Method and system for transmitting blocks of data to node devices in a network

Abstract

A method of transmitting a block of data to node devices in a network is disclosed. The network includes a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range and short-range communications. The method includes receiving at least a portion of the block of data via long-range communications by at least one node device selected to receive the block of data, receiving an indication by another node device via long-range communications to receive at least a portion of the block of data via short-range communications, transmitting at least a portion of the block of data to the other node devices via short-range communications by the at least one selected node device, and receiving at least a portion of the block of data via short-range communications by one of the other node devices.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to a method and system for transmitting blocks of data to a node device in a network including a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, electrical or electronic devices with data communication capabilities, such as lighting devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, as well as devices supporting enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC), are increasingly being deployed into networks of multiple interconnected devices.

[0003] These devices, commonly referred to as node devices or end devices, typically operate a long range communication interface, such as a network adapter or transceiver module, for exchanging data with remote devices, such as back-end servers, and a short range communication interface, such as a transceiver module, for communication only between node devices, also referred to as inter-node device communication.

[0004] The long-range communication interface may operate according to wireless mobile communication standards, such as specified 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G cellular communications, including Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), as well as other long-range wireless communication technologies, such as Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), or proprietary communication technologies.

[0005] The short-range communications interface may operate according to network protocols for exchanging data by networked devices or nodes, such as, for example, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and WiFi-based protocols designated for wireless networks, as well as wired bus networks such as DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), DSI (Digital Serial Interface), DMX (Digital Multiplex), KNX (and KNX-based systems), and proprietary communications technologies and protocols.

[0006] The lighting system may employ a Micro Control Unit (MCU) with a wireless local area network interface supporting, for example, Zigbee, Bluetooth or a proprietary protocol as a lighting controller, and enable connection to remote devices via a cellular network, for example using a cellular modem. The cellular network enables lighting management applications by remote devices such as back-end servers, while the local area network is intended to be used for Lighting on Demand applications and the like.

[0007] The firmware of the lighting application in the MCU and the firmware of the cellular modem may need to be updated from time to time. It should be noted that these firmware updates are usually relatively large in size, such as 500KB to 10MB. Since lighting devices usually have limited cellular subscription plans (e.g., 2MB / year), it is difficult for the lighting devices to process firmware updates depending on the cellular subscription plan available to them. As a result, additional costs for firmware downloads may be incurred, which is less desirable.

[0008] CN213693768U relates to a light controller and a node controller that are physically arranged together and each have a long-range communication interface. There is also a short-range communication interface arranged for data exchange between the light controller and the node controller. One of the two long-range communication interfaces is selectively closed by exchanging data via the short-range data exchange path and the other of the long-range communication interface.

[0009] KR20170121911A relates to firmware update of an IoT device using P2P. A firmware server splits firmware into chunks and creates a chunk map that specifies seed chunks for a first IoT device to distribute. The first IoT device then distributes the chunks to other IoT devices.

[0010] US10809999B2 discloses that firmware upgrades can be provided to a CIoT device via a firmware pusher device. The firmware pusher device places the CIoT device in a download mode by communicating with a first radio of the CIoT device, the first radio receiving a request to be placed in the download mode via an eNB. The firmware pusher device can push the firmware to the CIoT device via a second radio of the CIoT device.

[0011] WO2021136719A1 discloses that the provisioning of a network node is initiated by a backend server by exchanging provisioning information with a selected node device using a long-range communication interface. The selected provisioning node device can act as a proxy or provisioner for other nodes by using a short-range communication interface. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] Therefore, there is a real need for a way to transmit blocks of data, for example from a remote device, to a node device in a network at low cost, while ensuring reliable and accurate transmission of the blocks of data to the target node device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In a first aspect of the disclosure, a method for transmitting a block of data to a node device in a network including a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range and short-range communications, the method comprising: receiving, by at least one node device selected to receive the block of data, at least a portion of the block of data via long range communication; receiving an indication by another node device via long range communication to receive at least a portion of the block of data via short range communication; transmitting, by the at least one selected node device, at least a portion of the block of data to other node devices via short-range communication; receiving, by one of the other node devices, at least a portion of the block of data; A method is presented, including:

[0014] This disclosure is based on the insight that a wireless local area network can be used to transmit blocks of data, such as firmware updates for light devices in a lighting system, between node devices using short-range communications in a network of interconnected node devices, thereby enabling a block of data that is downloaded to one of the node devices in the network using long-range communications to be transmitted or forwarded to other node devices in the network without incurring extra long-range communications costs, such as the costs of wireless communications.

