Universal serial bus (USB) with wireless communication hubs

A serial bus hub for wireless transmission comprising:

• a plurality of physical downstream input/output (I/O) ports for connecting to a plurality of I/O devices;
• at least one physical upstream port for connecting to a host computer;
• a wireless adapter and an antenna connected to said wireless adapter, wherein said wireless adapter transmits and receives data via a wireless communication medium and enables communication transmission between said serial bus hud and a second serial bus hub;
• a wireless dual port, including a wireless upstream port and a wireless downstream port and wherein said wireless dual port includes a controller that automatically configures said wireless dual port upstream or downstream when said host computer is connected to said serial bus hub;
• and
• wherein said host computer is a first host computer associated with said serial bus hub, wherein when a second host computer is associated with the second serial bus hub, said serial bus hub including means for sending a message to the second serial bus hub when said second host computer is connected to the physical upstream port of said serial bus hub to inform said second serial bus hub to configure the wireless dual port of the wireless adapter of said second serial bus hub upstream instead of downstream and disable the physical upstream port of said second serial bus hub.

A method for remotely connecting a first host computer to external devices on a serial bus, said method comprising the steps of:

• connecting said first host computer to a first serial bus hub via a physical upstream port;
• and
• connecting said external devices via physical downstream I/O ports of a second serial bus hub;
• communicating data between said first host computer and said external devices via a wireless link established between said first serial bus hub and said second serial bus hub;
• and
• transmitting a message from said first serial bus hub to the second serial bus hub when a second host computer is connected to the physical upstream port of said first serial bus hub to signal said second serial bus hub to configure the wireless dual port of the wireless adapter of the second serial bus hub upstream instead of downstream and to disable the physical upstream port of said second serial bus hub.

A method for remotely connecting external devices to a host computer, said method comprising the steps of:

• coupling said external devices to a first serial bus hub via physical downstream I/O ports;
• connecting said host computer to a second serial bus hub via a physical upstream port, wherein said second serial bus hub communicates with said first serial bus hub via a wireless link;
• in response to said connecting step, automatically configuring said second serial bus hub to permit said host computer to control said external devices via said wireless link;
• and
• wherein said host computer is connected to an upstream port of said first serial bus hub and includes a modem connected to a downstream port of said first serial bus hub via a first sampler adapter, said system further comprising means for connecting a downstream port of the second serial bus hub to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) link via a second sampler adapter so that said host computer may transmit data directly over the PSTN network.