HK1178342B - Establishing a mesh network with wired and wireless links - Google Patents

Description

Establishing mesh networks with wired and wireless links

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to wired and wireless communication networks, and more particularly to establishing a mesh network with wired and wireless links.

Background

Mesh networks allow the communication of information through multiple nodes that may be distributed over a wide area. Multiple nodes allow a packet to travel multiple paths to a given receiving node or device. The nodes in the mesh network may communicate over wired (e.g., ethernet) or wireless connections (e.g., ieee802. x).

In a lightweight mesh network, a single wired node may act as an access point (e.g., a base station). A base station may communicate with multiple wireless receiving nodes. Each node may have an internal Mesh Basic Service Set (MBSS). Each MBSS in the mesh network may have a unique Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), but share the same Service Set Identifier (SSID) and/or pre-shared key (PSK). A node may identify another node in the network by referring to its BSSID. The transmission of a packet from one node to another may be referred to as a hop (hop). Each of the nodes of the mesh network may be connected to each other by one or more hops. For example, a first receiving node or child node receives information from a parent node via one hop.

A mesh network in which all nodes are directly connected to each other may be referred to as a fully connected network. A mesh network in which only some nodes are connected to all other nodes or a subset of nodes may be referred to as a partially connected network. Information transfer in a fully connected network may take only one hop (e.g., from a source node to a destination child node). However, in a partially connected mesh network, information transfer may require multiple hops through multiple nodes. If there is one node that is not directly connected to a particular destination node, the transmission of information from the source to the destination may need to pass through one (or more) intermediate nodes, resulting in at least two hops of transmission.

In networks consisting of wireless and wired links, packets may be transmitted to a receiving node or device through multiple nodes over wireless and/or wired connections. In the case where two nodes are connected by wireless and wired links (e.g., 802.x and ethernet connections), the wired link may serve as an alternative path through which packets may travel; the wireless connection may be the primary means of packet delivery. The particular path taken by the packet may be determined at the source and/or intermediate nodes by various available routing algorithms. Routing algorithms typically attempt to transport and allow packet delivery to destination nodes as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Determining paths in partially connected networks or wired and wireless connections encounters difficult optimization problems. The routing algorithm may need to determine how a node learns which other nodes are available, which node is associated with which of the other nodes, which associations allow the fastest and most efficient transfer of information, and the reliability of these connections. Some routing algorithms may determine or require that a receiving node be associated with a particular path and/or a particular parent node.

However, various conditions may require a change of path for a given receiving node. For example, an intermediate transmitting node may fail such that a receiving node and/or parent node must be associated with a different intermediate node. Other conditions that require a change in routing may include changes in network traffic, changes in data rates, security needs, and even changes in environmental conditions that may affect the network (e.g., weather).

Another problem experienced by mesh networks is loop formation. A loop may be formed in which two nodes are connected by both a wired and a wireless link. Since the information packet may travel over any of the two links between the two nodes, once the packet is transmitted to the receiving node via the wired link, the packet may be transmitted back to the sending node via the wireless link, or vice versa. A loop may be formed resulting in data transmission being repeated between the two nodes. The result is a delay in data transmission and a reduction in network capacity.

Disclosure of Invention

In one exemplary embodiment, a system for hybrid mesh networking is described. The system comprises: a root node and a first node connected to a second node via a wired connection (i.e., ethernet). The root node acts as a wired backhaul gateway (backhaul) and provides the nodes and devices in the hybrid mesh network with access to another network, such as the internet. Upon determining that the first node and the second node are connected via the Ethernet connection, wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended and the second node begins communicating with the root node over the Ethernet connection.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method for hybrid mesh networking is described. The first node detects the presence of the second node in the hybrid mesh network and then determines whether the first node and the second node are connected via an ethernet connection. Upon determining that the two nodes are connected via the Ethernet connection, wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended. Whereupon further communication between the first node and the second node is initiated over the wired connection.

