Abstract:
Wireless communication devices, comprising: a first transceiver in wireless communication with a terrestrial base station, wherein the station is in wireless communication with wireless communication devices; and a second wireless LAN transceiver in wireless communication with computing devices located within a coverage area of the second transceiver, the second transceiver being coupled to the first transceiver wherein: the first transceiver receives a first signal from the station, the first signal intended for a first computing device of the computing devices, the second wireless LAN transceiver determines signal characteristics of the first computing device, and the second transceiver transmits the first signal to the first computing device based on the determined signal characteristics of the first computing device; and the second transceiver receives a second signal from the first computing device, the second signal intended for the station, and the first transceiver transmits the second signal to the station.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/567,978, filed Aug. 6, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/982,458, filed Oct. 31, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,499, filed Apr. 20, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,346,347, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,708, filed Jan. 19, 2001. Each of the above-identified applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
         [0002]    The following applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties:
       1) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,712, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING BLOCK FILTERING AND FAST EQUALIZATION DEMODULATION AND METHOD OF OPERATION”;   2) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,825, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHOD FOR OPERATING UPON DATA SIGNALS RECEIVED AT A RECEIVING STATION OF A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”;   3) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,698, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A SUBSCRIBER INTERFACE IN A FIXED WIRELESS SYSTEM”;   4) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,827, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CREATING SIGNAL AND PROFILES AT A RECEIVING STATION”;   5) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,826, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERFACE BETWEEN A SUBSCRIBER MODEM AND SUBSCRIBER PREMISES INTERFACE”;   6) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,951, filed Jan. 19, 2001 entitled “BACKPLANE ARCHITECTURE FOR USE IN WIRELESS AND WIRELINE ACCESS SYSTEMS”;   7) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,824, filed Jan. 19, 2001 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ON-LINE INSERTION OF LINE REPLACEABLE UNITS IN WIRELESS AND WIRELINE ACCESS SYSTEMS”;   8) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/263,101, filed Jan. 19, 2001 entitled “SYSTEM FOR COORDINATION OF TDD TRANSMISSION BURSTS WITHIN AND BETWEEN CELLS IN A WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION”;   9) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/263,097, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “REDUNDANT TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING MEMORY EQUALIZATION APPARATUS AND METHOD OF OPERATION”;   10) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/273,579, filed Mar. 5, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM FOR ALLOCATING AND SYNCHRONIZING UPLINK AND DOWNLINK OF TDD FRAMES AND METHOD OF OPERATION”;   11) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,955, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “TDD FDD AIR INTERFACE”;   12) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/262,708, filed Jan. 19, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS, AND AN ASSOCIATED METHOD FOR PROVIDING WLAN SERVICE IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”;   13) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/273,689, filed Mar. 5, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM USING STOP MULTIPLE MODULATION FORMATS IN TDD FRAMES AND METHOD OF OPERATION”;   14) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/273,757, filed Mar. 5, 2001. and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHOD USING MULTIPLE MODULATION FORMATS IN TDD FRAMES ACCORDING TO SUBSCRIBER SERVICE TYPE”;   15) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/270,378, filed Feb. 21, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS FOR ESTABLISHING A PRIORITY CALL IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”;   16) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/270,385, filed Feb. 21, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS FOR REALLOCATING COMMUNICATION RESOURCES TO ESTABLISH A PRIORITY CALL IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”; and   17) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/270,430 filed Feb. 21, 2001 and entitled “METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING A PRIORITY CALL IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.       
