Patent ID: 8270414

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a wireless station (STA) configured to operate as a master station in a wireless network and to transfer master station functionality to a client station when leaving said wireless network by: receiving an association request from a client station wishing to join the wireless network, wherein the association request comprises a Master/AP capability; discovering from the association request at least one client station with Master/AP capability; selecting said discovered at least one client station to be a new master station based on predetermined parameters; passing the basic service set (BSS) context from said master station to said new master station in a master station Role Request message before transitioning; notifying said new master station to activate its master station role via said master station Role Request message; and switching by said client station to the role of new master station upon receipt of an AP Role Activation message and starting to send Beacons with a BSSID that is the same as used in Beacons of said previous master station; wherein said new master station issues a key update message to refresh the PTK and GTK/IGTK with all clients by using the same PSK that was used by said master station; wherein said BSS context information is DHCP information and Block ACK TSPEC.