An exemplary system for determining role assignments is also provided. The system includes a gateway connected to a first node. The gateway is configured to allow the first node to access another device or network and is further configured to receive and respond to messages sent by the first node. The message requests a response from the gateway, and the gateway is configured to receive and respond to the message sent by the first node.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a method for determining role assignments in a hybrid mesh network. Nodes in the network send messages to the gateway via the ethernet connection. The message to the gateway requests a gateway response. Based on the detectable presence of the wired beacon on the ethernet connection and the response of the gateway, the node then determines whether the node has a direct or indirect connection with the gateway. In the case where a node has a direct connection to a gateway, the node communicates with the gateway without requiring an upstream connection to another node. Where a node has an indirect connection to a gateway, the node communicates with the gateway via an upstream connection with another node.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a hybrid mesh network implemented in an urban setting.

Fig. 2 illustrates a hybrid mesh network including a root node, intermediate nodes, and end-user devices.

Fig. 3 illustrates a node that may be implemented in a hybrid mesh network.

Fig. 4 illustrates a method for severing a loop between two nodes in a hybrid mesh network.

Fig. 5 illustrates a method for determining role assignments in a hybrid mesh network.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 illustrates a hybrid mesh network 100 implemented in an urban setting. The hybrid mesh network 100 may operate in urban facilities of various configurations including commercial or residential buildings 101 and 103. The hybrid mesh network 100 may be a mesh network that includes both wired nodes 120 and 125 and wireless nodes 110, 115, 130, and 135. Path 140 may be a wired path (e.g., ethernet) between nodes 120 and 125. Alternatively, the wired path may be a dedicated point-to-point microwave link providing ethernet abstraction. The paths may also be wireless, as is the case with paths 145, 150, 155, 160, 165 and 170. The illustrated path (140-170) demonstrates the diversity of possible paths and associations between nodes.

The hybrid mesh network 100 may allow transmission of various electromagnetic waves including radio signals. The hybrid mesh network 100 may be an IEEE 802.11 (wireless local area network), IEEE 802.16(WiMax), or other IEEE standard-based network. The hybrid mesh network 100 may be part of, proprietary to, or local to a larger wide area or metropolitan area network (WAN or MAN). Certain security protocols or encryption methods may be used to secure the exchange of data over network 100.

Fig. 2 illustrates a hybrid mesh network 200 including a root node 210, intermediate nodes 220A-220G, and end-user devices 230A-230B. A hybrid network 200 like that of fig. 2 may be established in a metropolitan facility like that shown in fig. 1. Paths 290, 292, and 294 are wired paths between nodes 220A-220B, 220C-220D, and 220D-220E, respectively. In the case where two nodes are connected by wired and wireless paths, the wired path may serve as another upstream option for the nodes in the network 200. The hybrid mesh network 200 may support more than one wired network segment at different levels in the topology. Fig. 2 illustrates various possibilities for node association and routing. For example, information may be transmitted between root 210 and user device 230A to node 220B over wireless path 282, then to node 220A over wired path 290, then to node 220C over wireless path 250 and onto user device 230A over wireless path 260. The same source-to-destination transmission may be achieved through node 220B and node 220C using only wireless paths 282, 255, and 260 (i.e., omitting wired transmissions to node 220A through path 290). The network 200 may have some redundancy to maintain optimal network connectivity. For example, each node may be connected to at least two nodes to maintain the connection during a failure in the transmission path.

The root node 210 of fig. 2 may be a wired backhaul gateway as follows: providing other nodes and devices in the network 200 access to another network, such as the internet. Backhaul throughput (backhaul) is the throughput between the node and the root node 210. Root node 210 may publish (advertise) unlimited backhaul throughput to other nodes and devices in network 200.

Root node 210 may be an access point, a proxy server, and/or a firewall server. Root node 210 may be implemented such that it can survive a failure in its transmission path. For example, if the backhaul throughput of root node 210 fails, root node 210 may establish a wireless upstream connection with another node (not shown) in network 200 to maintain network connectivity for all downstream nodes and devices. If backhaul throughput is restored, root node 210 may then revert to the best performing root node instead of wirelessly communicating with the other root nodes. The nodes 220A-220G may include various wired and/or wireless transceiver devices distributed over a particular geographic area, which may be a local area, such as the interior of a building, or a wide area, such as an urban area and suburban (e.g., the urban environment of fig. 1).

