WO2021083170A1

WO2021083170A1 - Wireless network system

Info

Publication number: WO2021083170A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/124250
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王劼; 苗永只; 邹文娟
Original assignee: 杭州萤石软件有限公司
Priority date: 2019-10-28
Filing date: 2020-10-28
Publication date: 2021-05-06
Also published as: CN112738907B; CN112738907A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application provide a wireless network system, comprising: a network front-end device and a network back-end device, the network front-end device comprising a Mesh front-end device and a non-Mesh front-end device, the network back-end device being used for providing access to a local area network access point or a network gateway, and the mesh front-end device and the non-mesh front-end device being respectively in wireless network connection with the network back-end device, and being used for accessing the Internet by means of the network back-end device. The Internet is accessed by means of the network back-end device, and at the same time, the mesh front-end device and the non-mesh front-end device are respectively in wireless network connection with the network back-end device, thereby accessing the Internet by means of the network back-end device, implementing effective wireless network connection when the system comprises both the mesh front-end device and the non-mesh front-end device, and meanwhile, an effective wireless network system for a Mesh device is provided, so as to ensure the applicability of the Mesh network.

Description

Wireless network system

This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application filed with the Chinese Patent Office on October 28, 2019 with the application number 201911029379.8 and the title of the invention "wireless network system", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference.

Technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a wireless network system.

Background technique

Mesh network is a wireless fidelity (Wireless Fidelity, referred to as WIFI) network networking method. In a Mesh network, every two nodes can be connected to each other, and the connections between all nodes form a mesh network.

At present, the standard Mesh protocol and network card driver only provide an original data channel for Mesh devices that support the Mesh function, so that the Mesh device can access the wireless network through the network card driver. Among them, the wireless network system may include Mesh devices that support the Mesh function and non-Mesh devices that do not support the Mesh function. However, when the wireless network system includes both Mesh devices and non-Mesh devices, how to form an effective wireless network system, and what role each Mesh device plays in the wireless network system, there is currently no effective solution.

The inability to implement an effective wireless network system including both Mesh devices and non-Mesh devices will result in a lack of applicability for Mesh networks.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the present application provides a wireless network system to overcome the lack of applicability of the Mesh network.

In the first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a Mesh network that lacks applicability, including:

Network front-end equipment and network back-end equipment, where the network front-end equipment includes Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment;

The network back-end device is used to provide a local area network access point or a network gateway access point;

The Mesh front-end device and the non-Mesh front-end device are respectively connected to the network back-end device wirelessly, and are used to access the Internet through the network back-end device.

In a possible embodiment, the Mesh front-end equipment includes a Mesh interface and a wireless uplink interface;

The non-Mesh front-end equipment includes a wireless uplink interface.

In a possible embodiment, the network back-end device includes a non-Mesh back-end device;

The non-Mesh back-end equipment includes an access point wireless downlink interface and a wired uplink interface.

In a possible embodiment, the network front-end device further includes a first Mesh repeater and a second Mesh repeater;

The first Mesh repeater is used to provide a network relay node for the Mesh front-end device, so that the Mesh front-end device accesses a non-Mesh network through the first Mesh repeater, and the first Mesh relay The device includes Mesh interface and wireless uplink interface;

The first Mesh repeater is also used to allocate an Internet Protocol (IP) address to each of the Mesh front-end devices;

The second Mesh repeater is used to provide network relay nodes for the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment, so that the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment relay through the second Mesh The device is connected to the Mesh network, and the second Mesh repeater includes a Mesh interface and a wireless downlink interface.

In a possible embodiment, the non-Mesh back-end device establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through the wired uplink interface;

The Mesh front-end device, the non-Mesh front-end device, and the first Mesh repeater respectively establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device through the respective wireless uplink interfaces;

The Mesh front-end equipment, the first Mesh repeater, and the second Mesh repeater establish a wireless network connection with each other through their respective Mesh interfaces;

The non-Mesh front-end device also establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the second Mesh repeater through the wireless uplink interface.

In a possible embodiment, the Mesh interface of the first Mesh repeater and the wireless uplink interface establish a connection through a bridge, so that data at the media access control (Media Access Control, MAC) layer can communicate with each other.

In a possible embodiment, the network back-end device further includes a Mesh back-end device;

The Mesh back-end device includes a Mesh interface, a wireless uplink interface, a wireless downlink interface, and a wired uplink interface.

