Patent ID: 7643483

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for discovering internet egress points on a network, comprising: providing a mesh network having an internal mesh node device and a plurality of respective egress mesh node devices, wherein the internal mesh node device does not have an internet egress point, wherein each of the respective egress mesh node devices have a respective internet egress point; casting, from each of the respective egress mesh node devices, an announcement, wherein each of the announcements indicate that the respective egress mesh node device has an internet egress point, an Internet Protocol address of the respective egress mesh node device, an internet service provider indicator associated with the respective egress mesh node device and performance capabilities of the internet service provider associated with the respective egress mesh node device, wherein the performance capabilities of the internet service provider include a current traffic volume, an interference level, and a load, wherein each of the announcements is a time to live cast that discontinues casting when the cast has traveled a predetermined number of hops within the mesh network, wherein the predetermined number of hops is a range that corresponds to media access control layer protocol, wherein internal mesh node devices within the predetermined number of hops receive the announcement and internal mesh node devices not within the predetermined number of hops do not receive the announcement; and when the internal mesh node device is within the predetermined number of hops, updating a routing table on the internal mesh node device with the indication of the internet egress point of the respective egress mesh node device, the Internet Protocol address of the respective egress mesh node device, the internet service provider indicator associated with the respective egress mesh node device and the performance capabilities of the internet service provider associated with the respective egress mesh node device.