Each of nodes 220A-220G may receive information transmitted over a path that includes root node 210. For example, nodes 220A, 220B, 220F, and 220G may receive information directly from root node 210, while information sent to node 220C may need to pass through nodes 220A or 220B. Wireless link 240 illustrates a wireless connection between node 220A and root node 210. Node 220A is also a parent node connected to node 220C by wireless link 250 and node 220B is a parent node connected to node 220C by wireless link 255. Nodes 220A and 220B are connected via a wired link 290 in addition to a wireless link 245. Nodes 220A and 220B may receive and/or transmit information over either link.

Some nodes in network 200 may automatically associate with root node 210. Alternatively, a node may be associated with a parent node based on, for example, upstream throughput. For example, node 220C may consider associating with various candidate nodes in an effort to communicate with root node 210. The candidate nodes for such a communication link include nodes 220A and 220B. Using information about both backhaul and local throughput for each of the candidate nodes, node 220C may calculate an uplink throughput for each candidate node. Where a compute node is associated with a particular candidate node, the upstream throughput of the candidate node is the approximate throughput from root node 210 to the compute node (e.g., node 220C). Based on the uplink throughputs calculated for each candidate node, the computing node seeking uplink association (e.g., node 220C) may determine which of the candidate nodes provides the best uplink throughput that may represent the highest uplink throughput.

The network nodes 220A-220G may also be used to transmit information to user devices. The end user may receive information transmitted over network 200 using user devices 230A-B. User devices 230A-B may include wireless-enabled devices such as laptops and smart phones. Information from another network, such as the internet, may be transmitted to a user device, such as user device 230A, via mesh network 200. For example, root node 210 may transmit information from the internet to user device 230A through nodes 220A and 220C. Transmitting information from root node 210 to user device 230A over the hops would require the use of wireless link 240 to node 220A, followed by wireless link 250 to node 220C, and finally wireless link 260 to user device 230A. Other user devices (e.g., user device 230B) may receive information over different paths. As shown in fig. 2, user device 230B is connected to node 220F, which node 220F is connected to root node 210 via wireless link 280.

Fig. 3 illustrates a node that may be implemented in a hybrid mesh network. Node 220A may be implemented in a wireless network as discussed in the context of fig. 1 and/or fig. 2. Node 220A may include antenna elements 310A-K, processor 320, memory 330, communication device 340, and antenna element selector device 350. Node 220A may learn backhaul throughput and local throughput from other candidate nodes using information received and transmitted through antenna elements 310A-K. The throughput information may be stored in memory 330. Using the information stored in memory 330, processor 320 determines the upstream throughput for each candidate node. Antenna elements 310A-K may then create a wireless association with the candidate node based on the operation of antenna element selector apparatus 350 and the determined uplink throughput.

Node 220A may include a plurality of individually selectable Antenna elements 310A-K as disclosed in U.S. patent No. 7,292,198 entitled System and Method for and omnidirectional Planar Antenna Apparatus, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. When selected, each of the antenna elements produces a directional radiation pattern with gain (as compared to an omni-directional antenna). Although antenna elements 310A-K are symmetrically placed along the outer edge of node 220A in FIG. 3, the placement of antenna elements 310A-K is not limited to a circular arrangement; the antenna elements 310A-K may be placed or arranged in various ways on the node 220A.

The antenna elements 310A-K may include various antenna systems for receiving and transmitting data packets wirelessly. Antenna element 310A may receive data packets, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) data, User Datagram Protocol (UDP) data, and feedback and other information data from another node using the IEEE802. xx wireless protocol. The antenna element 310A may create one or more wireless links to allow data transmission between the node 220A and various other nodes in the hybrid mesh network 100. For example, node 220A may be associated with one or more parent nodes; further, node 220A may act as a parent node with an associated receiving node. In some embodiments, node 220A may be associated with only one parent node. Node 220A may operate in a manner similar to those wireless devices disclosed in U.S. patent publication No. 2006-0040707, entitled "System and Method for Transmission Parameter Control for an Antenna Apparatus with selected Elements," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Node 220A learns about various candidate nodes in the network by periodically sending out background traffic using antenna elements 310A-K. For example, antenna element 310A may send out probe requests that various candidate nodes may receive. In the case where node 220A is already associated with a parent node, antenna element 310A may send out probe requests to only certain candidate nodes, such as candidate nodes ranked high in memory 330 (described below). Antenna element 310A may also limit probe requests to those candidate nodes having backhaul throughputs that are the same as or higher than the backhaul throughputs of the parent node.