The Mesh back-end device is also used to allocate an IP address to each of the Mesh front-end devices.

In a possible embodiment, the network front-end device further includes a third Mesh repeater;

The third Mesh repeater is used to provide network relay nodes for the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment, so that the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment relay through the third Mesh The device is connected to the Mesh network, and the third Mesh repeater includes a Mesh interface and a wireless downlink interface.

In a possible embodiment, the non-Mesh back-end device establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through a wired uplink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device;

The Mesh back-end device establishes a network connection with the non-Mesh back-end device through a wired uplink interface or a wireless uplink interface of the Mesh back-end device;

The Mesh front-end device and the non-Mesh front-end device respectively establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device through the respective wireless uplink interfaces;

The non-Mesh front-end device further establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater and the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface of the non-Mesh front-end device;

The Mesh front-end device, the third Mesh repeater, and the Mesh back-end device establish a wireless network connection with each other through their respective Mesh interfaces.

In a possible embodiment, the Mesh interface and the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device establish a connection at the MAC layer through a bridge, so that the MAC layer can communicate with each other;

The Mesh interface and the wireless downlink interface for establishing the bridge are connected with the wireless uplink interface or the wired uplink interface of the network back-end device through an IP management tool, so as to enable the IP layer data intercommunication.

An embodiment of the present application provides a wireless network system, including: a network front-end device and a network back-end device. The network front-end device includes a Mesh front-end device and a non-Mesh front-end device. The network back-end equipment is used to provide LAN access points or network gateway access. Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment are respectively connected to the network back-end equipment wirelessly, and access the Internet through the network back-end equipment. Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment are respectively connected to the network back-end equipment wirelessly, so as to access the Internet through the network back-end equipment, realizing that the wireless network system can achieve effective when both Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment are included in the wireless network system. Wi-Fi connection. At the same time, the wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application is an effective wireless network system including Mesh devices to ensure the applicability of the Mesh network.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description These are some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

FIG. 1 is a system schematic diagram of a smart home system provided by an embodiment of the application;

2 is a schematic diagram of the overall system of the wireless network system provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a wireless network system including a non-Mesh back-end device and a Mesh back-end device provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a non-Mesh back-end device interface provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a wireless network system that does not include a Mesh device according to an embodiment of the application.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments It is a part of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work shall fall within the protection scope of this application.

Before introducing the wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application, a brief introduction to the Mesh network is firstly given. Among them, the Mesh network is a WIFI network networking method, which is a wireless "multi-hop" network based on the 802.11s protocol. Compared with the traditional star network topology, the Mesh network is different in that: in the Mesh network, every two nodes can be connected to each other, each node can have multiple connection channels, and the connection between all nodes is formed An overall mesh network.

The Mesh function is a function implemented by the Mesh protocol. Mesh devices are wireless devices that support the Mesh function, and can also be understood as wireless devices that support the Mesh protocol. Non-Mesh devices are wireless devices that do not support the Mesh function, and can also be understood as wireless devices that do not support the Mesh protocol.

At present, the application of the Mesh network is still in its infancy. Many WIFI manufacturers only provide an original data channel for Mesh devices through the WIFI network card. How to apply the Mesh network to actual wireless products or projects is still in a blank state. . Without a complete wireless network system, Mesh networks cannot be truly applied to actual products.

In the current smart home field, especially in the field of home security systems, there is currently no complete wireless network system when both Mesh devices and non-Mesh devices are included, and it is impossible to achieve effective wireless when both Mesh devices and non-Mesh devices are included. The network system will cause the lack of applicability of the Mesh network.

In related technologies, non-Mesh devices construct a common WIFI network (that is, a non-Mesh network), and Mesh devices construct a Mesh network, and each Mesh device is a node in the Mesh network. Non-Mesh devices do not support the Mesh function. Based on this, mesh devices cannot communicate with non-Mesh devices, and the non-Mesh network and the Mesh network are two independent LANs. In addition, wireless devices connected to the Ethernet (such as routers and switches) are generally non-Mesh devices. Since the Mesh devices cannot communicate with non-Mesh devices, the Mesh devices cannot access the Ethernet, resulting in the lack of applicability of the Mesh network.

Based on the foregoing problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a wireless network system to improve the applicability of the Mesh network, so as to provide a complete and applicable wireless network system in the field of smart furniture.

