Wi-Fi Direct Relay Stations for Extended MAC Frame Range
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication technologies, such as IEEE 802.11ah, are limited in range and fail to effectively reach all areas within a network, particularly in environments like basements or outdoor settings exceeding 1 km, necessitating a solution to extend the wireless range beyond direct transmission limits.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a relay station using Wi-Fi Direct technology to relay medium access control (MAC) frames between devices, utilizing either IP layer routing or layer 2 bridging, to extend the wireless range and facilitate communication beyond the direct transmission limits of individual devices or access points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If direct transmission is used in IEEE 802.11ah, then communication simplicity is maintained, but wireless range is limited to 1 km
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay station as an intermediary device that receives frames from a first station and forwards them to a second station. This relay station acts as a mediator to extend the wireless communication range beyond the direct transmission limit of 1 km, while maintaining relative simplicity by using a single relay node rather than complex mesh networking.
2Length of stationary object
If mesh technology is used to extend range, then wireless range is extended, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential relaying function from complex mesh technology, implementing only the necessary frame forwarding capability through a relay station. This approach takes out the core functionality needed for range extension while eliminating the unnecessary complexity of full mesh networking protocols and multi-node routing algorithms.
3Length of stationary object
If relay station is implemented, then wireless range is extended beyond 1 km, but additional devices are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial relaying action by using a single relay station rather than deploying a dense network of relay nodes. This partial action is sufficient to extend communication range to distant stations, avoiding the need for excessive devices while achieving the goal of beyond-1-km communication.
Data Source
AI summary
Logic may enable client devices or access points to relay medium access control (MAC) frames through a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct network such as a network of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) connections to extend the wireless range of the devices or access points beyond the transmission range of the individual devices or access points. Logic may extend the range of IEEE 802.11 devices, such as IEEE 802.11ah devices, by allowing a station in the middle of two stations to serve as a relay station using the Wi-Fi Direct technology. Logic may enable relaying to avoid a full mesh technology such as is defined in IEEE 802.11s, since the full mesh technology may contain too many features that are not required for a simple or a static network configuration of such embodiments.