Patent ID: 8934420
Filing Date: 2015-01-13
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: at a wireless access point device configured to operate as a wireless bridge between a plurality of wired clients and a root wireless access point device, reserving a predetermined number of bits corresponding to most significant bits of a media access control (MAC) address of the wireless access point device, wherein combinations of the predetermined number of bits of the MAC address are available to be assigned to respective ones of the plurality of wired clients, and wherein remaining bits other than the predetermined number of bits identify the wireless access point device; at the wireless access point device, storing data that assigns combinations of the predetermined number of bits of the MAC address to corresponding ones of the plurality of wired clients; and at the wireless access point device, processing downstream frames wirelessly received from the root wireless access point device to forward them to an appropriate one of the wired clients by evaluating the predetermined number of bits of the MAC address of a wireless network frame that is reserved for identifying one of the plurality of wired clients to determine the one of the plurality of wired clients for which the wireless network frame is destined and processing upstream frames received from one of the wired clients for wireless transmission to the root wireless access point device.