Patent ID: 8488458

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a control circuit configured to determine a number N of network devices belonging to a virtual local area network, wherein the virtual local area network does not require authentication of the network devices, and wherein N is an integer greater than one, in response to each additional network device that joins the virtual local area network, increase the number N of network devices belonging to the virtual local area network, and in response to each of the network devices belonging to the virtual local area network that leaves the virtual local area network, decrease the number N of network devices belonging to the virtual local area network; and a policy circuit configured to calculate a first rate based on the number N of network devices belonging to the virtual local area network; dynamically limit an aggregate data rate of the virtual local area network to the first rate, wherein the first rate is less than total network bandwidth available to the virtual local area network; update the first rate in response to changes in the number N of network devices belonging to the virtual local area network; and dynamically limit the aggregate data rate of the virtual local area network to the first rate as updated.