Patent ID: 7944922

Claim:
A method of transmitting of a media data stream from a source node of a packet network to a plurality of sink nodes of the network, being a network wherein the source node and sink nodes communicate with one another wirelessly via a common access point, the method comprising: the source node transmitting a first stream of unicast packets addressed to at least one of the sink nodes, and not addressed to the other non-addressee sink nodes, such that the addressee sink nodes are operative to reliably receive the first stream via the unicast transmission, while the other non-addressee sink nodes operate in promiscuous mode in which each can receive all traffic on the network including the first stream, wherein each of the other non-addressee sink nodes is configured to receive the first stream and determine whether one or more particular packets of the first stream have not been successfully received; receiving a re-transmission request packet from a particular non-addressee sink node with an indication that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received one or more particular packets of the first stream; and taking action to ensure that the particular non-addressee sink node receives the one or more particular packets, such that all sink nodes are operative to receive the complete first stream.