[0015] This can be conveniently realized in a network of interconnected node devices, where each node device supports both long-range and short-range communications. The node devices, together with one or more remote devices that provide blocks of data, such as back-end servers, form a system for transmitting blocks of data to the node devices, such as over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates, which are typically large in size.

[0016] Specifically, as a preparation step, a backend device may first select a node device to receive a block of data using long-range communication, while other node devices in the network that need to receive the block of data are notified by a remote device using long-range communication, for example, with an identification of the block of data transmitted from the backend device to the other node devices.

[0017] The block of data is then transmitted, in whole or in part, from the same or a different remote device via long-range communication to the selected node device, which then transmits the received block of data to other node devices using short-range communication, allowing the other node devices to receive the block of data using short-range communication without consuming the limited bandwidth available for long-range communication. The other node devices may receive a small part of the block of data using long-range communication if they are unable to obtain the complete data from the short-range communication.

[0018] Based on the above-mentioned method, only selected node devices will have a large amount of data traffic involving long-range communication, while other node devices will receive blocks of data using local area networks involving short-range communication, thus saving available cellular subscription plans.

[0019] As a result, the total data traffic over long distance communications such as cellular networks and the average data traffic per node device over a cellular network are significantly reduced, and the cost of mobile subscription fees is also reduced.

[0020] As an example of the present disclosure, the at least one selected node device is selected by the remote device based on at least one of the node device's location, long range communication data consumption, long range communication plan, and short / long range communication quality of service.

[0021] A remote device, such as a back-end server in a lighting system, typically has the location coordinates of all node devices in the network. Thus, the server can determine based on their locations which node devices should receive blocks of data using a long-range cellular network and which nodes will receive blocks of data from peer nodes using a wireless local area network.

[0022] Additionally, the communication plans and data consumption states of the node devices may be taken into account, allowing the remote device to select one or more node devices suitable for receiving blocks of data using long-range communication without seriously compromising other communication tasks that involve long-range communication.

[0023] Those skilled in the art may contemplate that other factors, such as long-range and short-range communication service qualities of node devices in the network, may be taken into account by the remote device to ensure reliable transmission of blocks of data in both long-range and short-range communications while preventing transmission failures or wasting communication resources.

[0024] As an example of the present disclosure, two or more node devices are selected to respectively receive a block of data via long range communication; The step of receiving at least a portion of the block of data via long range communication by the at least one selected node device includes receiving a different portion of the block of data by each selected node device via long range communication; The step of transmitting, by the at least one selected node device, at least a portion of the block of data to the other node devices via short-range communication includes each of the at least one selected node device transmitting a respectively received portion of the block of data via short-range communication; The step of receiving at least a portion of the block of data by one of the other node devices includes the other node device receiving a different portion of the block of data from each of the at least one selected node device.

[0025] It may happen that the cellular operator's contract plan has limitations in terms of maximum data volume per year or month. It may also happen that the system needs to optimize the data traffic to be distributed to different nodes. In these cases, the remote device may split the block of data into several parts and transmit the parts via the cellular interface to different node devices that are selected to receive the block of data. These node devices then transmit their respective received parts of the block of data to other node devices using wireless local area network communication.

[0026] This manages the downloading of blocks of data to node devices in the network without exceeding data volume limits, while avoiding consuming only data packages intended for specific nodes.

[0027] Those skilled in the art may contemplate that different nodes may receive and transmit the same portions of a data block, which may help improve the reliability of transmission to other node devices using short-range communication.

