Patent ID: 7558567

Claim:
A method of network management in a network comprising a plurality of access points, comprising: monitoring a communication channel between a mobile device and a first access point in a wireless local area network (WLAN) by the first access point to determine whether a trigger event occurs; and if the trigger event is determined to have occurred: sending a switch-assessment request from the first access point to one or more other access points of the plurality of access points; receiving a switch-assessment response from at least one of the one or more other access points; selecting a select access point from the at least one of the one or more other access points based on the switch-assessment response; sending a switch-command from the first access point to the mobile device to establish a communication channel between the mobile device and the select access point; maintaining a message buffer for the mobile device by the first access point until the switch of the mobile device from the first access point to the select access point is complete; and defining a plurality of access classifications associated with the mobile device and at least one of the one or more access points of the plurality of access points and selecting the select access point based at least in part on one or more access classifications, wherein the trigger event is determined based in part on a determination of a direction of movement of the mobile device by the first access point by estimating a location of the mobile device using one or more reports from at least one switch-assist device that monitors communications from the mobile device, the location of the at least one switch-assist device being known to the first access point.