Patent ID: 7551641

Claim:
A network communication method, comprising providing wireless communication between two or more wireless networks at a media access control (MAC) software layer through a separate and different baseband circuitry provided for each of said two or more wireless networks; wherein a first one of said two or more wireless networks comprises a wireless network having a first networking protocol, and a second one of said two or more wireless networks comprises a wireless network having a second networking protocol, said first networking protocol being different than said second networking protocol; wherein said first networking protocol is a broadband wireless access (BWA) networking protocol and wherein said second networking protocol is a wireless local area network (WLAN) networking protocol; wherein said first network comprises an external public domain network wherein said second network comprises an internal network of managed configuration and user access; and wherein said method further comprises communicating with said first network via a back end communication link to said external public domain network from a wireless access point, and communicating with said second network via a front end communication link to said internal network of managed configuration and user access from said wireless access point; and wherein said first network comprises at least one first access point for said external public domain network; wherein said second network comprises at least one separate second access point for said internal network of managed configuration and user access; and wherein said method further comprises: providing an additional network layer between said front end communication link and said back end communication link and between said separate and different baseband circuitry that is provided for each of said two or more wireless networks and said separate and different baseband circuitry that is provided for each other of said two or more wireless networks, said additional network layer configured with an abstract Ethernet address maintained in a routing table, providing access for management communications from said at least one second access point for said internal network of managed configuration and user access through said additional network layer to said at least one first access point for said external public domain network across said front end communication link and not across said back end communication link, and wherein said management communications comprises at least one of a firmware update, firewall configuration, change to administrative feature, or a combination thereof.