Patent ID: 8107414

Claim:
A communication device, comprising: a memory; a transceiver configured to communicate with a mesh network coupled to a first wide area network and a first plurality wireless client devices including a respective first plurality of first displays to display first information to a respective first plurality of first users operated by the respective first plurality of first users and configured to utilize a plurality of wireless network identifications that includes at least one of a plurality of service set identifications (SSIDs) and a plurality of extended service set identifications (ESSIDs); and a controller, coupled to the memory and the transceiver, that manages operation of the transceiver in communication with the mesh network coupled to the first wide area network and with the first plurality wireless client devices, wherein the controller is configured to: store, in the memory, a first wireless network identification of the plurality of wireless network identifications usable to communicate with the first plurality wireless client devices; receive, via the transceiver, a second wireless network identification of the plurality of wireless network identifications as a mesh network identification from a first mesh node in the mesh network; receive, via the transceiver and the second wireless network identification, a medium access control (MAC) message that includes an accept message to join the mesh network; store, in the memory, the second wireless network identification in addition to the first wireless network identifier; transmit, to the first plurality wireless client devices, the second wireless network identification to appear as a second mesh node in the mesh network to the first plurality of wireless client devices; and forward, based on the second wireless network identification, traffic from the first plurality of wireless client devices to the first mesh node; operate as the second node in the mesh network using the second wireless network identification; and operate as a first wireless router, coupled to an Internet and independent of the mesh network, by providing wireless access to the Internet via the transceiver and the first wireless network identification to a second plurality of wireless client devices including a second plurality of respective second displays to display second information to a respective second plurality of second users operated by the respective second plurality of second users using the first wireless network identifier.