[0028] In the above example, the step of transmitting by the at least one selected node device includes the at least one selected node device transmitting different portions of the block of data in a particular order.

[0029] This helps ensure that other node devices receive different portions of the block of data in the correct order, which is beneficial in ensuring the integrity of the block of data.

[0030] In one example of the present disclosure, the step of transmitting by the at least one selected node device is performed using broadcast or multicast, which is preferably repeated multiple times.

[0031] For application scenarios with relatively long inter-node distances and low density of nodes, such as street lighting applications, considering the fact that blocks of data need to be distributed from one or a small number of node devices to a large number of other node devices, broadcast or multicast type messages may be advantageously used for distribution of blocks of data from a node device to a large number of other node devices.

[0032] In practice, a broadcast or multicast may be repeated multiple times. Since the transmission of a part or the whole of a block of data from a node device receiving data from a backend device to other node devices involves one-to-many communication, a request-and-confirmation mechanism is not suitable for checking whether the delivery is successful. To increase robustness in an environment with long inter-node distances, each broadcast or multicast message may be repeated multiple times. If any of the repeated messages is received by the target node device, the message is successfully forwarded.

[0033] The block of data can be encrypted and protected by encryption and integrity checks via signatures and keys transmitted over the cellular network.

[0034] As one example of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the block of data transmitted by the at least one selected node device is relayed by node devices in the network via short-range communication.

[0035] To extend the coverage of messages used to transmit blocks of data between node devices in a local area network, the messages can be relayed by other nodes. The relay function can leverage a selected wireless communication protocol (Bluetooth mesh is one example). Relay nodes are defined in the protocol and can be enabled or disabled by commands from the cellular network or the wireless local area network.

[0036] In one example of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: requesting, by one of the other node devices, a missing part of the block of data from the remote device; transmitting, by the remote device, the requested missing portion of the block of data directly to the other node device via long distance communication; Includes.

[0037] It may occur that a portion of a block of data is not received by one of the node devices that is supposed to receive the block of data due to packet loss or local area network failure, etc. In this case, since the missing portion of the block of data is of a relatively small size, the node device may request the remote device to directly transmit the missing portion using long distance communication. This ensures that the missing portion is retrieved without imposing a significant cost burden on the data contract plan available to the node device.

[0038] It should be noted that long-range and short-range communications can operate simultaneously. As an example, a node device may ask a backend server to send a missing piece of a block of data using a cellular network during a broadcast message to transmit other parts of the block of data to the node device, or at the end of every broadcast message.

[0039] In one example of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: storing, by one of the other node devices, the received portion of the block of data in an internal or external storage device; Includes.

[0040] If the block of data contains a firmware update, the block of data is stored locally so that any necessary updates to the firmware can be performed at a later time when the entire update file is received.

[0041] It may also occur that the block of data is too large to be stored locally on the node device, for example in an internal memory of the MCU of the node device or in an external memory. In this case, in one example of the present disclosure, the block of data includes multiple contiguous pieces of data, each piece of data being stored upon receiving via short-range communication by one of the other node devices, and the method further includes: requesting the piece of data that is missing directly from the remote device by one of the other node devices; transmitting, by the remote device, the requested missing piece of data to one of the other node devices; transmitting, by one of the other node devices, at least a contiguous portion of the plurality of contiguous pieces of data to an external storage device; Includes.

[0042] The external storage device may be, for example, a storage space of a long-range communication module of the node device, such as a cellular modem, etc. The entire file may be instantly transferred to the external storage module.

[0043] A feasible way of operation includes the following steps: a node device receives data pieces from a peer node via a local area network; an MCU of the node device stores the received data pieces in a buffer in an internal or external flash memory; missing pieces are requested from a remote device directly by the node device; and the node device then transmits successive data pieces to an external storage device. The above steps may be repeated to store the entire file in the external storage device.

[0044] This allows large files to be downloaded and stored on the node device, although the MCU has limited storage space.

[0045] In one example of the present disclosure, the long range communications include wireless mobile communications.