The following is a brief explanation of the smart home system with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a system schematic diagram of the smart home system provided by this application, as shown in Figure 1:

The smart home system includes a router, and the router is connected to the Ethernet through a wired link, so that each wireless device in the smart home system can realize network connection. The router is a non-Mesh device.

Specifically, the wireless devices in the smart home system may include wireless network cameras (Internet Protocol Camera, IPC), network hard disk video recorders (Network Video Recorder, NVR), gateway devices, alarm sensors, child care equipment, smart door locks, and mobile phones, Terminal equipment such as computers and tablets. It is understandable that the wireless devices included in the smart home system can be connected to non-Mesh back-end devices through wireless links to achieve network access. Among them, non-Mesh back-end devices are network management devices that do not support Mesh functions, such as routers. The wireless devices in the smart home system include devices that support the Mesh function. Devices that support the Mesh function can connect to the network through the interconnection between Mesh devices. Among them, the specific types of wireless devices included in the smart home system are not limited to the wireless devices introduced in Figure 1. The specific implementation can be selected according to actual needs. As long as the smart home device can connect to the network, it can be considered It is a wireless device in the smart home system in the embodiment of this application.

The wireless network cameras, network hard disk recorders, and gateway devices shown in Figure 1 not only serve as terminal devices that play their specific roles, but also can be used as network access points under the premise that they are configured with Mesh functions, thus making smart homes The rest of the devices in the system can access the network through the network access point. The network access point has the same function as the router.

In Figure 1, all the wireless devices in the smart home system form a local area network, and the wireless devices in the local area network are connected to the Ethernet through a router, and the Ethernet can also be called the Internet.

On the basis of the smart home system described above, an embodiment of the present application provides a wireless network system, which can be applied to the smart home system described in the above embodiment. The wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the overall system of the wireless network system provided by an embodiment of the application. As shown in Fig. 2, the system includes:

A network front-end device 10 and a network back-end device 20. The network front-end device 10 includes a Mesh front-end device 101 and a non-Mesh front-end device 102;

The network back-end device 20 is used to provide access to a local area network access point or a network gateway;

The Mesh front-end device 101 and the non-Mesh front-end device 102 are respectively connected to the network back-end device 20 wirelessly, and are used to access the Internet through the network back-end device 20.

Specifically, the network front-end device 10 is a wireless device used to perform a specific function, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, a smart door lock, and the like described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 above. The network front-end device 10 is a device connected to the network to perform specific functions. In the embodiment of the present application, the network front-end device 10 may include a Mesh front-end device 101 and a non-Mesh front-end device 102. Among them, the Mesh front-end device 101 is a network front-end device that supports the Mesh function, and the non-Mesh front-end device 102 is a network front-end device that does not support the Mesh function. The specific implementation manners of the Mesh front-end device 101 and the non-Mesh front-end device 102 can be selected according to requirements. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the types of specific devices corresponding to the Mesh front-end device 101 and the non-Mesh front-end device 102.

The network back-end device 20 in the embodiment of the present application is used to provide a local area network access point or a network gateway access point, where the local area network access point refers to the current local area network, and the network gateway access point refers to the local area network and the external network The connection is equivalent to the connection point from the local area network to the external network. For example, NVR can be used as a network back-end device, which is used to provide LAN access points, which can be connected to IPC to form a LAN with IPC. Another example is a router as a network back-end device, which can be used as both a local area network access point and a network gateway access point.

A LAN access point refers to a device that accesses a local area network, and a network gateway access point refers to a device that accesses an external network (such as the Internet).

Exemplarily, the non-Mesh back-end devices, wireless network cameras, and network hard disk recorders introduced in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can all be used as the network back-end devices 20. As long as a certain device can serve as a local area network access point or a network gateway access point to provide a network connection to the network front-end device 10, it can be used as the network back-end device 20. The specific implementation manner of the network back-end device 20 can be arbitrarily extended on this basis, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

It can be understood that there is no absolute division between the network front-end device 10 and the network back-end device 20. Take the "alarm sensor" in the smart home system introduced in Figure 1 as an example.

The alarm sensor in FIG. 1 can only be used as a network front-end device 10 to realize the alarm function. At this time, other devices in the smart home system cannot access the network through the alarm sensor.

The alarm sensor in FIG. 1 can also only be used as a network back-end device 20 to provide network connections to other wireless devices. At this time, the alarm sensor no longer needs to realize the alarm function, and only needs to process the network connection and the uplink data transmission and the downlink data transmission. That is, the alarm sensor only needs to provide network connections for other devices in the smart home system.

