Method for a wireless station to determine network metrics prior to associating with an access point of a wireless network

In a wireless station that includes a processor, a memory, and a wireless network device, a method of operating the wireless station, comprising:

• without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, wirelessly receiving L2 data units transmitted from one or more wireless access points (APs) of one or more wireless networks that the station can hear, wherein the L2 data being received units include network layer (L3) information;
• without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, the wireless station gathering information about the received L2 data units that include L3 information, including L2 information and L3 information included with the L2 data units;
• and
• maintaining a wireless network database in the memory , the wireless network database including for each wireless network whose access point the station can hear, the gathered L2 information and the gathered L3 information.

A wireless station comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory coupled to the processor;
• and
• a wireless network device coupled to the processor and capable of providing a link-layer (L2) interface to a wireless network;
• the memory loadable with a protocol stack and instructions for the processor to carry out a method including:
• without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, wirelessly receiving L2 data units transmitted from one or more wireless access points (APs) of one or more wireless networks that the station can hear, wherein the L2 data units being received include network layer (L3) information;
• without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, the wireless station gathering information about the received L2 data units that include L3 information, including L2 information and L3 information included with the L2 data units;
• and
• maintaining a wireless network database in the memory, the wireless network database including for each wireless network whose access point the station can hear, the gathered L2 information and the gathered L3 information.

A computer readable medium configured with computer readable code segments that when executed by one or more processors cause carrying out a method, the one or more processors in a wireless station, the station having a memory coupled to the processors and a wireless network device, the device capable of providing a link-layer (L2) interface to a wireless network, the method comprising:

• without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, wirelessly receiving L2 data units transmitted from one or more wireless access points (APs) of one or more wireless networks that the station can hear, wherein the L2 data units being received include network layer (L3) information;
• without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, the wireless station gathering information about the received L2 data units that include L3 information, including L2 information and L3 information included with the L2 data units;
• and
• maintaining a wireless network database in the memory , the wireless network database including for each wireless network whose access point the station can hear, the gathered L2 information and the gathered L3 information.

A wireless station comprising:

• a wireless network device;
• means for wirelessly receiving L2 data units transmitted from one or more wireless access points (APs) of one or more wireless networks that the station can hear, the wirelessly receiving by the means for wirelessly receiving without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network, wherein the L2 data units being received by the means for wirelessly receiving include network layer (L3) information;
• means for gathering information about the received L2 data units, including L2 information and L3 information included with the L2 data units, the gathering by the means for gathering without the station required to have previously been or to now be associated with a wireless network;
• and
• memory means for maintaining a wireless network database, the wireless network database including for each wireless network whose access point the station can hear, the gathered L2 information and the gathered L3 information that was included in the gathered L2 information.