Patent ID: 8077684

Claim:
A method comprising: providing access and user authentication at a single wireless access point (AP) to a local area network (LAN) via a Wireless LAN (WLAN) to an at least one wireless device upon receiving a LAN access request from a first wireless device; determining at a second wireless device that a personal area network (PAN) segment needs to be established; transmitting a PAN segment establishment request by the second wireless device directly to the AP wherein communication using the WLAN employs an authentication protocol that is different from the PAN; establishing the requested PAN segment at the AP, wherein the PAN segment is active concurrently with the active LAN coverage; receiving a PAN segment establishment response from the AP indicating that a PAN segment has been established; detecting at the AP a request to join the PAN by at least one other wireless device that is currently in direct communication with AP; joining at the AP the at least one other wireless device to the PAN segment; and transmitting a PAN segment packet directly from the AP to the at least one other wireless device within the PAN segment, the PAN segment packet including a PAN segment ID field identifying the established PAN segment, wherein the PAN segment is different from the LAN.