The candidate node may transmit a probe response that antenna element 310A may receive. A candidate node in the network may publish backhaul throughput information regarding the throughput between the candidate node and the root node 210. By receiving backhaul information in response to its probe request, antenna element 310A may then provide such information regarding the candidate node to memory 330 and/or processor 320. In addition, antenna element 310A may request and receive local throughput information. Local throughput is an approximate measure of throughput between the candidate node and node 220A. Antenna element 310A may provide local throughput information using a signal (e.g., TxCtrl) based on the results of the transmission attempt for the candidate node.

The antenna element 310A may further send out a beacon to publish the backhaul throughput of the node 220A to other nodes in the hybrid mesh network 100. Other nodes in the hybrid mesh network 100 attempting to learn of mesh traffic may send out their own probe requests that the antenna element 310A may receive. In some embodiments, antenna element 310A may be provided with an uplink throughput associated with the parent node of node 220A. Antenna element 310A may then distribute the uplink throughput as the backhaul throughput for node 220A. Other nodes may receive backhaul information in response to their own probe requests and may use the backhaul information to determine whether to associate with node 220A.

Processor 320 can execute a routing algorithm to calculate upstream throughput using local and backhaul throughput information. The upstream throughput may be ranked in memory 330; memory 330 may also receive updated information about other nodes. The updated information about local or backhaul throughput may, for example, result in an updated uplink throughput.

Other information may be stored in memory 330 and then used. For example, information regarding optimal or harmful antenna configurations, attempted transmissions, successful transmissions, success rates, Received Signal Strength Indicators (RSSI), and various associations therebetween may be stored in memory 330 and used in conjunction with or in lieu of pure throughput calculations to determine an optimized mesh network connection. Information about noise floor, channel, transmission or round trip delay, channel utilization, and interference level may also be used.

The processor 320 performs various operations. Processor 320 may include a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Processor 320 may execute programs stored in memory 330. Using the information in memory 330, processor 320 executes appropriate routing and/or other algorithms to determine which of the candidate nodes is associated with node 220A. The determination may be based on the uplink throughput of the candidate node. For example, the processor 320 may determine an uplink throughput for each candidate node in the hybrid mesh network 100. The uplink throughput can be closely approximated using the backhaul and local throughput information. The following equation can be used to approximate: 1/(1/local throughput + 1/backhaul throughput). The uplink throughput determined for each candidate node may also be stored in memory 330. By comparing the upstream throughput information, processor 320 determines which candidate node is associated with node 220A. For example, the candidate node with the highest uplink throughput may be selected as the parent node for node 220A.

Processor 320 may also include a central management controller (not shown). The central management controller may be integrated with processor 320 or operate in conjunction with processor 320 even though physically separate from processor 320. The controller may monitor features or aspects of the network or node, including but not limited to: how the network topology changes over time, overall network performance, and node failure events. The nodes may report to the controller, which may in turn monitor radio channel allocations and various metrics (metrics), including but not limited to: the number of hops from the candidate node to the root node, the path speed, the path bandwidth, and the load associated with the node. Information about a particular node or aspect of the network may be stored in memory 330 and processed by processor 320. The information stored in memory 330 may also include BSSID, SNR, and local and backhaul throughput for each node, or may include load information, hop count from candidate nodes to the root node, and radio channel information. The controller may also control the network topology and form any topology.

The central management controller may also monitor and control radio channel assignments. A first node in the network may be assigned to a radio channel different from a channel assigned to a second node. The option of allocating different radio channels to different nodes may improve network capacity by reducing co-channel interference.