 
         [0020]    In addition, the subject matter disclosed in the present application is related to that disclosed in the following United States patent applications, which are commonly assigned to the assignee of the present application, which may share common subject matter and figures, and which are each hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties:
       1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/042,705, filed Nov. 15, 2000, entitled “SUBSCRIBER INTEGRATED ACCESS DEVICE FOR USE IN WIRELESS AND WIRELINE ACCESS SYSTEMS”, now abandoned;   2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/838,810, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING BLOCK FILTERING AND FAST EQUALIZATION-DEMODULATION AND METHOD Of OPERATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,967;   3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,726, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHOD FOR OPERATING UPON DATA SIGNALS RECEIVED AT A RECEIVING STATION OF A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,099,383;   4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,729, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A SUBSCRIBER INTERFACE IN A FIXED WIRELESS SYSTEM”, abandoned;   5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,719, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CREATING SIGNAL AND PROFILES AT A RECEIVING STATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,947,477;   6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/838,910, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERFACE BETWEEN A SUBSCRIBER MODEM AND SUBSCRIBER PREMISES INTERFACES”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,051;   7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,509, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “BACKPLANE ARCHITECTURE FOR USE IN WIRELESS AND WIRELINE ACCESS SYSTEMS” abandoned;   8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,514, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ON-LINE INSERTION OF LINE REPLACEABLE UNITS IN WIRELESS AND WIRELINE ACCESS SYSTEMS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,069,047;   9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,512, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “SYSTEM FOR COORDINATION OF TDD TRANSMISSION BURSTS WITHIN AND BETWEEN CELLS IN A WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,527;   10) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,259, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “REDUNDANT TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING MEMORY EQUALIZATION APPARATUS AND METHOD OF OPERATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,065,098;   11) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,457, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM FOR ALLOCATING AND SYNCHRONIZING UPLINK AND DOWNLINK OF TDD FRAMES AND METHOD OF OPERATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,002,929;   12) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,075, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “TDD FDD AIR INTERFACE”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,859,655;   13) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,458, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM USING MULTIPLE MODULATION FORMATS IN TDD FRAMES AND METHOD OF OPERATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,173,916;   14) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,456, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHOD USING MULTIPLE MODULATION FORMATS IN TDD FRAMES ACCORDING TO SUBSCRIBER SERVICE TYPE”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,810;   15) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/838,924, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS FOR ESTABLISHING A PRIORITY CALL IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,274,946;   16) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,727, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “APPARATUS FOR REALLOCATING COMMUNICATION RESOURCES TO ESTABLISH A PRIORITY CALL IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,738;   17) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,734, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING A PRIORITY CALL IN A FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,241;   18) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,513, filed Apr. 20, 2001 and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN IMPROVED COMMON CONTROL BUS FOR USE IN ON-LINE INSERTION OF LINE REPLACEABLE UNITS IN WIRELESS AND WIRELINE ACCESS SYSTEMS”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,516; and   19) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/948,059, filed Sep. 1, 2001 and entitled “WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM USING SELECTIVELY ADAPTABLE BEAM FORMING IN TDD FRAMES AND METHOD OF OPERATION”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,230,931.       
 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0040]    The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems and more particularly, to a wireless communication system and associated method for routing messages. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0041]    Advancements in communication technologies have permitted the development, and implementation, of new types of communication systems. Such communication systems are able to permit the communication of increased amounts of data at increased throughput rates relative to conventional communication systems. And, such new communication systems have permitted communication of information at, and between, communication stations positioned at locations from which communications have conventionally been inconvenient or impractical. 
         [0042]    Radio communication systems, for instance, are exemplarily of communication systems of which new types, and improvements to existing types, have been made possible as a result of advancements in communication technologies. Similar to other types of communication systems, in a radio communication system, information is communicated between a sending station and a receiving station by way of a communication channel. In a radio communication system, unlike other types of communication systems, a communication channel formed between the sending and the receiving stations and upon which information is communicated by the sending station to the receiving station, is formed of a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio links are defined upon the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum allocated to the radio communication system. 
         [0043]    Because a radio link is utilized upon which to form communication channels, a fixed, or wireline, connection is not required to be formed between the sending and receiving stations to form a communication channel. Information can be communicated between the sending and receiving stations at, and between, locations at which conventional wireline communications would not be permitted. Additionally, the infrastructure costs associated with the installation of a radio communication system are also generally lower than the corresponding costs which would be required to install a conventional, wireline communication system. And, as the advancements in communication technologies have permitted the bandwidth allocated to a radio communication system to be utilized more efficiently, a radio communication can increasingly be utilized effectuate a communication service which require relatively significant data throughput capability. 
         [0044]    A wireless broadband communication system has been proposed, for instance, by which to permit the effectuation of any of various communication services by way of radio links with fixed-site subscriber stations. Radio links are formed with the subscriber stations by fixed-site base stations. The base stations are installed at spaced-apart locations throughout the geographical area which is to be encompassed by the wireless broadband communication system. 
         [0045]    Several subscriber stations are capable of communicating with a single base station. 
