Patent ID: 7453825

Claim:
A network device comprising: a plurality of ports, including at least a first port configured to form a primary link via a primary connection to a first other device and a second port configured to form a point-to-point wireless link to a second other device; and a management module configured to periodically transmit a keep-alive control packet over the point-to-point wireless link to the second other device and to detect whether the primary link is indicated to be down, wherein the management module is further configured such that when the primary link is indicated to be down, then the network device flushes its routing table, learns new routes, sends a specifically-designated packet over the point-to-point wireless link to the second other device, and receives in return a route teaching packet in broadcast form over the point-to-point wireless link from the second other device, and wherein each route teaching packet instructs devices to change their address tables such that certain packets follow a path through the point-to-point wireless link.