Patent ID: 7706337

Claim:
A method for performing neighbor discovery in a multi-tier wireless local area network comprising, at a mobile client in the multi-tier wireless local area network: creating a neighbor list identifying one or more neighbors of the mobile client in the multi-tier wireless local area network, wherein each of the neighbors is identified as a fixed access point or a neighboring mobile client, wherein creating the neighbor list comprises: determining a time to perform a scan of neighbors based upon 1) a type of multi-tier neighbor discovery to be performed and 2) when a first beacon is transmitted by a fixed access point in a first tier of the multi-tier wireless local area network, performing a scan of neighbors at the determined time on at least one channel associated with the type of multi-tier neighbor discovery, receiving a beacon on the at least one channel during the scan, wherein the beacon is sent from a neighbor of the mobile client, and populating the neighbor list with information transmitted in the beacon, wherein at least one of: the beacon received on the at least one channel is transmitted at a frequency which is variable and based upon a number of hops to a fixed serving coverage access point, a number of mobile clients supported, and a frequency of beacons sent by fixed access points in the multi-tier wireless local area network, if the type of multi-tier neighbor discovery is intra-cell, then the determined time is based upon when the fixed serving coverage access point sends a beacon where the beacon sent by the fixed serving coverage access point is based upon a time a previous tier fixed access point sends its beacon, and the scan of neighbors is performed on a first channel during a beacon interval encompassing beacons sent by a tier 1 fixed access point, or if the type of discovery is inter-cell and a fixed reference access point in a neighboring cell has been found, then the determined time is based upon when the fixed reference access point sends a beacon where the beacon sent by the fixed reference access point is based upon a time a previous tier fixed access point sends its beacon, and the scan of neighbors is performed on a third channel associated with the neighboring cell of the wireless local area network during a beacon interval encompassing beacons sent by a tier 1 fixed access point.