Meshnetworks, Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Motorola Solutions, Inc.

Arris Enterprises LLC

Surong Zeng

Avinash Joshi

Charles R Barker

Keith J Goldberg

William Vann Hasty, Jr

Heyun Zheng

Sebnem Z Ozer

Hrishikesh Gossain

Michael F Korus

Robin U Roberts

Guenael T Strutt

Sebnem Zorlu Ozer

Samer S Hanna

Amit Gandhi

Shyamal Ramachandran

Soren K Lundsgaard

Adam Cory Lewis

Wei Mao

Pankaj Aggarwal

Ohad Shatil

Charles R Baker, Jr

Jr Charles R Barker

Sebnew Zorlu Ozer

A system and method for providing a polling scheme to improve medium access control (MAC) in a multihop wireless communication network () comprising nodes () and access points (). When an access point () is the source of data packets being transmitted to a neighbor node (), a collision-avoidance protocol is employed for the communication. However, when the access point () is to be the receiver of data packets transmitted from a neighbor node (), the access point () polls the neighbor node () by initiating contact with the neighbor node () and inviting the neighbor node () to send queued data packets to the access point (). As a result, the polling process allows the access point () to gain limited control over its neighbor nodes () and increase the efficiency of the network ().

System and method for communicating within a wireless communication network

A method and system for updating a multicast state of a multicast group at a first mesh access point as provided improves network efficiency. According to one aspect, the method includes processing a multicast member join request for the multicast group received from a first wireless node. A proxy update message for the first wireless node received from a third mesh access point is then processed. The first wireless node connects to a second mesh access point after joining the multicast group via the first mesh access point, and the third mesh access point is a root node of a mesh tree of which the second mesh access point is a node. An Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) query message for the multicast group is then generated. A multicast update (MUPD) packet is then transmitted to an upstream node, whereby a multicast state is updated at the upstream node.

Method for updating a multicast state of a multicast group

A system and method for distributing proxying error information in wireless networks is provided. The includes associating a proxy node with a non-routable node; sending a data packet from an initiator node to the proxy node for delivery to the non-routable node; determining by the proxy node that the non-routable device has disassociated from the proxy node; sending a proxy error message from the proxy node to the initiator node to inform the initiator node that the non-routable node is no longer proxied by the proxy node; and starting a route discovery process for the non-routable device by the initiator node.

System and method for distributing proxying error information in wireless networks

Techniques and technologies are provided for managing establishment, maintenance and removal of security associations (SAs) between nodes in an ad hoc network, such as a wireless mesh network.

Managing establishment and removal of security associations in a wireless mesh network

A multi-hop wireless network includes an originator node, a proxy node, and at least one other node. The originator node generates a data packet and transmits the data packet to the proxy node. The proxy node receives and forwards to the at least one other node the data packet including an originator node address and a proxy node sequence number for an end-to-end groupcast sequence number.

System and method for groupcast packet forwarding in a wireless network

Techniques and technologies are provided for dynamically selecting one of a default channel bandwidth and an alternate channel bandwidth for transmitting information over a wireless communication link which couples a transmitter node to a receiver node. The transmitter node and the receiver node are designed to transmit and receive at the default channel bandwidth and at the alternate channel bandwidth.

Transmission channel bandwidth selection for communications between multi-bandwidth nodes

A system and method of security authentication and key management scheme in a multi-hop wireless network is provided herein with a hop-by-hop security model. The scheme adapts the 802.11r key hierarchy into the meshed AP network. In this approach, a top key holder (R0KH) derives and holds the top Pairwise Master Key (PMK) for each supplicant wireless device after the authentication process. All authenticator AP take the level one key holder (RKH) role and receive the next level Pairwise Master Key (PMK) from RKH. The link level data protection key is derived from PMKvia the 802.11i 4-way handshaking.