The alarm sensor can be used as the network front-end device 10 to realize the alarm function, and the alarm sensor can also be used as the network back-end device 20 to provide network connections to other devices.

Therefore, based on the above introduction, those skilled in the art can understand that the network front-end device 10 and the network back-end device 20 in the embodiments of the present application can select each wireless device according to actual needs, which is not particularly limited here.

In the embodiment of the present application, if a wireless device needs to be set as the network back-end device 20, there are certain requirements for the hardware conditions of the wireless device, that is, the wireless device needs to be guaranteed when the network back-end device 20 is selected. It can effectively complete the network connection, thereby ensuring the stability of the wireless network system.

In the embodiment of the present application, the Mesh front-end device 101 and the non-Mesh front-end device 102 are respectively connected to the network back-end device 20 wirelessly. The Mesh front-end device 101 and the non-Mesh front-end device 102 are used to access the Internet through the network back-end device 20, so that both the Mesh front-end device and the non-Mesh front-end device can realize effective wireless network connection to ensure the applicability of the Mesh network.

Both Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment can communicate with the network back-end equipment 20, and then through the network back-end equipment 20, the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment can communicate with each other, and through the network back-end equipment 20, the Mesh front-end equipment communicates with each other. Non-Mesh front-end equipment is connected to the network. In the embodiments of the present application, the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment form a complete local area network, and both the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment in the local area network can access the Ethernet, which ensures the applicability of the Mesh network.

The wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application includes: a network front-end device and a network back-end device. The network front-end device includes a Mesh front-end device and a non-Mesh front-end device. The network back-end device is used to provide a local area network access point or a network gateway access point. Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment are respectively connected to the network back-end equipment wirelessly, and access the Internet through the network back-end equipment. Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment are respectively connected to the network back-end equipment wirelessly, so as to access the Internet through the network back-end equipment, realizing that the wireless network system can achieve effective when both Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment are included in the wireless network system. Wi-Fi connection. At the same time, the wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application is an effective wireless network system including Mesh devices to ensure the applicability of the Mesh network.

On the basis of the foregoing embodiments, the network back-end devices in the embodiments of this application may include both non-Mesh back-end devices and Mesh back-end devices, or may also include only non-Mesh back-end devices. The two situations are introduced separately. First, with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the situation where the network back-end equipment can include both non-Mesh back-end equipment and Mesh back-end equipment is introduced. Figure 3 provides an embodiment of this application and includes both non-Mesh back-end equipment and Mesh back-end equipment. A schematic diagram of a wireless network system of a device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a non-Mesh back-end device interface provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 3, the double-dot sliding line represents the Mesh network connection, the dashed line represents the non-Mesh network connection, and the thick solid line represents the wired network connection.

As shown in Figure 3:

The network back-end equipment 20 of the wireless network system includes both non-Mesh back-end equipment and Mesh back-end equipment.

The network front-end device 10 includes multiple Mesh front-end devices, multiple non-Mesh front-end devices, and a third Mesh repeater. In the embodiments of this application, the specific numbers of Mesh front-end equipment, non-Mesh front-end equipment, and third Mesh repeaters are determined according to actual needs. The specific numbers of Mesh front-end equipment, non-Mesh front-end equipment, and third Mesh repeaters The number depends on what devices are specifically included in the current wireless network system and what each device is used for. The number of Mesh front-end devices, non-Mesh front-end devices, and the number of third Meshes and their connection relationships in FIG. 3 are only exemplary descriptions, and are not limited to their implementation manners.

In the embodiments of the present application, the connection of each network back-end device and each network front-end device is realized through a software interface set inside it. The following describes in detail the interfaces included in each network back-end device and each network front-end device, and the connection mode between the interfaces in conjunction with FIG. 3.

First, explain the interfaces included in each network front-end device:

Mesh front-end equipment includes Mesh interface and wireless uplink interface. Among them, the wireless uplink interface may be a station (station, STA) interface. Non-Mesh front-end equipment includes wireless uplink interfaces.

The Mesh interface is an interface that supports the Mesh protocol, and the wireless uplink interface is an interface that supports the non-Mesh protocol.

Among them, a wireless device with a wireless uplink interface can connect to a local area network access point or a network gateway access point through a wireless uplink interface, thereby connecting to a non-Mesh network (that is, an ordinary wireless network), or to the Internet; those with a Mesh interface The device can establish a Mesh network with other devices with Mesh interfaces through the Mesh interface. That is to say, the devices with Mesh interfaces can establish Mesh networks with each other, which is equivalent to constructing a small Mesh LAN without Mesh interfaces. The device cannot connect to the Mesh network.