The change of radio channel can be implemented at the root node and propagated down the topology in about a few seconds according to standard protocols. The central management controller may also automatically scan and monitor the different radio channels to determine the best radio channel. Once the controller finds the best radio channel, the change is implemented at the root node and propagated down. The user or client may also access the controller and manually select the best radio channel for a particular root node.

Memory 330 may store various executable instructions, algorithms, and programs. The memory 330 stores information about local throughput between each candidate node and the node 220A in the hybrid mesh network 100. The information stored in memory 330 may be used to determine an approximate upstream throughput from root node 210 to node 220A. Exemplary memory 330 may detail information regarding candidate nodes including BSSIDs, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of last probe response, local throughput, backhaul throughput, and determined uplink throughput. In some embodiments, the stored information may be ranked, for example, by uplink throughput from highest to lowest. Memory 330 may be dynamic due to the accumulation of information.

The information in memory 330 may be updated so that processor 320 may determine that another candidate node has a higher upstream throughput. As a result, processor 320 may instruct antenna element 310A to disconnect from the current parent node and instead connect to other candidate nodes with higher uplink throughput. In some embodiments, the uplink throughput of other candidate nodes must exceed the uplink throughput of the current parent node by a certain amount before processor 320 will instruct antenna element 310A to re-associate with the new candidate node. Heuristics may also be employed to determine whether disassociation/reassociation occurs.

The memory 330 may also store a transmission schedule (schedule) that may specify transmission instructions including the physical layer transmission rate of the communication device 340 and the antenna configuration of the antenna element 310A. The transmission plan may also include additional information such as transmission power. The transmission plan may be implemented in the form of a program executed by low-level hardware or firmware. The transmission plan can also be implemented in a more efficient manner in the form of a set of transmission metrics that allow the transmission 'tuning' and retransmission processes.

Node 220A may also include a communication device 340 for converting data at a physical data rate and for generating and/or receiving a corresponding RF signal. The communication device 340 may include, for example, one or more radio modulators/demodulators to convert data received by the node 220A (e.g., from a router) into RF signals for transmission to one or more of the receiving user devices 230A-B. The communication device 340 may also include circuitry for receiving video data packets from a router, and circuitry for converting the data packets to 802.11 compliant RF signals. Various other hardware and/or software devices and/or elements may be integrated with (e.g., physically integrated with or communicatively coupled to) the communication device 340 to allow various other data formats to be processed and/or converted to 802. xx-compatible RF signals.

The processor 320 controls the communication device 340 to select a physical data rate (i.e., one of a plurality of physical data rates). Processor 320 controls communication device 340 to convert the data bits to a physical data rate for the RF signal transmitted via antenna element 310A. The selection of the physical data rate may be associated with a particular antenna configuration, and/or other transmission parameters (e.g., transmission power) in the context of a transmission plan.

The antenna element selector device 350 is operative to selectively couple one or more of the antenna elements 310A-K to the communication device 340. Various embodiments of the antenna element selector apparatus 350 and the antenna elements 310A-K are disclosed in U.S. patent application nos. 11/010,076, 11/022,080, and 11/041,145, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

An antenna element selector arrangement 350 may be coupled to the processor 320 to allow, for example, selection from among a plurality of radiation patterns. The processor 320 controls the antenna element selector device 350 to select an antenna configuration (i.e., one of a plurality of radiation patterns) of the antenna element 310A. In connection with the selection of a particular antenna configuration, the antenna selector apparatus 350 may accept and respond to information (instructions) related to the transmission plan.

Fig. 4 illustrates a method 400 for severing a loop between two nodes in a hybrid mesh network. More specifically, method 400 of fig. 4 illustrates the disconnection of a loop of nodes connected via wired and wireless links in the network. The steps of the process of fig. 4 may be implemented by software or hardware including such non-transitory computer-readable storage media as follows: including instructions executable by a processor of a computing device. The steps (and the order thereof) identified in fig. 4 are exemplary, and may include various alternatives, equivalents, or evolutions thereof, including but not limited to the order of execution thereof.