         [0046]    Communication of data is effectuated between the subscriber stations and an associated base station by way of radio links upon which communication channels are defined. Because radio links are utilized between the subscriber stations and the base stations, the infrastructure costs associated with the formation of wireline connections between the subscriber stations are obviated. Broadband communications, and communication services which require the communication of broadband data, as well as communication services necessitating smaller data throughput rates are effectuable through use of the wireless broadband communication system. 
         [0047]    Advancements in communication technologies have also permitted the development, and introduction, of other types of radio communication systems. Wireless communication systems, sometimes referred to as micro-cellular networks, private networks, and WLANs (wireless local area networks) are exemplary of such systems. Such networks, generally, provide for radio communications with mobile stations positioned within communication range of such networks. 
         [0048]    Generally, the communication ranges of the mobile stations operable in such systems is relatively small as relatively low-power signals are originated at the mobile stations and, correspondingly, originated at the network infrastructure of such systems to be terminated at the mobile stations. The network infrastructure of such systems typically includes fixed-location transceivers, sometimes referred to as access points. The access points are capable of communicating with a group of mobile stations positioned within a micro-cellular, or other, area defined by the access point. In some of such systems, the access points are coupled to a conventional, local area network, also used to interconnect the processing stations of an office computer system. In other such systems, the access points are connected in other manners. 
         [0049]    Installation of a wireless broadband communication system to provide broadband services with a plurality of subscriber stations provides a radio infrastructure throughout a geographical area throughout which wireless broadband communication services are effectuable. If a manner could be provided by which to utilize the communication capabilities of a wireless broadband communication system to provide additional communication services, additional benefits of a wireless broadband communication system would be provided. 
         [0050]    It is in light of this background information related to radio communication systems that the significant improvements of the present disclosure have evolved. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0051]    Aspects of the disclosure may be found in a wireless communication system that includes a wireless communication device in wireless communication with a base station and mobile stations. The wireless communication device includes first and second transceivers coupled to each other. The first transceiver is coupled to an antenna and is operable to communicate with the base station, which is also in wireless communication with other wireless communication devices. The second transceiver is coupled to another antenna and is in wireless communication with the plurality of mobile stations. The first transceiver receives a first signal from the base station intended for a one of the mobile stations, and in response the second transceiver transmits the first signal to the mobile station. The second transceiver receives a second signal from the mobile station intended for the base station, and in response the first transceiver transmits the second signal to the base station. 
         [0052]    A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and to the scope thereof can be obtained from the accompanying drawings which are briefly summarized below, the following detailed description of the presently-preferred embodiments of the disclosure, and the appended claims. 
         [0053]    The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the disclosure that follows. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure in its broadest form. 
         [0054]    Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0055]      FIG. 1  illustrates exemplary fixed wireless access network according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0056]      FIG. 2  illustrates a functional block diagram of a fixed wireless access (FWA) communication system in which an embodiment of the present disclosure is operable; 
           [0057]      FIG. 3  illustrates exemplary subscriber premises in which subscriber integrated access device (IAD) according to the principles of the present disclosure is installed; 
           [0058]      FIG. 4  depicts exemplary subscriber integrated access device (IAD) in greater detail according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0059]      FIG. 5  illustrates a representation of a fixed wireless access communication system similar to that shown in  FIG. 2  here also illustrating a plurality of cellular coverage areas defined by about a plurality of subscriber stations of the fixed wireless access communication system; 
           [0060]      FIG. 6  illustrates another representation of the fixed wireless access communication system shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and 
           [0061]      FIG. 7  illustrates a method flow diagram listing the method of operation of the method of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0062]      FIG. 1  illustrates exemplary fixed wireless access network  100  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fixed wireless network  100  comprises a plurality of transceiver base stations, including exemplary transceiver base station  110 , that transmit forward channel (i.e., downstream) broadband signals to a plurality of subscriber premises, including exemplary subscriber premises  121 ,  122  and  123 , and receive reverse channel (i.e., upstream) broadband signals from the plurality of subscriber premises. Subscriber premises  121 - 123  transmit and receive via fixed, externally-mounted antenna(r)  131 - 133 , respectively. Subscriber premises  121 - 123  may comprise many different types of residential and commercial buildings, including single family homes, multi-tenant offices, small business enterprises (SBE), medium business enterprises (MBE), and so-called “SOHO” (small office/home office) premises. 
