Patent ID: 7869434

Claim:
A method for routing a broadcast data frame in a mesh network, the mesh network comprising multiple mesh portals for providing a communication interface between a network outside the mesh network and multiple mesh points within the mesh network, the method comprising: comparing, by a mesh point, a destination address of a broadcast data frame with an address of a registered mesh portal when the mesh point receives the broadcast data frame; broadcasting the broadcast data frame within the mesh network if the destination address is equal to the address of the registered mesh portal; discarding the broadcast data frame when the destination address is different from the address of the registered mesh portal; setting the destination address of the broadcast data frame to address information of a mesh portal that receives the broadcast data frame from the network outside the mesh network, if the broadcast data frame is received from outside to inside of the mesh network; and setting the destination address of the broadcast data frame to a value representing all mesh portals, if the broadcast data frame is transmitted from inside to outside of the mesh network.