At step 410, the first node detects the presence of the second node in the hybrid mesh network over the ethernet connection. The second node may be a root node, an upstream node, a parent node, or an ancestor node. Wired nodes (or nodes with wired connections) send periodic broadcasts (wired beacons) over their respective ethernet connections. The first node detects the second node on the ethernet if the first node receives a wired beacon from the second node. Embodiments of the present invention may encapsulate wired beacons within standard VLAN frames with pre-configured VLAN _ IDs. Wired beacons may also be encapsulated in other types of packets as long as the wired beacon can be transported over the ethernet and can be recognized by the access point as a wired beacon to be consumed by the access point and not forwarded over the wireless link.

At step 420, the first node determines whether the first node and the second node are connected via an ethernet connection. Once the second node is detected, it is automatically assumed to be connected and proceeds to step 430 to suspend the wireless connection. Embodiments of the present invention may recognize that ethernet links may not be the best connection available for best performance. For example, an Ethernet connection may support 10Mbps, while a wireless 802.11n link may support up to 300 Mbps. In this case, the access point may suspend the ethernet link to support the wireless link due to better throughput estimation.

The first node may continue to receive wired beacons even if the ethernet link is suspended. The suspension may be accomplished by suspending the necessary packet forwarding logic between the wired and wireless interfaces to break the loop. With this implementation, the access point can remain listening to the ethernet interface and listening to wired beacons.

At step 430, wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended based on a determination that the first node and the second node are connected via the ethernet connection. The communication between the first node and the second node then starts over the ethernet connection. The suspension of wireless communication between the first node and the second node prevents loop formation. The suspension of wireless communication may also occur upon detection of the presence of a gateway, root node, parent or ancestor node, or source packet in the network on multiple ports via ethernet.

Wireless communication may also be suspended once an approximation of the upstream throughput to the root node is highest in determining a particular node in the LAN or cluster of nodes. For example, the first node and the second node may be connected by a wired and wireless link. The first node may receive an approximation of the second node uplink throughput information as a probe request result. The first node may alternatively receive an approximation of the second node's upstream throughput via broadcast, multicast or unicast addressing, or any other method of disseminating throughput information. Such messages or broadcasts may be sent on a periodic basis or on a scheduled basis. The first node may compare the received uplink throughput approximation with the local throughput to determine the node for which the approximation of the uplink throughput is best (or highest).

Processor 320 may determine that the approximation of the upstream throughput of the second node to the root node is less than the approximation of the upstream throughput of the first node to the root node. In this scenario, the first node has the highest approximation of the upstream throughput between the two nodes, and the first node suspends wireless communication with the second node. The first node may then send a message or broadcast to all other nodes in the cluster of nodes or in the LAN where the approximation of the upstream throughput to the root node is highest.

At step 440, wired communication between the first node and the second node is initiated over the wired connection.

Fig. 5 illustrates a method 500 for determining role assignments in a hybrid mesh network. The steps of the process of fig. 5 may be implemented in software or hardware including such non-transitory computer-readable storage media as: including instructions executable by a processor of a computing device. The steps (and the order thereof) identified in fig. 5 are exemplary, and may include various alternatives, equivalents, or evolutions thereof, including but not limited to the order of execution thereof.

At step 510, the node may send out a message (e.g., using an address resolution protocol) to the gateway via the wired connection. For example, the first node may send out a message to the gateway using a gateway detection mechanism to elicit a response from it. The messages or broadcasts may be sent on a periodic basis or according to any other schedule.

At step 520, the node determines whether the node has a direct or indirect connection with the gateway based on the gateway response to the message and the detectable presence of the wired beacon on the ethernet connection. The gateway may or may not send a response, and the node may or may not receive a response from the gateway. In any case where a node receives a response from a gateway or detects the presence of a wired beacon, such response or information may be stored in memory 330 and processed by processor 320. If the node does not receive a response from the gateway within a certain period of time, the node determines that an indirect connection exists between the node and the gateway (e.g., the transmission path to the gateway crosses at least one hop). The node may then communicate with the gateway via an upstream connection with another node at step 530.

