US 2009/0213730 A1Published application

Backhaul failover method and system for a wireless network

AssigneeAerohive Networks, Inc.

InventorsJianlin Zeng, Changming Liu

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Abstract

A method and corresponding system for providing for recovering from a failure of a wired link used for communication between the first access point and a wired network. The first access point has at least two radios including a first radio and a second radio each for providing a wireless communications link. The method including selectively configuring the radios in an access mode for enabling a communications path with a corresponding client node to enable each client node to have a communication path via the first access point to the wired network, wherein the first and second radios are enabled to be associated with a first and second client node, respectively. The method and system includes providing communications paths for the client nodes to the wired network in response to detection of loss of the wired link to the first access point by selectively reconfiguring the second radio to a backhaul mode.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method for recovering from a failure of a wired link used for communication between a first access point and a wired network, said first access point having at least two radios including a first radio and a second radio each for providing a wireless communications link, the method comprising:

selectively configuring said radios in an access mode, each said radio in said access mode for enabling a communications path with a corresponding client node to enable each said client node to have a communication path via said first access point to the wired network, wherein said first radio is enabled to be associated with a first client node, and wherein said second radio is enabled to be associated with a second client node;
and
providing a communications path for said first and second client nodes to the wired network in response to detection of loss of the wired link to said first access point by selectively reconfiguring said second radio to a backhaul mode, comprising:
detecting said loss of the wired link to said first access point;
disassociating any client node from said second radio;
detecting a neighboring access point which can provide a link to the wired network for said first access point;
causing said second radio to provide a wireless link to said detected neighboring access point;
and
causing said first access point to enable any client nodes associated with said first radio and any client nodes that had been associated with said second radio to have a communication path to the wired network via said first radio wireless link, said second radio wireless link, and said detected neighboring access point's wired link.

6 more elements

A wireless backhaul failover system having a plurality of access points operative to recover from failure of a wired link used for communication between a first one of said access points and a wired network,

a first access point having at least two radios including a first radio and a second radio each for providing a wireless communications link,
means for causing said first access point to selectively configured said radios in an access mode, each said radio in said access mode for enabling a communications path with a corresponding client node to enable each said client node to have a communication path via said first access point to the wired network, wherein said first radio is enabled to be associated with a first client node, and wherein said second radio is enabled to be associated with a second client node;
and
means for selectively reconfiguring said second radio to a backhaul mode for providing a communications path for said first and second client nodes to the wired network in response to detection of loss of the wired link to said first access point, said means for selectively reconfiguring comprising:
means for detecting said loss of the wired link to said first access point;
means for disassociating any client node from said second radio;
means for detecting a neighboring access point which can provide a link to the wired network for said first access point;
means for causing said second radio to provide a wireless link to said detected neighboring access point;
and
means for causing said first access point to enable any client nodes associated with said first radio and any client nodes that had been associated with said second radio to have a communication path to the wired network via said first radio wireless link, said second radio wireless link, and said detected neighboring access point's wired link.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.