Patent ID: 7283493

Claim:
A wireless LAN system comprising: a plurality of wireless stations; each station having a means for switching a frequency channel from a channel being used to a channel identified by a switching request packet; a switching apparatus for switching a frequency channel used between stations for communication, the switching apparatus having a means for selecting a frequency channel, and a means for sending a switching request packet that identifies the selected frequency channel to the stations upon expiration of a polling period; and a switching control unit having a switching control means for controlling a switching of frequency channels; wherein the means for selecting a frequency channel selects a frequency channel based on line status information regarding total number of packets and number of error packets; the switching control means sends a switching confirmation packet to the stations; the switching control means receives a switching confirmation packet from stations that switch frequency channels from the channel being used to the channel identified by the switching request packet in response to the switching request packet sent by the switching apparatus; when the switching control means does not receive a switching confirmation packet from a station, the switching control means resets the frequency channel to a frequency channel that was being used prior to receiving the switching request packet; and, in order to report a switching result, the switching control means sends a response packet to the switching apparatus indicating whether a switching confirmation packet has been received from each station.