Unicast Wake-Up Frame Generation for Wireless Network Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Wake-on-LAN (WoL) and Wake-on-WLAN (WoWLAN) techniques face challenges in reliably transmitting magic packets across multiple hops in wireless networks, as broadcast frames can be dropped by intermediate routers, and require configuration changes in routers, making them inefficient and vulnerable to flooding.
Innovation Solution
A network device generates a wake-up frame with a specific destination MAC address and transmits it as an L2 unicast frame, allowing the target device to transition from a power save mode to a full power mode without using broadcast frames, thereby avoiding router configuration changes and reducing network flooding risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If broadcast frames are used to transmit wake-up packets, then wake-up functionality can be achieved, but intermediate routers may drop the frames and network flooding vulnerability increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using broadcast frames (one-to-many transmission) to wake up network devices, the patent inverts the approach by using unicast frames (one-to-one transmission) where the gateway router sends wake-up packets directly to specific target devices. This inversion eliminates the need for broadcast functionality while achieving the same wake-up effect, thereby preventing network flooding vulnerabilities and improving delivery reliability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If WoL/WoWLAN techniques are implemented, then energy efficiency can be improved, but router configuration changes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wake-up functionality from the broadcast frame mechanism and implements it through a gateway router using standard unicast transmission. This removes the dependency on special WoL/WoWLAN router configurations while maintaining energy efficiency benefits. The gateway router handles the wake-up packet generation and forwarding without requiring special configuration, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving energy efficiency improvements.
3Productivity
If multiple network devices are used to extend network range and capacity, then network performance improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables network devices to operate in periodic cycles, alternating between low-power sleep mode and active mode. Devices remain in sleep mode during idle periods and are selectively awakened by the gateway router only when needed for data transmission. This periodic operation pattern allows multiple network devices to extend network range and capacity while consuming minimal energy during idle times, resolving the contradiction between network productivity and energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples described herein provide wake-up of a network device. Examples include receiving, by a network interface of a first network device having a first Media Access Control (MAC) address, a request to wake-up a second network device having a second MAC address that is assigned to a same subnet as the first MAC address, and in response to the request, generating, by the first network device, a first wake-up frame having a destination address of the second MAC address and configured to cause the second network device to transition from operating in the first power mode to operating in the second power mode. Examples include transmitting, by the network interface of the first network device, the first wake-up frame to the second MAC address of the second network device.