Gateway Multiplexing Across Multiple WAN Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in seamlessly bridging local area networks (LAN) and wireless wide area networks (WWAN) due to limitations in data transmission speed, connectivity, and reliability, especially when WWAN connections are unavailable or sub-optimal.
Innovation Solution
A LAN-WWAN gateway device that multiplexes data across multiple WWAN and wired WAN interfaces, using compression algorithms and caching to optimize data transmission, and automatically switches between available networks to ensure continuous connectivity and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is transmitted over WWAN network, then connectivity is achieved, but data transmission speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway segments data into smaller packets and transmits them through multiple WWAN interfaces simultaneously. This segmentation allows parallel transmission across different network paths, improving overall data transmission speed while maintaining connectivity through individual interface redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway merges multiple WWAN interface connections to create a combined data transmission channel. By aggregating the bandwidth and capacity of multiple interfaces, the system achieves higher effective transmission speed while maintaining the connectivity reliability of individual interfaces.
2Productivity
If compression algorithms are applied, then data transmission efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway applies compression algorithms to data before transmission over the WWAN network. This preliminary compression reduces the volume of data that needs to be transmitted, improving transmission efficiency and reducing network bandwidth consumption without requiring real-time compression during data flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary device between the LAN and WWAN networks, performing compression and decompression operations. This intermediary function allows compression to be applied only at specific points in the data path, improving efficiency without requiring all network devices to implement compression functionality.
3Reliability
If gateway multiplexes data across multiple WAN interfaces, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple WWAN and wired WAN interfaces simultaneously. It performs routing, multiplexing, compression, and network management functions across diverse interface types, improving connectivity reliability through redundancy while consolidating multiple functions into a single device.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway dynamically manages data flow across multiple WAN interfaces, automatically selecting and switching between available networks based on current connectivity conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain reliable connectivity by routing data through optimal paths without requiring manual configuration or intervention.
4Speed
If caching is implemented, then data transmission speed improves, but memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway implements caching to store frequently accessed or frequently transmitted data in local memory before WWAN transmission. This preliminary storage allows rapid retrieval and retransmission of cached data without requiring repeated network transmissions, improving effective data transmission speed while using memory resources strategically.
Data Source
AI summary
A gateway adapted to receive data from a device of a local area network is described herein. In some embodiments, the gateway may be adapted to multiplex received data to another device among multiple wide area networks, wherein at least one of the wide area networks is a wireless wide area network. The gateway may have a wireless wide area networking interface and at least one of one or more other wireless wide area networking interfaces and/or one or more wired wide area networking interfaces, the wired and/or wireless networking interfaces each adapted to transmit data to at least one of the multiple wide area networks. In other embodiments, the gateway may be adapted to transmit the received data to the other device through a preferred wide area network, and, if that network is unavailable or operating conditions determine otherwise, transmit the received data to the other device through a back-up wide area network.