Improved discovery of P2P groups using assistance of APS in infrastructure networks

Abstract

Mechanisms that favour discovery of communication groups managed by soft access points (APs), e.g. peer-to-peer (P2P) groups controlled by P2P group owners. A first station, belonging to a group managed by a first AP and operating on a first channel, obtains group-related information, and sends a group announcing frame that includes the group-related information to second APs over respective second channels. A second AP, operating a basic service set (BSS) on a second channel, receives, over a second channel, a group announcing frame that includes group-related information describing a group managed by a first AP operating on a first channel. In response, the second AP generates a reported-AP element, and sends, over a second channel, a frame including the reported-AP element to advertise the group within the BSS. A second station, operating on a second channel, receives, from a second AP, a frame including a reported-AP element advertising a group managed by a first AP and configured to operate on a first channel. The second station switches the operating channel from the second to the first channel and joins the group of the first channel.