Predictive caching and tunneling for time-sensitive data delivery to roaming client devices

A non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• detect an impending roam of a wireless client device that receives data communications via a first wireless access point device in a wireless local area network;
• determine a set of one or more wireless access point devices other than the first wireless access point device to which the wireless client device may potentially roam;
• assign the one or more wireless access point devices in the set to a multicast group;
• send the data communications to the multicast group;
• and
• send flow context information to each of the wireless access point devices that enables the wireless access point devices in the set to start accepting and buffering data for existing active flows to the wireless client device.

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface unit configured to enable communications over a network;
• a memory;
• and a processor coupled to the network interface unit and the memory and configured to:
• detect an impending roam of a wireless client device that receives data communications via a first wireless access point device in a wireless local area network;
• determine a set of one or more wireless access point devices other than the first wireless access point device to which the wireless client device may potentially roam;
• assign the one or more wireless access point devices in the set to a multicast group;
• and
• send the data communications to the multicast group;
• and send flow context information to each of the wireless access point devices that enables the wireless access point devices in the set to start accepting and buffering data for existing active flows to the wireless client device.