WLAN communication device

A method for operating a communication device,

• the method comprising:
• activating a wireless local-area network [“WLAN”] circuitry to detect if a WLAN network exists, and if a WLAN network does not exist, to establish a WLAN access point capable of communicating with at least one data processing device capable of acting as a WLAN client terminal to the WLAN access point;
• establishing a connection to at least one second wireless broadband communication device which has the features of the first wireless broadband communication device;
• assigning processor to create a network identifier for the WLAN access point;
• assigning an internet protocol address for the at least one WLAN client terminal and for the at least one second wireless broadband communication device;
• resolving domain name service [“DNS”] queries in cooperation with an external DNS system;
• assigning at least one port number for each protocol supported by the gateway application;
• tunneling internet traffic between the at least one WLAN client terminal and an internet host over the broadband connection;
• wherein said tunneling of internet traffic comprises establishing and managing multiple simultaneous transmission paths between the WLAN client terminal and the internet host, the multiple simultaneous transmission paths comprising a first transmission path via the radio transceiver of the first wireless broadband communication device and at least one second transmission path via the radio transceiver of the second wireless broadband communication device,
• wherein the communication device is a portable computer and the first wireless broadband communication device is compact wireless broadband modem adapted to use the user interface of the portable computer for the authentication of the user.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for operating a communication device, the method comprising:

• a first code portion for instructing a processor to activate a wireless local-area network [“WLAN”] circuitry to detect if a WLAN network exists, and if a WLAN network does not exist, to establish a WLAN access point capable of communicating with at least one data processing device capable of acting as a WLAN client terminal to the WLAN access point;
• a second code portion for instructing the processor to establish a connection to at least one second wireless broadband communication device, which has the features of the first wireless broadband communication device;
• a third code portion for instructing the processor to create a network identifier for the WLAN access point;
• a fourth code portion for instructing the processor to assign an internet protocol address for the at least one WLAN client terminal and for the at least one second wireless broadband communication device;
• a fifth code portion for instructing the processor to resolve domain name service [“DNS”] queries in cooperation with an external DNS system;
• a sixth code portion for instructing the processor to assign at least one port number for each protocol supported by the gateway application;
• a seventh code portion for instructing the processor to tunnel internet traffic between the at least one WLAN client terminal and an internet host over the broadband connection;
• wherein said tunneling of internet traffic comprises establishing and managing multiple simultaneous transmission paths between the WLAN client terminal and the internet host, the multiple simultaneous transmission paths comprising a first transmission path via the radio transceiver of the first wireless broadband communication device and at least one second transmission path via the radio transceiver of the second wireless broadband communication device, wherein the communication device is a portable computer and the first wireless broadband communication device is compact wireless broadband modem adapted to use the user interface of the portable computer for the authentication of the user.