         [0063]    The transceiver base stations, including transceiver base station  110 , receive the forward channel signals from external network  150  and transmit the reverse channel signals to external network  150 . External network  150  may be, for example, the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or one or more data networks, including the Internet or proprietary Internet protocol (IP) wide area networks (WANs) and local area networks (LANs). Exemplary transceiver base station  110  is coupled to RF modem  140 , which, among other things, up-converts baseband data traffic received from external network  150  to RF signals transmitted in the forward channel to subscriber premises  121 - 123 , RF modem  140  also down-converts RF signals received in the reverse channel from subscriber premises  121 - 123  to baseband data traffic that is transmitted to external network  150 . In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure in which external network  150  is the public switched telephone network (PSTN), RF modem  140  transmits baseband data traffic to, and receives baseband data traffic from, access processor  165 , which is disposed in central office facility  160  of the PSTN. 
         [0064]    It should be noted that network  100  was chosen as a fixed wireless network only for the purposes of simplicity and clarity in explaining a subscriber integrated access device according to the principles of the present disclosure. The choice of a fixed wireless network should not be construed in any manner that limits the scope of the present disclosure in any way. As will be explained below in greater detail, in alternate embodiments of the present disclosure, a subscriber integrated access device according to the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in other types of broadband access systems. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, such access systems may include wireline systems (i.e., digital subscriber line (DSL), cable modem, fiber optic, and the like) in which a wireline connected to the subscriber integrated access device carries forward and reverse channel signals. 
         [0065]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a fixed wireless access (FWA) communication system  210  provides for radio communications between fixed-site base stations, of which the base station  212  is exemplary and fixed-site subscriber stations  214  of which the subscriber station  214  is exemplary. A radio link  216  upon which forward link channels  218  and reverse link channels  222  is of a bandwidth permitting broadband communication services to be effectuated with devices located at the subscriber station  214 . 
         [0066]    In the exemplary implementation, an integrated access device (IAD)  224  forms a transceiver located at the subscriber station and at which forward link signals transmitted upon the forward link channels of the radio link are detectable and which generate reverse link signals for transmission upon the reverse link channels of the radio link. A separate IAD  224  is located at each subscriber station of the communication system. 
         [0067]    In the exemplary implementation, each base transceiver station includes a remote modem (modulator-demodulator) capable of communicating with seven separate subscriber stations located within a radial sector. In other implementations, the circuitry of the base transceiver station is configured in other manners. 
         [0068]    The base station  212 , and the set of remote modems thereof, is coupled to an access process  228  which is operable, amongst other things, to perform control operations to control operation of the communication system. The access process  228  is, in turn, coupled to a communication network  232  such as a public-switched telephonic network or a packet data network. And, a correspondent node  234  is coupled toe the communication network. A communication path is formable between the correspondent node and the IAD  224  positioned at the subscriber station by way of the communication network, the access process  228 , the base station  212 , and the radio link  216 , Communication of information by the correspondent node to the integrated access device and from the integrated access device to the correspondent node is effectuable by way of the communication path. 
         [0069]    Pursuant to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a WLAN (wireless local area network) transceiver  238  is positioned at the subscriber station  214  at the integrated access device  224  to be connected to the transceiver circuitry of the integrated access device. The WLAN transceiver defines a coverage area  242  defining a cell. A mobile station  244  positioned within the cell  242  is capable of communicating with the transceiver  238 . That is to say, the radio link  246  is formable between the transceiver  238  and the mobile station  244  upon which forward and reverse link signals are communicated therebetween. Signals originated at the mobile station are communicated upon reverse link channels of the radio link  246  to the WLAN transceiver  238 . And, communication signals to be terminated at the mobile station  244  are communicated upon forward link channels of the radio link  246 . 
         [0070]    Because of the connection of the WLAN transceiver to the transceiver of the integrated access device  224 , signals originated at the mobile station and communicated to the WLAN transceiver can, in turn, be provided to the transceiver of the integrated access device to be communicated upon reverse link channels of the radio link  216  and, thereafter, be communicated to another device, such as the correspondent node  234 . Analogously, signals originated at the correspondent node, or elsewhere, can be communicated to the mobile station by way of forward link channels of the radio links  216  and  246  to the mobile station. Thereby communications are effectuable with a mobile station in the fixed wireless access communication system. 