[0046] In one example of the present disclosure, the short-range communication includes Bluetooth communication, Zigbee communication, Z-Wave communication, or proprietary communication.

[0047] In one example of the present disclosure, the node device is a lighting device and the file is a firmware update that the lighting device is to receive.

[0048] The method can be advantageously applied in lighting systems, such as street lighting systems with a large number of lighting devices, for downloading firmware updates to the MCU controllers and cellular modems of the lighting devices.

[0049] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a system for transmitting a block of data from a remote device to a node device in a network including a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range and short-range communications; At least one node device selected to receive the block of data is configured to receive at least a portion of the block of data via long range communication; the other node device is configured to receive, via long range communication, an indication of receiving at least a portion of the block of data via short range communication; The at least one selected node device is further configured to transmit at least a portion of the block of data to other node devices via short-range communication; Each of the other node devices is configured to receive at least a portion of the block of data from the at least one selected node device.

[0050] In one example, the system further comprises: selecting at least one node device based on at least one of a node device's location, long-range data consumption, long-range plan, and short-range / long-range service quality; The at least one remote device is configured to:

[0051] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more remote devices, such as backend servers, also coordinate with one another to transmit some or all of the block of data to the selected node device, and also to transmit a small portion of the block of data to one of the other node devices that requests the small portion of the block of data from the remote device.

[0052] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product including a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0053] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be best understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate identical parts or parts performing the same or equivalent functions or operations, and in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0054] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system including a remote device and a network including a plurality of interconnected node devices according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates generally in a flow chart type diagram one embodiment of a method for transmitting a block of data from a remote device to a node device in the network shown in FIG. 1 according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 3a and 3b illustrate generally a remote device transmitting a block of data to a selected node device in a network according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4a and 4b illustrate diagrammatically a selected node device transmitting a block of data received from a remote device to other node devices in the network, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 illustrates generally the forwarding of a received portion of a block of data to another module in a node device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates generally one embodiment of a node device configured to operate in a network of operatively interconnected node devices in accordance with the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0055] Embodiments contemplated by the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments described herein. Rather, the illustrated embodiments are provided as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0056] In the following description, like reference numbers refer to the same or similar parts of the system, and the terms "file" and "block of data" are used interchangeably.

[0057] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system 100 including a remote device 101 and a network 110 including multiple interconnected node devices 111-118, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The network 110 may be, for example, a street lighting system including a number of lighting devices deployed along the streets and roads of a city.

[0058] Each node device 111-118 includes a short-range communication interface to support short-range communication with other node devices in the network 110, for example, to implement a light-on-demand service. Each node device 111-118 further includes a long-range communication interface to support long-range communication with a remote device 101, such as a back-end server, for example, via a telecommunications network or the Internet 102, for example, to implement a light management application.

[0059] Firmware in devices such as a microcontroller unit (MCU) implementing a short-range communication interface or a cellular modem implementing a long-range communication interface may be updated from time to time to facilitate smooth and proper execution of applications on the node device. An update may involve downloading a file containing an update package from a remote device 101, or a different node device, to the node device over a cellular network or the Internet 102.

[0060] FIG. 2 illustrates generally in a flow chart type diagram one embodiment of a method 20 for transmitting a file from a remote device to a node device in the network shown in FIG. 1 according to the present disclosure.

[0061] In a preparation step 21, the remote device 101 selects at least one node device for receiving a file from the remote device 101 or from another remote device via long distance communication, such as a cellular network or the Internet 102.

[0062] In the exemplary lighting system, the back-end server 101 has the location coordinates of all node devices, i.e., lighting devices, in the network. Thus, based on the node device's location, the server 101 can determine which node devices should receive the file using a long-range cellular network and which ones should receive the file over a local area network using short-range communication.

[0063] In addition, communication resources available to each node device, such as the cellular communication plan, the data consumption state of the node device, and the short-range communication service quality between the node devices, may also be taken into account by the backend server 101, thereby enabling the backend server 101 to select a suitable node device for receiving a file using long-range communication without compromising other communication tasks that involve serious long-range communication.