Security authentication and key management within an infrastructure-based wireless multi-hop network

The present invention provides a system and method for multihop packet forwarding within a multihop wireless communication network. The method uses a data frame format including at least the four address fields to forward packets in a multihop wireless network. The method includes generating a route request packet at a routable device in response to receiving a packet destined for an unknown destination. The route request packet includes an originating device field including an address of an originating device, wherein the originating device generated the packet originally; and a source field, wherein the source field includes an address of the first routable device which generated the route request packet.

System and method for multihop packet forwarding

Techniques are provided for determining whether a particular Access Point (AP) is to be designated as an Infrastructure Access Point (IAP) or a Backhaul Mesh Access Point (BMAP) based on the connectivity of the particular AP to a network which includes at least one multicast heartbeat message (MCHBM) source. Techniques are provided which can allow an Infrastructure Access Point (IAP) to change its device type to a Backhaul Mesh Access Point (BMAP) device type when the IAP determines that connectivity to the network is lost. Other techniques are provided which can allow a Backhaul Mesh Access Point (BMAP) to change its device type to an Infrastructure Access Point (IAP) device type when the BMAP determines that connectivity to the network is established.

Changing access point (AP) device type based on connectivity to a network

A system and method for providing a traffic control scheme for QoS provision and congestion control across multiple interfaces of wireless nodes (and), such as wireless access points (and), communicating in a wireless multihopping communication network (). The nodes (and) can include multiple transceivers. The system and method detects bottleneck interfaces in these nodes () to control the traffic along the path of the corresponding traffic flow. Different measurements and cross-layer feedback are used to differentiate the cause of the congestion, such as wireless link quality degradation due to fading or degradation due to congestion in a shared medium. The nodes () inform each other on the status of their congestion level. High and low level signaling and interruption mechanisms are used to control the interfaces of the congested node (or) to adjust traffic flow and alleviate the congestion.

System and method for providing quality of service provisions and congestion control in a wireless communication network

A system and method for data transmission using a multichannel medium access control (MAC) protocol to send small messages on the reservation channel directly without any RTS/CTS handshake or channel switching delays. The message is assigned a special type so that it can be distinguished from the RTS/CTS message. The message can also include information about congestion, activity, device type, mobility level, and so forth.

System and method to maximize channel utilization in a multi-channel wireless communication network

A multicast architecture and method of operation for multi-hop wireless mesh networks is provided. The multicast architecture is above the network infrastructure to identify a group of clients. These clients share the same application and communicate to each other by using a common multicast address.

Multicast architecture for wireless mesh networks

A system and method to control congestion in a multihopping wireless communication network (). The system and method distribute the congestion information back to the ingress points () and traffic source nodes () in the network () through the actual route of the data flow that contributes to the congestion. The system and method therefore avoid bottleneck points (-) in the network () to reduce congestion. The system and method can be used for packet-based, route-based or flow-based traffic shaping in a multihop wireless network () employing different media access control (MAC) and routing layer protocols. Moreover, the system and method is capable of distributing congestion and service differentiation information between different interfaces in the network ().

System and method for controlling congestion in multihopping wireless networks

A system and method for calculating a routing metric that can select the route providing the best throughput in a multihopping network (), based on one or more parameters including completion rates, data rates, MAC overhead and congestion. The system and method are capable of selecting a route in a multihopping network () having a high throughput, comprising calculating a routing metric at one or more nodes (), wherein the routing metric enables the one or more nodes () to select the route in the network (). The routing metric can include network information such as the raw data rate, the completion rate, and the media access control overhead and congestion.

System and method for providing a congestion-aware routing metric for selecting a route between nodes in a multihopping communication network

A system and method for improving the performance of an on-demand routing protocol in a wireless network is provided. The invention provides improved system performance of a wireless network by enabling nodes following an on-demand routing protocol to process (and possibly reply to) route request messages multiple times based on the routing metrics.

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Altamonte Springs, FL, United States of America

Surong Zeng