         [0071]    In the exemplary implementation, the integrated access device  224  forms a rack-assembly having expansion slots to receive expansion cards thereat. And, the WLAN transceiver is mounted upon, or is otherwise formed at, an expansion card connectable to the expansion slot of the rack-assembly. Thereby the integrated access device together with the WLAN transceiver form an integrated device providing for two-way communication upon the radio link  216  as well as two-way communication upon the radio link  246 . 
         [0072]      FIG. 3  illustrates exemplary subscriber premises  121  in which subscriber integrated access device (IAD)  310  according to the principles of the present disclosure is implemented. Subscriber IAD  310  is connected to one or more communication devices in subscriber premises  121  via network termination (NT)  320  or (optionally) via a wireless local area network (LAN) connection. Subscriber premises  121  may contain one or more processing devices, such as exemplary personal computers  331 ,  332 ,  333  and  334 , and one or more telephones, including exemplary telephones  341 ,  342  and  343 , that are capable of communicating via the broadband access capability of fixed wireless access network  100 . 
         [0073]    NT  320  is the external point to which data lines and phone lines within a residence or office are brought in order to be connected to the local telephone service provider. AC/DC converter  390  converts the main AC power in subscriber premises  121  to primary DC power that powers subscriber IAD  310 . In order to comply with government regulations for telephone service to one or more telephones in subscriber premises  121 , DC battery  361  is charged from the DC output of AC/DC converter  390  in order to provide at least eight hours of backup power in case of a failure of the AC main power in subscriber premises  121 . Battery monitor (BM)  362  in subscriber IAD  310  detects main AC power failures and detects low power conditions on DC battery  361  and transmits alarms to fixed wireless access network  100  through subscriber IAD  310 . 
         [0074]    In an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, DC battery  361  may be located inside subscriber premises  121  (as shown by dotted lines), rather than mounted on the outside of subscriber premises  121 . However, in a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, DC battery  361  is externally mounted in order to give maintenance personnel easy access to nearly all components of the subscriber access system (i.e., subscriber IAD  310 , DC battery  361  antenna  131 ) without requiring the homeowner to be present. Although AC/DC converter  390  is disposed in subscriber premises  121 , this does not present a problem. Conventional AC/DC converters have very large mean time between failure (MTBF) ratings, so that failures are rare. Furthermore, AC/DC converters are common, inexpensive commercial products that may be purchased and easily installed by the subscriber without the assistance of maintenance personnel. As will be described below in greater detail, since DC battery  361  is often mounted on the outside of subscriber premises  121 , DC battery  361  may comprise an internal tamper alarm circuit that transmits an alarm to battery monitor  362  if DC battery  361  is opened or otherwise tampered with by someone other than maintenance personnel. 
         [0075]      FIG. 4  depicts exemplary subscriber integrated access device (IAD)  310  in greater detail according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Subscriber IAD  310  is an external unit capable of, for example, radio frequency down-conversion, protocol conversion, voice decompression and control functions. As noted above, the entire subscriber IAD system comprises three major elements: 
         [0000]    1) external antenna  131  allows for multiple antenna options for increased gain or multiple element antenna subsystems;
 
2) subscriber IAD  310  main assembly contains the integrated printed circuit board (PCB) motherboard and a mezzanine interface into which an optional expansion module may be inserted to provide, for example, two additional voice frequency (VF) pairs, a T1/E1 module, or a TE/E3 module for use in a SOHO premises, a small/medium enterprise (SME) premises, or a multi-tenant unit (MTU) premises; and
 
3) DC battery  361  and AC/DC converter  390 , which may be deployed inside or (preferably) outside subscriber premises  121  to provide at least eight (8) hours of operation without AC main power.
 
         [0076]    Subscriber IAD  310  is connected directly to some subscriber premises equipment (i.e., PC  331 - 333 , telephones  341 - 343 ) to provide direct access to voice and broadband data in fixed wireless access network  100  at the NT  320  demarcation point at the customer premise. Both product cost and life-cycle/installation costs are reduced by integrating voice and data interfaces into a single external unit that connects to the standard NT  320  interface at the subscriber premises. Optionally, subscriber IAD  310  may also communicate wirelessly with some subscriber premises equipment, such as PC  334 , via a wireless LAN connection. As will be explained below, subscriber IAD  310  may wirelessly transmit data to and receive data from PC  334  via antenna  395 . Similarly, PC  334  may wirelessly transmit data to and receive data from subscriber IAD  310  via antenna  392 . 