[0064] As an example, the backend server 101 may select a node device 111 in the network 110 to receive a file via a long-range communication interface.

[0065] As another example, the backend server 101 may select two or more node devices, such as nodes 111 and 114, to receive files over a long-range communication interface. This takes into account scenarios where the cellular contract plans of the node devices may have limitations in terms of maximum data volume per year or month. There may also be cases where the system has a requirement to optimize data traffic by distributing traffic to different nodes.

[0066] Thereafter, the selected node device receives at least a portion of the file from the remote device via long-distance communication in step 22. Those skilled in the art can contemplate that the file may be transmitted in part or in whole to the selected node device.

[0067] 3(a), as an example, when multiple node devices such as 111 and 114 are selected to receive a file, a remote device such as backend server 101 divides the file to be transmitted into several parts and transmits each part to different selected node devices through long-distance communication between the remote device and the node device. This is in line with the requirement of distributing network traffic to different node devices. The transmission of the file from backend server 101 to the selected node devices is shown by dashed lines in the drawing.

[0068] To ensure a more reliable transmission, the remote server may transmit the same portion of the file to both of the selected node devices.

[0069] Alternatively, referring to FIG. 3(b), the file may be sent to a single selected node device 111, which is beneficial to preserve the integrity of the file.

[0070] Meanwhile, in step 23, other node devices in the network 110 that need to receive the file receive an indication of the file from the backend server.

[0071] As an example, in FIG. 3(a), node devices 112, 113, 115-117 requiring a firmware update receive an indication of the file, such as the firmware version number and length or size, from the backend server, which allows these node devices to know to expect the file.

[0072] One skilled in the art may contemplate that the indication may, optionally, also include an identifier of the selected node device, which may facilitate subsequent transmission of the file from the selected node device to other node devices.

[0073] Alternatively, the indication may simply be a simple notification that there is a file update / data transmission by a node device in the network, and each of the other node devices may decide for themselves whether or not to receive the file or update.

[0074] In the case of FIG. 3(b), the node devices 112 to 116 receive an indication of a file.

[0075] In step 24, one or more selected node devices, such as node device 111 or 114 or both, transmit (a portion of) the file received from the backend device to other node devices via short-range communication.

[0076] The short-range communication may be, for example, Bluetooth communication with a Bluetooth mesh network. Those skilled in the art can contemplate that other short-range communication protocols may be used, such as Zigbee, Z-Wave communication, or proprietary communication protocols.

[0077] In application scenarios such as street lighting applications, the pole distance is long, the density of node devices is low, and one-to-many communication between node devices occurs. In this kind of application, broadcast or multicast type messages can be advantageously used to distribute files from a node to many other nodes. Thus, one or more selected node devices may broadcast a received file, in part or in whole, to other node devices.

[0078] Referring to Fig. 4(a), when multiple node devices such as 111 and 114 are selected to receive a file from the backend server 101, each of the selected node devices 111 and 114 broadcasts a portion of the file received from the backend server 101 to the network. Fig. 4(b) illustrates a scenario in which only one selected node device 111 broadcasts the received file to the network.

[0079] To extend the coverage of the node devices 111 and 114, files can be relayed by other nodes. The relay function can leverage a selected wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth mesh). Relay nodes are defined in the protocol and can be enabled or disabled by commands from the cellular network or wireless local area network.

[0080] Since one-to-many communication is used to transmit files, a request and confirmation mechanism is not suitable to check successful delivery. To increase robustness in long polling distance environments, each broadcast / multicast message is repeated multiple times. If any of the repeated messages is received by the target node device, the message is considered to be successfully transferred. Files can be encrypted and protected by encryption and integrity checks via signatures and keys transferred by the cellular network.

[0081] In step 25, the node device that received the indication of the file in step 23 receives the file from one or more selected node devices.

