Wireless LAN architecture for integrated time-critical and non-time-critical services within medical facilities

An access point for providing wireless access to a hardwired network of a medical facility, comprising:

• a first transceiver module which implements a realtime wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol to transfer time-critical data in real time to the hardwired network with a known maximum latency;
• and
• a second transceiver module which implement a non-realtime WLAN protocol to provide non-realtime wireless access to the hardwired network;
• wherein the realtime WLAN Protocol is a wireless TDMA protocol and the non-realtime protocol is an IEEE 802.11 WLAN protocol.

A system for providing wireless connectivity within a medical facility, comprising:

• a hardwired computer network;
• at least one multi-protocol access point connected to the hard-wired computer network to provide wireless access to the hardwired computer network, the multi-protocol access point comprising a first radio frequency (RF) transceiver that operates according to a first wireless local area network (ELAN) protocol and a second RF transceiver that operates according to a second WLAN protocol;
• a plurality of remote transceiver devices that communicant with the first RF transceiver according to the first WLAN protocol to convey real time physiologic data of patients to the hardwired computer network in real time;
• and
• a plurality of wireless computing devices that communicate with the second RF transceiver according to the second WLAN protocol to access at least one non-realtime application running on the hardwired computer network;
• wherein the first WLAN protocol is a wireless TDMA protocol and the second WLAN protocol is an IEEE 802.11 WLAN protocol.