         [0077]    In an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure, subscriber IAD  310  may provide at least four data interface options, including: 
         [0000]    1) separate Cat-5 twisted pairs for 10Base-T Ethernet;
 
2) one of the VF pairs may be used with, for example, a 1 Mbps or 10 Mbps Home Phone Network Alliance (HPNA) interface or other shared voice/data home wiring twisted pair system;
 
3) home power line interface with release of higher bandwidth implementations (&gt;1 Mbps); and
 
4) wireless LAN connection to subscriber premises equipment.
 
         [0078]    In an advantageous embodiment, subscriber IAD  310  comprises RF interface (IF)  405 , control/networking PAD/voice processing circuitry  410 , DC/DC converter  415 , battery monitor  362 , and mezzanine interface  420 . In a fixed wireless embodiment, RF IF  405  provides modulation and demodulation of forward and reverse channel signals between transceiver base station  110  and subscriber IAD  310 . DC/DC converter  415  converts the external DC power received from battery  361  to the necessary internal DC power levels used by the components of subscriber IAD  310 . Battery monitor  362  monitors the battery power from DC battery  361  and receives alarm signals, if any, from DC battery  361 . 
         [0079]    If main AC power fails, or if DC battery  361  is tampered with, DC battery  361  transmits alarm signals to battery monitor  362 . If the DC power level from DC battery falls too low after an AC power failure, battery monitor  362  detects the low DC power level condition and generates an alarm. The alarms generated by or received by battery monitor  362  are sent to control/networking PAD/voice processing circuitry  410  in order to be transmitted back to the fixed wireless service provider. 
         [0080]    In a standard (and low cost) configuration, control/networking PAD/voice processing circuitry  410  comprises, among other things, two voice frequency (VF) pair interface (IF)  412  and data interface (IF)  325 . Control/networking PAD/voice processing circuitry  410  performs the overall control functions of subscriber IAD  310  and converts reverse channel voice and data signals received from telephones  341 - 343  and PC  331 - 333  to the necessary protocols for transmission to transceiver base station  110  via RF IF  405 . Similarly, control/networking PAD/voice processing circuitry  410  converts forward channel signals received from transceiver base station  110  via RF IF  405  to voice and data signals that are used by telephones  341 - 343  and PC  331 - 333 . 
         [0081]    In alternate wireline embodiments of the present disclosure, subscriber IAD  310  may also comprise an expansion slot for one or more wireline interfaces, including for example, cable modem  430 . Alternative wireline interfaces may include an optical interface, a DSL router, or the like, in addition to, or in place of, RF IF  405 , Cable modem  430  (or an optical interface or a DSL router) provide external interface connection points for a cable modem data line, a fiber optic line, and a DSL line, respectively. 
         [0082]    As noted above, in an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure, mezzanine IF  420  receives expansion module  421  in order to provide additional capabilities to subscriber IAD  310 , particularly to meet the needs of small-medium business enterprises and multi-tenant units. For example, expansion module  421  may comprise a voice frequency pair interface, similar to two VP IF  412 , providing subscriber IAD  310  with a total capability or four voice lines and one data line (4V/1D). 
         [0083]    In a second embodiment, expansion module  421  may comprise a T1/E1 interface. In a third embodiment, expansion module  421  may comprise a T3/E3 interface. In a fourth embodiment, expansion module  421  may comprise a DSL or cable modem interface. 
         [0084]    Finally, in a wireless LAN embodiment, expansion module  421  may comprise a wireless transceiver interface that communicates with PC  334  via antenna  395 . In the illustrated embodiment, antenna  395  is an integral component of subscriber IAD  310  that is coupled to a connection pin on mezzanine IF  420 . In such an embodiment, expansion module  421  comprises conventional RF transceiver circuitry, but does not require its own antenna. However, in an alternate embodiment, antenna  395  may be an integral component of expansion module  421 , such that subscriber IAD  310  does not contain a separate antenna for wireless LAN purposes. 