[0082] 4(a), node device 111, which receives only a portion of the file from backend server 101, receives a further portion of the file from node device 114, which also receives the portion of the file sent by node device 111. The other node devices 112, 113, 115-117 receive portions of the file from both node devices 111 and 114. Node device 118 may also receive portions of the file from node devices 111 and 114. Because node device 118 has not been informed by the backend server that it needs the file, no further action is taken.

[0083] Each node device that requires the file and chooses to receive it stores the file in a buffer in the MCU's internal or external flash memory. If all parts of the file are successfully received by the node device, the node device proceeds to update the firmware of the MCU.

[0084] It is possible that a piece or part of the file is not received by the node device and is therefore considered to be missing. In this case, in step 26, the node device may request the backend server 101 to directly transmit that piece or part of the file using long-distance communication. Since only a portion of the file is transmitted directly from the backend server 101 to the node device, the cost of the long-distance data package available to the node device is less.

[0085] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of transferring a file to another module in a node device according to the present disclosure.

[0086] Another module may be, for example, a cellular modem 63 of the node device 116 that receives the file via short-range communication. Typically, the file is stored in an internal or external flash memory 62 of the MCU 61 that supports the short-range communication interface of the node device. If the file is too large to be stored in the internal or external memory of the MCU, the file may be immediately transferred to a further module, such as the cellular modem 63 of the node device 116.

[0087] Those skilled in the art can contemplate that a block of data that comprises a large file may include multiple contiguous pieces of data. When node device 111 receives a file, such as a portion of a file that includes a number of contiguous pieces of data, from backend device 101 via long-range communication (64) and transmits the portion of the file to node device 116 via short-range communication (65), the MCU of node device 116 stores (buffers) the contiguous pieces of data in its internal or external memory 62.

[0088] If the node device 116 notices that a piece of data is missing, it proceeds to request the missing piece of data directly from the backend server 101. The backend server 101 sends the requested missing piece of data directly to the node device 116. The node device 116 may then transfer at least some contiguous portions of the multiple contiguous pieces of data to an external storage device, such as, for example, the cellular modem 63 of the node device 116, if it has enough pieces buffered. The above steps may be repeated to transfer the entire file to another module of the node device. This allows node devices with limited MCU memory to store larger files.

[0089] FIG. 6 illustrates generally one embodiment of a node device 40 configured to operate in a network of operatively interconnected node devices constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0090] The node device 40 includes a controller or control device 410 and a load, such as a lighting fixture or lighting device 420, including a lighting module 421, preferably a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting module or a plurality of LED lighting modules. The operation of the load may be controlled by the control device 410 from or via a remote control device, such as a remote or back-end server (not shown).

[0091] The control device 410 operates a long-range communication interface 441, such as a first network adapter or transceiver (Tx / Rx 1) module, implemented for example as part of a cellular modem and configured for direct wireless message or data packet exchange 442 with a remote control device or a back-end server. The long-range communication interface 441 typically operates according to other long-range wireless communication technologies, such as, for example, mobile communication system technologies in licensed frequency bands, such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G cellular communications, as well as known as LoRaWAN communications, etc. However, the long-range communication interface 441 may also operate according to a proprietary wireless communication protocol or technology.

[0092] The long range communications interface 441 may be configured for wired message exchange 443, such as an Ethernet connection and data exchange over the Internet, etc.

[0093] Furthermore, the control device 410 operates a short-range communication interface 451, such as a second network adapter or transceiver (Tx / Rx 2) module, implemented for example as part of the MCU and configured for short-range wireless (452) or wired (453) exchange of messages or data packets with other node devices in the network, i.e. so-called inter-node device communication. Network protocols for exchanging data with the networked devices or nodes may include ZigBee, Bluetooth, and WiFi based protocols for wireless networks, as well as wired bus networks such as DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), DSI (Digital Serial Interface), DMX (Digital Multiplex), and KNX (or KNX-based systems), as well as other proprietary protocols, etc.