If the node receives a response from the gateway and detects a wired beacon, the node may determine that an indirect connection exists between the node and the gateway. At step 530, the node may communicate with the gateway via an upstream connection with another node. If the node receives a response from the gateway and does not detect a wired beacon, the node may determine that a direct connection exists between the node and the gateway (e.g., the transmission path to the gateway does not traverse one hop). The node may then communicate with the gateway without requiring an upstream connection to another node at step 540.

At step 540, wireless communication between the second node and the upstream node is suspended after the processor 320 determines that the approximate value of the upstream throughput of the second node to the root node is less than the approximate value of the upstream throughput of the first node to the root node.

The present invention may be implemented in the context of a core network and an access network. A hybrid mesh may be an access network that provides wireless client communication access to a core network, which then provides access to other networks, such as the internet. The root node in such a network provides wireless access to the core network. The gateway in the core network then provides access to another network, such as the internet. The core network may include a backhaul link, which may be wired (ethernet) or wireless (microwave or point-to-point), or even another standalone hybrid mesh network. Chains of hybrid mesh networks may be created to establish more than two levels, thereby extending the hierarchy of cores and accesses in the network.

Other network paths may be used in addition to wired and 802.x wireless networks. For example, other point-to-point links, such as microwave, bluetooth, and fiber optics, may be used in addition to multiple 802.x radios (e.g., 5GHz and 2GHz radios). These links may be used to improve capacity and/or as redundant links for failure recovery.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a series of exemplary embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth herein. On the contrary, the description is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and otherwise understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims (19)

1. A system for hybrid mesh networking, the system comprising:

a root node configured to act as a gateway between a plurality of nodes in a hybrid mesh network and a wired network;

a first node communicatively connected to the root node; and

a second node connected to the first node via a wireless connection, wherein the first node suspends an Ethernet connection with the second node when the wireless connection has a higher throughput estimate, wherein the Ethernet connection is suspended by suspending packet forwarding logic between a wired interface and a wireless interface of the first node, and wherein the first node remains capable of receiving wired beacons through the suspended Ethernet connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended upon detection of a gateway via the ethernet connection.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended upon detection of a root node via the ethernet connection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended upon detection of an upstream node via the ethernet connection.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended upon detecting the presence of a source packet on a plurality of ports.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node are among a plurality of nodes connected via the ethernet connection, and wherein the approximation of the upstream throughput to the root node for the first node is greatest compared to any other approximation of the upstream throughput to the root node for any other node, and wherein the second node initiates communication with the root node through the first node based on the first node having the greatest approximation of the upstream throughput to the root node.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination that the first node is connected to the second node via the ethernet connection occurs at the first node, and wherein the first node suspends wireless communication with the second node.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination that the first node is connected to the second node via the ethernet connection occurs at the second node, and wherein the second node suspends wireless communication with the first node.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein wireless communication between the first node and the second node is suspended by changing the second node or a radio channel of the first node.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising: a central management controller configured to monitor and assign radio channel selections of the second node and the first node.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller instructs the second node to suspend wireless communication with the root node, and wherein the second node initiates communication with the root node over the first node and the ethernet connection based on the instruction of the controller.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller assigns the first node and the second node to different radio channels.

13. A method for hybrid mesh networking, the method comprising:

detecting, at a first node, a presence of a second node in a hybrid mesh network;

executing instructions stored in a memory of the first node, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor of the first node determines that the first node and a second node are connected via a wireless connection; and

suspending an Ethernet connection with the second node in the event that the wireless connection has a higher throughput estimate, wherein the Ethernet connection is suspended by suspending packet forwarding logic between a wired interface and a wireless interface of the first node, wherein the first node remains capable of receiving beacons over the suspended Ethernet connection.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining that the first node and the second node are connected via the ethernet connection upon detecting a gateway via the ethernet connection.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining that the first node and the second node are connected via the ethernet connection upon detecting a root node via the ethernet connection.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining that the first node and the second node are connected via the ethernet connection upon detecting an upstream node via the ethernet connection.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining that the first node and the second node are connected via the ethernet connection when a source packet on a plurality of ports is detected.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising suspending wireless communication between the first node and the second node by changing the second node or a radio channel of the first node.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first node suspends wireless communication with the second node.