System and method for bridging to a lte wireless communication network
AssigneeNetgear, Inc.
InventorsMichael Clegg, Robert MacKinnon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for bridging user devices communicating according to a 3rd Generation (3G) communication protocol to a LTE wireless communication network, thereby enabling user devices that do not have sufficient signal strength for directly coupling to the LTE wireless communication network to nevertheless access such wireless communication systems and methods via a bridging system.
Claims33
A bridge system for enabling one or more prior generation user devices to dynamically couple with a LTE-based wireless communication network, the system comprising:
- an internal module that when placed within a building is configured for communicatively coupling:
- via a first interface, with an external module external to the building that communicatively couples with the LTE-based wireless communication network, and
- via a second interface, with the one or more prior generation user devices;
- where the internal module, based on a signal quality of the LTE-based wireless communication network at a point internal to the building, dynamically selects between using:
- the internal module and the external module, or
- only the internal module,
- for enabling communication between the one or more prior generation user devices and the LTE-based wireless communication network;
- where a LTE-based wireless communication is converted to the different protocol and communicated to the one or more prior generation user devices.
A method for enabling one or more prior generation user devices to dynamically couple with a LTE-based wireless communication network, the method comprising:
- establishing, by an internal module within a building, a communicatively coupling:
- via a first interface, with an external module external to the building that communicatively couples with the LTE-based wireless communication network, and
- via a second interface, with the one or more prior generation user devices;
- where the internal module, based on a signal quality of the LTE-based wireless communication network at a point internal to the building, dynamically selects between using:
- the internal module and the external module, or
- only the internal module,
- for enabling communication between the one or more prior generation user devices and the LTE-based wireless communication network;
- where enabling communication comprises converting between a LTE-based wireless communication and a different protocol used by the one or more prior generation user devices.
A bridge system for enabling one or more prior generation user devices to dynamically couple with a LTE-based wireless communication network, the system comprising:
- an internal module within a building for communicatively coupling:
- via a first interface, with an external module external to the building that communicatively couples with the LTE-based wireless communication network, and
- via a second interface, with the one or more prior generation user devices;
- where the internal module, based on a signal quality of the LTE-based wireless communication network at a point internal to the building, dynamically selects between using:
- the internal module and the external module, or
- only the internal module,
- for enabling communication between the one or more prior generation user devices and the LTE-based wireless communication network;
- where the second interface enables communication between the internal module and the one or more prior generation user devices using a different protocol;
- and
- where the LTE-based wireless communication is converted to the different protocol and communicated to the one or more prior generation user devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.