[0094] Furthermore, the control device 410 includes at least one microprocessor (μP) or controller 445 and at least one data repository or storage or memory 446 for storing address information of other node devices and the node device itself, such as node device identifiers (IDs) 447, Media Access Control (MAC) addresses, and subscriber information, among others. The repository 446 also stores network credentials for the network including the node device 40. Instead of the repository 446, another memory or storage accessible to the at least one processor or controller 445 may be provided.

[0095] At least one microprocessor or controller 445 communicatively interacts with and controls the long-range communications interface 441, the short-range communications interface 451, and at least one repository or storage 446 via an internal data communications and control bus 448 of the control device 410.

[0096] When the node device 40 is deployed in a network as described with reference to the present disclosure, at least one microprocessor or controller 445 may operate to perform the methods described above.

[0097] The lighting fixtures or lighting devices 420 connect 444 to a data communication and control bus 448 and are controlled from the data communication and control bus 448 by at least one microprocessor or controller 410 .

[0098] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any electrical load other than or in addition to the lighting fixtures or lighting devices 420 may be connected 444 to the control bus, such as an access point device or a geographic routing device.

[0099] The present disclosure is not limited to the examples disclosed above, but can be modified and extended by those skilled in the art beyond the scope of the present disclosure disclosed in the appended claims, without the need to apply inventive skills, for use in any data communication, data exchange and data processing environment, system or network.

Claims

1. 1. A method of transmitting a block of data in a network including a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long range and short range communications, the method comprising: receiving an indication by the node device via long range communication to receive a block of data via short range communication; receiving, by the node device, the block of data from at least one other node device via short-range communication; Including, The method further comprises: requesting, by the node device, the missing portion of the block of data via long distance communication; receiving, by the node device, the requested missing portion of the block of data directly via long distance communication; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other node device is selected by a remote device based on at least one of the node device's location, long-range data consumption, long-range plan, and short-range / long-range quality of service.

3. Two or more other node devices are selected to receive the block of data via long range communication, the method comprising: receiving different portions of the block of data via long range communication by different selected node devices; transmitting, by each of the selected node devices, a respectively received portion of the block of data via short-range communication; receiving, by the node device via short-range communication, a different portion of the block of data from each of the selected node devices; The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of transmitting by each of the selected node devices includes the selected node devices transmitting different portions of the block of data in a particular order.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of transmitting by the selected node device is performed using broadcast or multicast, the broadcast or multicast being preferably repeated multiple times.

6. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the block of data transmitted by at least one of the selected node devices is relayed by node devices in the network via short-range communication.

7. The method comprises: storing, by the node device, the received portion of the block of data in an internal or external storage device; The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

8. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the long distance communication comprises wireless mobile communication.

9. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the short-range communication comprises Bluetooth communication, Zigbee communication, Z-Wave communication or proprietary communication.

10. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the node device is a lighting device and the block of data is a firmware update that the lighting device is to receive.

11. 1. A system for transmitting a block of data from a remote device to a node device in a network including a plurality of operatively interconnected node devices, each node device supporting both long-range and short-range communications; a node device configured to receive, via long range communication, an indication of receiving a block of data from at least one other device via short range communication; the at least one other node device is configured to receive at least a portion of the block of data via long range communication; the at least one other node device is configured to transmit the at least a portion of the block of data to the node device via short-range communication; the node device is configured to receive the at least a portion of the block of data from the at least one other node device; the node device is configured to request missing portions of the block of data via long range communication; The system, wherein the node device is configured to receive missing portions of the block of data via long distance communication.

12. two or more other node devices are selected to receive the block of data via long range communication; Different selected node devices are configured to receive different portions of the block of data via long range communication; each of the selected node devices is configured to transmit a respectively received portion of the block of data via short range communication; 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the node devices are configured to receive different portions of the block of data from each of the selected node devices via short-range communication.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the node device is configured to store the received portions of the blocks of data in an internal or external storage device.

14. The system is selecting the at least one other node device based on at least one of a node device's location, long-range data consumption, long-range plan, and short-range / long-range service quality; The system of claim 11 , comprising at least one remote device configured to:

15. 13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

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