         [0085]      FIG. 5  illustrates another view of the communication system  210 , here illustrating an implementation in which a plurality of subscriber stations  214  include WLAN transceivers  238  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) connected to corresponding integrated access devices  224  (also shown in  FIG. 2 ). The coverage areas  242  defined by respective ones of the WLAN transceivers are shown in the figure. Adjacent ones of the coverage areas overlap with one another. The remote modems of the base transceivers are again shown in the Figure as is the access process. An arrangement in which the remote modems communicate with subscriber stations positioned within a radio sector is shown in the figure. In other implementations, other arrangements are utilized. 
         [0086]    A mobile station initially positioned within, or approximate to, a coverage area  242  defined by a WLAN transceiver positioned at a first subscriber station is permitted movement, such as out of the coverage area defined by the transceiver positioned at a first subscriber station and into the coverage area defined by a WLAN transceiver of another subscriber station. Through operation of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a handover of communications is effectuated from the first WLAN transceiver to another WLAN transceiver, thereby to permit continued communications with the mobile station. 
         [0087]    Determination of when to initiate handover of communications is made responsive to measurements of signal characteristics of communication signals communicated between the WLAN transceiver and the mobile station. In one implementation signal characteristics are measured, or otherwise determined, at the mobile station and results of such measures or determinations of are reported back to the WLAN transceiver, and appropriate control circuitry. Thereafter, if appropriate, the handover of communications is effectuated. 
         [0088]    A routing map  252  is further shown in the figure. The routing map is functionally connected to the access process  228 . The routing map includes a listing of the mobile stations, such as the mobile station  246  operable to transceive communication signals pursuant to the WLAN service. Indexed together with the listing of the mobile stations are the locations at which the mobile stations are positioned. When communications are to be effectuated with a particular mobile station, such as communications originated by the correspondent node  234 , the routing map is accessed and the communication signals are routed to the mobile stations at the position indicated in the routing map. And, when a handover is effectuated, information routed to a mobile station but not yet delivered is rerouted to the WLAN transceiver to which communications have been handed over. 
         [0089]      FIG. 6  again illustrates the communication system  210 , here showing a plurality of base stations  212  and subscriber stations  214  associated with various ones of the base stations. Each of the subscriber stations includes a WLAN transceiver (shown in  FIG. 2 ) various of the base transceiver stations are here shown also to be coupled by way of the communication network  232 , again either a PSTN, a packet data network, or a combination of such networks. Movement of a mobile station between the coverage areas is defined by different ones of the subscriber stations are shown in the figure. For instance, movement of a mobile station indicated by the arrow  656  represents movement of the mobile station between subscriber stations associated with separate cells of separate base stations. Such movement results in access process routing of subsequent communication signals to a new cell of the fixed wireless access communication system, access process routing to a separate remote mode sector, and remote modem routing to a new subscriber integrated access device. The arrow  658  is representative of movement of a mobile station within a single sector of a single base station. Here, the result is a subscriber integrated access device to a remote modem routing change. 
         [0090]    The arrow  662  is representative of movement of a mobile station between adjacent sectors defined by a single base station. Such movement results in access process routing of the communication signal to the new remote modem sector transceiver. And, the arrow  664  is representative of movement of a mobile station between sectors of different cells defined by two different base stations. Such movement results in access process to access process routing resolution, access processing routing to the new cell, access process routing to the new remote modem sector, and remote modem routing to the new subscriber access integrated device. Thereby, handovers of communications are effectuable through any movement of a mobile station between coverage areas defined by WLAN transceivers forming a portion of a fixed wireless access communication system. 
         [0091]      FIG. 7  illustrates a method, shown generally at  772  of an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method facilitates radio communications with the mobile station in a fixed wireless access communication system having at least a first base station and at least a first subscriber station capable of communicating with the base station. First, and as indicated by the block  774 , a local-network radio transceiver is positioned at the fixed-site subscriber station. Then, and as indicated by the block  776 , communication signals are selectably transceived with the mobile station upon a first local radio link between the local-network radio transceiver and a mobile station when the mobile station is positioned within a coverage area defined by the local-network radio transceiver. 
         [0092]    Through operation of the method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, WLAN service is provided in a fixed wireless access in a communication system. A mobile station operable in a wireless local area network is thereby able to communicate in the WLAN coverage area encompassing the subscriber station at which the local-network radio transceiver is positioned. 
         [0093]    The previous descriptions are of preferred examples for implementing the disclosure, and the scope of the disclosure should not necessarily be limited by this description. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims.