Parallel WLAN and Cellular Routing for Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices can only access one type of network at a time, leading to interruptions in services like remote printing when the primary network lacks Internet access, forcing a manual switch that disconnects the device from other connected devices.
Innovation Solution
Implement a communication method that allows an electronic device to maintain connections with multiple networks by enabling network parallel control settings, allowing it to use both a wireless local area network and a cellular network simultaneously based on target addresses, ensuring data transmission continuity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electronic device accesses a network through one network access manner, then the connection stability is improved, but the network versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple network access manners (cellular network and wireless local area network) into a unified network access system. The electronic device simultaneously maintains connections to both networks, allowing data transmission to occur over different networks based on destination address, thereby achieving both connection stability and network versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic device is designed with multi-functionality to access multiple types of networks simultaneously. The network management system can selectively route data through cellular or wireless local area network based on the destination, making the device universally adaptable to different network scenarios while maintaining stable connections.
2Reliability
If the electronic device manually switches network access manner, then the Internet access capability is improved, but the service continuity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic device preliminarily establishes connections to multiple networks (both cellular and wireless local area network) before needing to switch. This allows the device to immediately route data through the appropriate network without interruption, as both connections are already active and ready for data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous data transmission capability by maintaining active connections to multiple networks simultaneously. The network management system continuously monitors and switches data routing between networks based on destination address, ensuring that useful action (data transmission) continues without interruption during network transitions.
3Ease of operation
If the electronic device connects to wireless local area network without Internet access, then the local device communication is improved, but the Internet accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network traffic into two categories: local device communication and Internet access. Data destined for local devices on the wireless local area network is routed through that network, while data requiring Internet access is routed through the cellular network. This segmentation allows both local communication convenience and Internet accessibility to coexist simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The network management system acts as an intermediary that intelligently routes data packets through appropriate networks based on destination analysis. For local device communication, it directs traffic through the wireless local area network; for Internet access, it directs traffic through the cellular network, thereby mediating between local communication needs and Internet accessibility requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a communication method and an apparatus. The method includes: accessing, by an electronic device, a first network; performing network probing on the first network, where it is detected that the Internet cannot be accessed through the first network; and transmitting, in the first network and a second network, to-be-transmitted data through a network that matches the to-be-transmitted data, where the first network is different from the second network, and the electronic device can access the second network and maintain a connection to the first network. The Internet can be accessed through the second network. Even if the Internet cannot be accessed through the first network, the electronic device can still access the Internet through the second network, and is not disconnected from the first network, maintaining the capability of the first network to transmit data. As a result, the electronic device can access two different types of networks at the same time, and transmit data by using the two different types of networks. The two different types of networks may correspond to different network access manners, for the electronic device to access different types of networks in different network access manners.