.

Menu Networks

Sung-Wook Han

Vaduvur Bharghavan

Mohan Ram

Berend Dunsbergen

Joseph Alan Epstein

Saravanan Balasubramanian

Shishir Varma

Anil Kaushik

Saravanan Balasubramaniyan

Martin Ostrowski

Upamanyu Madhow

Constantine Polychronopoulos

Srivatsan Sankaranarayanan

Sungwon Ha

Sirivatsan Sankaranarayanan

Tae-eun Kim

Rishikesh Basu

Nair Madhavan

Narayanasami Vijayraghavan

Brett Schavey

Ajay Kunnath

Traffic broadcast to a VLAN is restricted. To do so, a plurality of stations are associated with a BSSID (basic service set identifier). A first VLAN is configured by sending a first group key to each station from the plurality of stations that is a member of the first VLAN, wherein each VLAN is associated with a unique group key. One or more frames addressed to the first VLAN are received. The one or more frames are encrypted with the first group key to prevent stations without the first group key from being able to decrypt the one or more frames. The one or more encrypted VLAN frames are broadcast to the plurality of stations associated with the BSSID.

Restricting broadcast and multicast traffic in a wireless network to a VLAN

An 802.11-compliant device for high throughput is disclosed. A plurality of TCP packets received in a buffer for transmission are stored. The plurality of TCP packets can be aggregated as A-MSDU sub-frames to form a A-MSDU frame in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard. Additionally, a plurality of A-MSDU frames can be aggregated as A-MPDU sub-frames to form a A-MPDU frame. The A-MPDU frame is compliant with a number of allowable sub-frames and a maximum size in accordance with an 802.11 standard. The A-MPDU frame is sent for transmission as an IEEE 802.11 packet.

Increasing access point throughput by exceeding A-MPDU buffer size limitation in a 802.11 compliant station

Techniques which prevent rogue devices from continued access to a wireless communication system. A control element directs access points as to which mobile stations to service. Each access point maintains a record of the mobile stations it is servicing. At the direction of the control element, one or more access points send ACK (acknowledgement) messages when hearing messages from a rogue device. When the rogue device sends a message, it expects an ACK message in response, but those additional ACK messages interfere with the responsive ACK message, causing the rogue device to never hear the responsive ACK message. The rogue device assumes its message was not received, so it retries sending of that message. When the rogue device retries sending of its message, the responsive ACK message is similarly interfered with, until the rogue device concludes that its connection has been lost.

Blocking communication between rogue devices on wireless local access networks (WLANS)

Network devices are steered to preferred access points using a probability function. A probe request for connection is received from a network device. The probe request can be from a network device attempting to use a wireless network (e.g., a IEEE 802.11-type network or other suitable type of network). A probability function that defines a likelihood of granting the network device a connection is used to determine whether to accept or deny the response. The probe response is then sent to the network device.

Steering connection requests for an access point to a best-serving access point

Data distribution between mobile stations and external data paths is assigned to a new set of devices, distribution points. Each distribution point is independently coupled to mobile stations, also assigned to access points. Control elements operate to control the distribution points separately from the access points. Each access point maintains a substantially stateless link with each distribution point for which the two share a mobile station. Access points might exchange data with any one or more distribution points concurrently. Access points thus obtain greater bandwidth connectivity to external data paths. Mobile stations transfer between access points and transfer between distribution points independently. This has the effect that bandwidth connectivity between distribution points and external data paths have no particular requirement for VLAN separation. Mobile stations may roam among multiple Internet protocol subnets.

Multitier wireless data distribution

A technique for providing per station control of multiple stations in a wireless network across multiple access points. A look-up table that assigns a station connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers) is stored. An access point responds to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignores messages addressed to other BSSIDs. Persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each station after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points. A frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each connected station aggregated into the frame is generated. The frame is transmitted to the plurality of stations. Responsive to a station of the plurality of stations being handed-off to a different access point, a uniquely-assigned BSSID corresponding to the station is deleted from the look-up table.

Aggregated beacons for per station control of multiple stations across multiple access points in a wireless communication network

AP's associated with a communication network and any wireless devices desiring contact, operated according to a protocol in which each wireless device selects AP's with which to communicate. A system coordinator causes the AP's to operate so as to guide each wireless device to an AP selected by the system coordinator. This has the effect that, notwithstanding that the protocol involves having the wireless device make the selection of AP, functionally, the AP's make the selection for it. In a 1st technique, multiple AP's share an identifier, with the system coordinator directing one particular AP to respond to the wireless device, thus appearing to wireless devices as a 'personal cell'. In a 2nd technique, AP's each maintain identifiers substantially unique to each wireless device, with the system coordinator directing only one particular AP to maintain any particular wireless device's identifier, thus appearing to wireless devices as a 'personal AP'.

Seamless mobility in wireless networks

Uplink medium access control on per-wireless device level for a specific user. An access point sends a beacon frame to a wireless device. The beacon frame includes a BSSID that is unique to the wireless device. The beacon frame also includes embedded uplink configurations specifying uplink medium access for the wireless device. In one embodiment, a controller recognizes a device or user associated with the device, and sends corresponding uplink configurations for embedding in a subsequent beacon frame.

Per user uplink medium access control on a Wi-Fi communication network

A client access point joins a wireless network over a wireless connection in order to allow stations access to the wireless network. To join, the client access point (having a wireless connection to a mesh network) receives a beacon frame with unique identifiers of authorized client access points from a host access point (having a wired connection to the mesh network). Responsive to a unique identifier of the beacon frame matching the unique identifier of the client access point, a connection request for a connection is sent. A connection response confirming configuration of the client access point with the host access point in accordance is received.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Sung-Wook Han