Interface selection in a wireless router
AssigneeBritish Telecommunications public limited company
InventorsSimon RINGLAND, Francis SCAHILL, Richard EVENDEN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wireless router having a WiFi wireless network and including a small cell for routing LTE cellular data to a mobile network core is configured to monitor connected mobile devices and determine whether each mobile device should be connect to the hub using WiFi or LTE in accordance with the current utilization of the WiFi network and the current utilization of the LTE small cell. The network identity information of the device's WiFi interface and the device's LTE interface is provided by an application operating on the mobile device.
Claims7
An apparatus for selecting a data communication interface to be used by a mobile device having at least a wireless local area network interface connected to a wireless local area data network associated with the apparatus, and a cellular network interface connected to a cellular data network, the apparatus comprising:
- a wireless local area network interface;
- a cellular network access base station;
- network identification means for communicating with an application operating on the at least one mobile device to retrieve a network address identifier associated with each network interface of the mobile device;
- associating means for associating the determined network address identifier of each network interface with the at least one mobile device;
- means for determining first network operation parameters of the wireless local area data network;
- means for determining second network operation parameters of the cellular network interface of the mobile device;
- a controller for selecting one of the wireless local area network interface or the cellular network interface as a selected network interface in accordance with the determined first and second network operation parameters;
- and
- means for causing the mobile device to use the selected network interface for any existing and new data sessions,
- wherein in response to the causing means, the mobile device is operable to use the selected network interface and disconnect from the other of the wireless local area network interface or the cellular network interface that was non-selected.
A method of selecting a data communication interface to be used by a mobile device having at least a wireless local area network interface connected to a wireless local area data network, and a cellular network interface connected to a cellular data network, the method being performed by a wireless access point connected to the mobile device via the wireless local area network and comprising:
- communicating with an application operating on the at least one mobile device to retrieve a network address identifier associated with each network interface of the mobile device;
- associating the retrieved network access identifier of each network interface with the mobile device;
- determining first network operation parameters of the wireless data network;
- determining second network operation parameters of the cellular network interface of the mobile device;
- selecting one of the wireless network interface or the cellular network interface as a selected network interface in accordance with the determined first and second network operation parameters;
- and
- causing the mobile device to use the selected network interface for any existing and new data sessions,
- wherein in response to the processing of the wireless access point, the mobile device is operable to use the selected network interface and disconnect from the other of the wireless local area network interface or the cellular network interface that was non-selected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.