In the embodiment of the present application, only the network back-end device is directly connected to the Internet, and the network front-end device must be wirelessly connected to the network back-end device to be able to access the Internet. However, if each network front-end device is connected to the network back-end device, it will cause the network back-end device to carry too much load. At the same time, when the network front-end device is far away from the network back-end device, the network connection cannot be realized. Therefore, an effective network connection can be realized by setting up a network relay node.

The network front-end device in the embodiment of the present application may further include a third Mesh repeater. The third Mesh repeater is used to provide network relay nodes for Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment, so that Mesh front-end equipment and non-Mesh front-end equipment can access the Mesh network through the third Mesh repeater, thereby reducing the network The connection load of the back-end equipment also avoids the problem that the network connection cannot be realized when the front-end equipment of the network and the back-end equipment of the network are far away. Among them, the third Mesh repeater includes a Mesh interface and a wireless downlink interface. Among them, the wireless downlink interface is an interface that supports non-Mesh protocols.

Specifically, a device with a wireless downlink interface can connect other devices to a wireless network (such as a non-Mesh network) through the wireless downlink interface. It is understandable that a device with a wireless downlink interface is equivalent to a network bridge. The main function of a device with a wireless downlink interface is to connect devices including a wireless uplink interface to the network.

For Mesh front-end devices, the third Mesh repeater can act as a relay node between each Mesh front-end device, so that Mesh networks can communicate with each other. For non-Mesh front-end equipment, the non-Mesh front-end equipment can establish a connection with the third Mesh repeater through the wireless upstream interface through the wireless uplink interface, then the third Mesh repeater can be used in the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment It serves as a relay node to enable non-Mesh front-end devices to access the Mesh network, thereby realizing the Mesh network connection.

The third Mesh repeater establishes a connection with the Mesh front-end device through the Mesh interface, so that the third Mesh repeater accesses the Mesh network through the Mesh interface. The third Mesh repeater is connected to the non-Mesh front-end device through the wireless downlink interface, so that the third Mesh repeater is connected to the non-Mesh network through the wireless downlink interface.

The Mesh interface of the third Mesh repeater and the wireless downlink interface are connected through a bridge.

The third Mesh repeater will receive the data from the Mesh network through the Mesh interface. In the future, the data from the Mesh network will be converted to non-Mesh network data, and the converted non-Mesh network data will be transmitted to the wireless downlink interface through the bridge. Send the converted non-Mesh network data to the non-Mesh network through the wireless downlink interface.

The third Mesh repeater will receive data from the non-Mesh network through the wireless downlink interface, convert the data from the non-Mesh network into the data of the Mesh network in the future, and transmit the converted Mesh network data to the Mesh interface through the bridge, and then Send the converted Mesh network data to the Mesh network through the Mesh interface.

Through the above-mentioned third Mesh repeater with Mesh interface and wireless downlink interface, the communication between the Mesh network and the non-Mesh network is realized, and it is ensured that the Mesh network and the non-Mesh network form a complete local area network.

Next, explain the interfaces included in each network back-end device:

In this embodiment of the application, the non-Mesh back-end device includes a wireless downlink interface and a wired uplink interface.

Among them, the wired uplink interface is a hardware physical interface. For example, the wired uplink interface may include a wired local area network (Local Area Network, LAN) interface, a wired wide area network (Wide Area Network, WAN) interface, and so on. As shown in Figure 4, the interface indicated by the dashed rectangle is the wired uplink interface. The wired uplink interface is a pluggable hardware physical interface set on a non-Mesh back-end device. For example, a non-Mesh back-end device can connect a wired uplink interface to an Internet interface provided by a network card or a switch through a network cable, so that the wireless network system can access the Internet upstream.

Among them, the Mesh back-end equipment includes a Mesh interface, a wireless uplink interface, a wireless downlink interface, and a wired uplink interface.

According to the various interfaces introduced above, those skilled in the art can understand that when a certain wireless device includes a wireless uplink interface, the wireless device can be used as a terminal device to access the wireless network; when a certain wireless device includes a wireless downlink interface , The wireless device can be used as a local area network access point or a network gateway access point in the wireless network to connect the terminal equipment in the wireless network system to the Internet. Therefore, take two wireless devices, the first device and the second device, as an example. The wireless uplink interface of the first device can be connected to the wireless downlink interface of the second device, so that the first device can connect to the wireless network through the second device; each device including the Mesh interface can be connected to each other to establish a Mesh network. A wireless network connection is realized between the devices including the Mesh interface.

