Gateway Device Dual Interface Packet Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gateway devices in local area networks (LANs) experience performance degradation when large-volume content downloads occur, affecting other entities within the network due to limited capacity, leading to a decrease in overall service quality.
Innovation Solution
The method involves a gateway device with a second wireless interface that identifies and utilizes relay devices to route data packets, allowing for the selection between nominal and secondary interfaces based on criteria such as load and availability, thereby increasing capacity and ensuring high-quality service by distributing traffic effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the gateway device uses a single nominal interface to connect the local area network to the communication network, then the device complexity is low, but the network capacity and service quality deteriorate when large-volume content downloads occur
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device segments the network interface functionality by introducing a second wireless interface in addition to the nominal interface. This segmentation allows traffic to be distributed across multiple interfaces, increasing overall network capacity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular interface design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to the network connectivity by introducing a second wireless interface operating in addition to the nominal interface. This dimensional expansion enables parallel traffic flows through different interfaces, effectively increasing network capacity without fundamentally redesigning the core gateway architecture
2Reliability
If the gateway device routes all packets through the nominal interface, then the routing logic is simple, but the service quality deteriorates when the nominal interface becomes overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device implements dynamic routing logic that adapts to current network conditions. The routing module monitors interface availability and automatically selects between the nominal interface and the second wireless interface based on real-time status, ensuring reliable service quality while managing routing complexity through adaptive decision-making
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a relay device as an intermediary element that facilitates packet routing through the second wireless interface. This intermediary approach allows the gateway to offload routing complexity to external relay devices while maintaining simple local routing logic, thereby improving service quality without significantly increasing gateway device complexity
3Productivity
If the gateway device introduces a second wireless interface and relay devices to increase capacity, then the network performance improves, but the device complexity and routing logic become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device achieves multi-functionality by making the second wireless interface serve dual purposes: it can communicate with client entities directly and also communicate with relay devices for additional capacity. This universal interface design improves network performance while minimizing the increase in device complexity by reusing existing interface capabilities for multiple functions
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a technique for forwarding data packets by a gateway device (11). The gateway device ensures an interconnection between the client entities (20, 21) of a local network (4) and a communication network (1), that is to say forwards packets received from a client entity to the communication network by means of a nominal interface and vice versa. The gateway device identifies at least one device (10, 30), termed the relay device, accessible by means of a second interface and able to play a role of relay to forward packets exchanged between a client entity and the communication network. When a packet indicating that a session is initiated is received from a client entity, the gateway device forwards the packets of the session by means of the second interface, when a forwarding selection criterion is satisfied, or by means of the nominal interface in the converse case.