Wireless local area network for use in neighborhoods

A local area security network for wirelessly interconnecting the individual security systems of a plurality of homes in a neighborhood and for transmission in digital form to and from each said home information concerning security system alarm conditions and other information, and network comprising a plurality of transceiver stations, one each being located at each of said plurality of homes, each said transceiver station including:

• radio transmitter means adapted to transmit information in digital form, and further adapted to selectively address said transmitted information to at least either of two proximately located other transceiver stations of said plurality, said transmitter means being operable in a frequency range and at a sufficiently low maximum power level as to be normally and lawfully utilizable without an FCC license;
• radio receiver means adapted to receive transmissions of information in digital form, and further adapted to specifically recognize such transmissions selectively addressed to said receiver means from at least either of two proximately located other transceiver stations of said plurality;
• interface means interconnecting said transceiver means with the individual home security system associated with said home of said plurality where said transceiver station is located and adapted to recognizably accept information concerning alarm conditions from said system and deliver alarm termination commands to said system;
• first means interposed between said interface means and said radio transmitter means and adapted to modulatingly convey said alarm condition information from said interface means to said radio transmitter means;
• second means interposed between said interface means and said radio receiver means and adapted to demodulatingly convey said alarm termination commands from said receiver means to said interface means;
• programmable control means adapted to cause said transmitter means to recognizably and selectively retransmit said alarm condition information and said alarm termination commands received by said receiver means in a predeterminable manner;
• and
• indicator means adapted to recognizably and selectively indicate the existence of an alarm condition in the security system of any other home of said plurality;
• whereby said plurality of transceiver stations may be serially linked in a loop;
• and
• whereby alarm condition information and alarm termination commands may be passed from station to station about the loop in either of two directions;
• and
• further whereby an alarm condition in any security system of said plurality of homes can be selectively and recognizably indicated in at least one other of said plurality of homes.

A local area utility service network for wirelessly interconnecting the individual utility distribution systems of a plurality of homes in a neighborhood and for transmission in digital form to and from each said home information concerning utility usage and other information, said network comprising a plurality of transceiver stations, one each being located at each of said plurality of homes, each said transceiver station including:

• ratio transmitter means adapted to transmit information in digital form, and further adapted to selectively address said transmitted information to at least either of two proximately located other transceiver stations of said plurality, said transmitter means being operable in a frequency range and at a sufficiently low maximum power level as to be normally and lawfully utilizable without an FCC license;
• radio receiver means adapted to receive transmissions of information in digital form, and further adapted to specifically recognize such transmissions selectively addressed to said receiver means from at least either of two proximately located other transceiver stations of said plurality;
• interface means nnterconnecting said transceiver means with at least one utility distribution system associated with said home of said plurality where said transceiver station is located and adapted to recognizably accept information concerning utility usage from said system and deliver appliance enabling and disenabling commands to said system;
• first means interposed between said interface means and said radio transmitter means and adapted to modulatingly convey said utility usage information from said interface means to said transmitter means;
• second means interposed between said interface means and said radio receiver means and adapted to demodulatingly convey said appliance enabling and disenabling commands from said receiver means to said interface means;
• and
• programmable control means adapted to cause said transmitter means to recognizable and selectively retransmit said utility usage information and said appliance enabling and disenabling commands received by said receiver means in a predetermined manner;
• whereby said plurality of transceiver stations may be serially linked in a loop;
• and
• whereby utility usage information and appliance enabling and disenabling commands may be passed from station to station about the loop in either of two directions.