Patent ID: 7249183

Claim:
A method of automatically switching a host device from an Ethernet network interface device to a wireless network interface device, while maintaining a network connection, wherein the Ethernet network interface device has a first unique device address, and the wireless network interface device, a second unique device address, the method comprising the steps of: (a) detecting removal of the host device from an Ethernet network interface associated with said Ethernet network interface device; and (b) establishing a wireless network interface associated with said wireless network interface device; wherein (i) the establishment of said wireless network interface involves determining whether the wireless network interface is on the same subnet as the Ethernet network interface; (ii) upon determining that the wireless network interface is on the same subnet, broadcasting a signal to update lookup tables in other devices in the subnet to associate the wireless network interface with the second unique device address of the wireless network interface device; and (iii) upon determining that the wireless network interface is on a different subnet, effecting the tunneling of data packets pertaining to the network connection from the subnet of the Ethernet network interface to the subnet of the wireless network interface.