Bandwidth Aggregation via Secondary Wireless Boost Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high-speed network access technologies, such as DSL and broadband services, often fail to provide optimal performance for bandwidth-intensive applications due to limited bandwidth capacity, necessitating a solution to enhance network throughput.
Innovation Solution
The system detects potential boost nodes and utilizes a secondary wireless network connection to provide supplemental bandwidth, routing data through both the primary DSL or broadband connection and a boost node, managed by a control server to optimize data flow and increase overall bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If DSL or broadband services are used, then network access is provided, but bandwidth capacity is limited and performance is insufficient for bandwidth-intensive applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple network connections (primary DSL/broadband connection and secondary wireless connection from boost nodes) to provide aggregated bandwidth. The system merges data streams from both connections to deliver enhanced throughput for bandwidth-intensive applications, resolving the contradiction between limited single-connection bandwidth and high-performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments network traffic into different paths based on connection type and availability. Data is divided and transmitted through multiple separate connections (primary and secondary paths), with each segment handled independently. This segmentation allows the system to overcome the bandwidth limitations of any single connection while maintaining reliable performance.
2Productivity
If supplemental bandwidth is added through boost nodes, then bandwidth capacity increases, but system complexity increases due to multiple data paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network gateway as an intermediary device that manages the complexity of multiple data paths. The gateway automatically handles connection establishment, data segmentation, transmission coordination, and reassembly between primary and secondary connections. This intermediary abstracts the complexity from end users while enabling bandwidth aggregation through boost nodes.
3Productivity
If multiple data paths are used for bandwidth aggregation, then throughput increases, but difficulty of managing and routing data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the system automatically discovers available boost nodes, establishes connections, segments data streams, and manages routing without user intervention. The network gateway and client devices work autonomously to optimize data flow across multiple paths, making the complex multi-path system as easy to operate as a single connection while achieving higher throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
A subscriber device detects a potential node for providing supplemental bandwidth to the subscriber device. The subscriber device sends, to a control server, an indication of the potential node. The subscriber device requests, via a primary data path, data from a content server and detects high bandwidth usage of the primary data path. The subscriber device sends, to the control server and based on the detected high bandwidth usage, a request for supplemental bandwidth. The subscriber device receives a portion of the data via the primary data path and another portion of the data from the potential node via a secondary data path that differs from the primary data path.