Patent ID: 6965948

Claim:
A method of selectively accessing an Internet Protocol (IP) network utilizing an end device that includes an indirect interface capable of communicating with one or more access network terminating devices, each said access network terminating device being coupled to an associated access network that is further coupled to the IP network, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether the end device has access to said IP network; confirming the availability of said one or more access network terminating devices; determining the access capability of each of said one or more access network terminating devices and ranking said access capability according to one or more predetermined factors; comparing the determined access capability for each of said one or more access network terminating devices to said access network with a preferred access capability being associated with said end device; selecting at least one of said one or more access network terminating devices having the highest ranking access capability to provide an optimum connection between said end device and said access network; subsequent to connecting to said at least one of said one or more access network terminating devices, polling said indirect interface to detect if one or more new access network terminating devices are available to said end device; determining an access capability for each of the detected one or more new access network terminating devices; and comparing said access capability for each of the detected one or more new access network terminating devices with said preferred access capability of said end device to determine whether said detected one or more new access network terminating devices can improve the current connection of said end device to said access network.