Patent ID: 7921192

Claim:
A method of assigning a network address to each wireless device of a network in an aircraft, said wireless devices being able to exchange messages with a network server via at least one access point, each wireless device being placed in a position of a seat in a column of seats and powered by a power supply column specific to the associated column, wherein said method comprises the steps of: sequentially powering-up wireless devices, for each column of seats, with a time delay of known duration between the powering-up in one column and the powering-up in a next column; each one of the wireless devices sending a corresponding message to a network server, the corresponding message having a time indication specific to the wireless device, the sending of the corresponding message triggered by the powering-up of the corresponding wireless device; the network server receiving the corresponding messages from the wireless devices and time stamping each of the corresponding messages with a corresponding timestamp based on an instant at which each of the messages is received; the network server identifying a column of seats of each of the wireless devices based on the time indication specific to the wireless device and the corresponding timestamp.