Network combining wired and non-wired segments

A communications apparatus for adapting existing in-building telephone lines for data communications comprising:

• a unit mounted on an interior wall of a room and directly connected to the telephone lines, said unit containing:
• (a) a telephone modem configured for bidirectional digital data communication to and from the telephone lines in accordance with a first communications protocol;
• (b) an RF modem configured for bidirectional wireless digital data communication to and from a receiver inside the room in accordance with a second communications protocol;
• (c) a protocol adapter coupling the telephone modem and the RF modem;
• and
• (d) a standard telephone outlet.

A method of adapting existing in-building telephone lines to conduct data communications comprising:

• (a) detaching an existing standard telephone outlet from an interior wall of a room of a building;
• (b) in place of the detached outlet, mounting a unit containing:
• (i) a telephone modem configured for bidirectional digital data communication to and from the telephone lines in accordance with a first communications protocol;
• (ii) an RF modem configured for bidirectional wireless digital data communication to and from a wireless receiver inside the room in accordance with a second communications protocol;
• (iii) a protocol adapter coupling the telephone modem and the RF modem;
• and
• (iv) a new standard telephone outlet;
• and
• (c) directly connecting the new standard telephone outlet and the telephone modem to the telephone lines.

A method of adapting existing in-building telephone lines for data communications comprising:

• (a) attaching, to a standard telephone outlet mounted on an interior wall of a room of a building, a unit containing:
• (i) a telephone modem configured for bidirectional digital data communication to and from telephone lines in accordance with a first communications protocol;
• (ii) an RF modem configured for bidirectional wireless digital data communication to and from a receiver inside the room in accordance with a second communications protocol;
• and
• (iii) a protocol adapter coupling the telephone modem and the RF modem;
• wherein, when so attached, the telephone modem is electrically coupled to the telephone lines.

A communications system network in a building, comprising:

• (a) a plurality of wall-mounted standard telephone outlets carrying a telephone signal to different rooms of the building, said outlets being wired together by building wiring carrying the telephone signal;
• (b) a plurality of wireless receivers inside the building;
• and
• (c) a plurality of modules, each attached externally to, and supported by, one of said outlets, each of said modules containing:
• (i) a telephone modem configured for bidirectional digital data communication to and from telephone lines leading from the outlet in accordance with a first communications protocol;
• (ii) an RF modem configured for bidirectional wireless digital data communication to and from at least one of the receivers in accordance with a second communications protocol;
• and
• (iii) a protocol adapter coupling the telephone modem and the RF modem.

A method of conducting data communication over a network in a building, comprising:

• (a) attaching, to each of a plurality of standard telephone outlets mounted on interior walls of first and second rooms of the building, a unit containing:
• (i) a telephone modem configured for bidirectional digital data communication to and from telephone lines in accordance with a first communications protocol;
• (ii) an RF modem configured for bidirectional wireless digital data communication to and from transceivers in accordance with a second communications protocol;
• and
• (iii) a protocol adapter coupling the telephone modem and the RF modem,
• said step of attaching causing the telephone modem to be electrically coupled to the telephone lines of the building;
• (b) placing transceivers at select locations in rooms of the building in which the units are attached to outlets;
• (c) wirelessly transmitting digital data from a transceiver in the first room;
• (d) in response to wireless transmission in step (c), automatically causing the protocol adapter of a unit in the first room to convert the digital data from the first communications protocol to the second communications protocol and applying the converted data to the telephone modem of the same unit;
• (e) in response to step (d), automatically transmitting the converted data through the telephone lines of the building to at least one of the units in the second room of the building;
• (f) in response to step (e), automatically causing the protocol adapter of the unit in the second room to reconvert the digital data from the second communications protocol to the first communications protocol and to apply the reconverted data to the RF modem of the unit in the second room;
• and
• (g) in response to step (f), automatically causing the RF modem of the unit in the second room to transmit the reconverted data to a transceiver in the second room.

A network for non-wired communication between first and second non-wired data units respectively located at first and second locations and connected together via an existing telephone wire pair to concurrently carry a bi-directional packet-based wired digital data signal and an analog telephone signal using frequency division multiplexing, wherein the wired digital data signal is carried in a digital data frequency band and the analog telephone signal is carried in an analog telephone frequency band distinct from and lower than the digital data frequency band, said network comprising:

• a first device housed in a first single enclosure, said first device being connected at the first location to transmit and receive digital data in the digital data frequency band over the telephone wire pair, said first device being a non-wired device communicatively couplable to exchange packet-based digital data over a non-wired medium with the first non-wired data unit, said first device further being operative to transmit to the telephone wire pair data received from the first non-wired data unit and to transmit to the first non-wired data unit digital data received from the telephone wire pair;
• and
• a second device housed in a second single enclosure, said second device being connected at the second location to transmit and receive digital data in the digital data frequency band over the telephone wire pair, said second device being a non-wired device communicatively couplable to exchange packet-based digital data over a non-wired medium with the second non-wired data unit, said second device further being operative to transmit to the telephone wire pair data received from second non-wired data unit and to transmit to the second non-wired data unit digital data received from the telephone wire pair;
• wherein said network is operative to transparently and bi-directionally pass digital data between the first and second non-wired data units.

A device for use in a network for non-wired communication between first and second non-wired data units respectively located at first and second locations and connected together via an existing telephone wire pair to concurrently carry a bi-directional packet-based wired digital data signal and an analog telephone signal using frequency division multiplexing, wherein the wired digital data signal is carried in a digital data frequency band and the analog telephone signal is carried in an analog telephone frequency band distinct from and lower than the digital data frequency band, wherein:

• said device is housed in a single enclosure and is connected at the first location to transmit and receive digital data in the digital data frequency band over the telephone wire pair, said device being a non-wired device communicatively couplable to exchange packet-based digital data over a non-wired medium with the first non-wired data unit, said device further being operative to transmit to the telephone wire pair data received from the first non-wired data unit and to transmit to the one of the first non-wired data unit digital data received from the telephone wire pair;
• and
• the network is operative to transparently and bi-directionally pass digital data between the first and second non-wired data units when a another, identical, device is connected at the second location to transmit and receive digital data in the digital data frequency band over the telephone wire pair.