Patent ID: 7440785

Claim:
A wireless network node for providing transit of data with other wireless network nodes in a wireless network, the wireless network node comprising: at least one transit antenna to provide data transmission between at least one other wireless network node in the wireless network and the wireless network node; an auxiliary transit antenna port to which an auxiliary transit antenna can be coupled; and an antenna detector adapted to detect whether or not an auxiliary transit antenna is coupled to the auxiliary transit antenna port; wherein the at least one transit antenna are available to establish one or more transit links; wherein upon detection that the auxiliary transit antenna is not coupled to the auxiliary transit antenna port, the wireless network node uses only the at least one transit antenna for communications; wherein upon detection that the auxiliary transit antenna is coupled to the auxiliary transit antenna port, adding the auxiliary transit antenna to a list of available antennas adapted for at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals so that the auxiliary transit antenna can be included or ignored as appropriate for at least one of transmitting and receiving wireless signals through the auxiliary transit antenna coupled to the auxiliary transit antenna port.