After introducing the interfaces of the devices in the embodiments of the present application, the connection relationship between the wireless devices in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

As shown in Figure 3:

The non-Mesh back-end equipment establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through the wired uplink interface, so that the wireless network system can be connected to the Internet, that is to say, the non-Mesh back-end equipment is used as the exit of the local area network constructed by the wireless network system to realize the wireless network system Uplink transmission of data in the wireless network system to the Internet. At this time, non-Mesh back-end devices can serve as network gateway access points.

Mesh back-end devices establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of non-Mesh back-end devices through wireless uplink interfaces, so that both non-Mesh back-end devices and Mesh back-end devices can provide access points for network connections to network front-end devices. Alternatively, the Mesh back-end device can also establish a wired network connection with the Internet through a wired uplink interface, and its implementation is similar to the non-Mesh back-end device. At this time, the Mesh back-end device can serve as the network gateway access point.

Mesh front-end devices and non-Mesh front-end devices establish wireless network connections with the wireless downlink interfaces of non-Mesh back-end devices through their respective wireless uplink interfaces, then Mesh front-end devices and non-Mesh front-end devices can realize wireless networks through non-Mesh back-end devices connection. That is, Mesh front-end devices and non-Mesh front-end devices can access the Internet through non-Mesh back-end devices.

The non-Mesh front-end device also establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater and the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface.

Specifically, when the non-Mesh front-end device establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater through the wireless uplink interface, the non-Mesh front-end device can access the Mesh network through the third Mesh repeater; When the Mesh front-end device establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface, the non-Mesh front-end device can access the non-Mesh network and the Mesh network through the Mesh back-end device.

Among them, the Mesh front-end equipment, the third Mesh repeater, and the Mesh back-end equipment all include Mesh interfaces. Devices that include Mesh interfaces can build a Mesh network, so that a Mesh network can be established between the Mesh front-end device, the third Mesh repeater, and the Mesh back-end device. It is understandable that because the non-Mesh front-end device does not include a Mesh interface, the non-Mesh front-end device cannot be connected to the Mesh network, but it can realize data intercommunication with the Mesh network through the third Mesh repeater.

For the specific connection relationship between each wireless device, refer to the example in FIG. 3, and the interfaces supported by each wireless device are also marked in FIG. 3. However, Figure 3 does not limit the wireless network system including Mesh devices. Those skilled in the art can make any possible extensions to the devices included in FIG. 3 and the connection relationship between them on the basis of the foregoing embodiments.

Based on the interfaces included in each wireless device and the connection relationship between each wireless device described above, the wireless network system including the Mesh device will be further introduced in detail from the perspective of data transmission in the wireless network.

Non-Mesh front-end equipment:

Non-Mesh front-end devices (such as mobile phones, notebooks, wireless smart curtains, and wireless light bulbs) collect data locally, and connect to the wireless downlink interfaces of non-Mesh back-end devices through wireless uplink interfaces, and the wireless downlink interfaces of Mesh back-end devices. Or the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater to realize wireless network connection. Non-Mesh front-end equipment can transmit the collected data to the back-end equipment of the network through a wireless network connection. Non-Mesh front-end devices can also obtain network data from back-end devices through a wireless network connection.

Mesh front-end equipment:

The Mesh front-end device collects data locally, and can be connected to the Mesh back-end device or a third Mesh repeater through the Mesh interface to achieve access to the Mesh network. The Mesh front-end device can also connect to the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface, or the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater, so as to realize access to the wireless network. The Mesh front-end equipment transmits the collected data to the back-end equipment of the network through a wireless network connection. Mesh front-end devices can also obtain network data from network back-end devices through wireless network connections.

The third Mesh repeater:

The third Mesh repeater is connected upstream to the Mesh network (including Mesh back-end equipment and Mesh front-end equipment), and downstream to non-Mesh front-end equipment. When the Mesh front-end device or non-Mesh front-end device is far away from the network back-end device, a network relay node (that is, a third Mesh repeater) can be provided for the Mesh front-end device or non-Mesh front-end device.

Mesh back-end equipment:

The corresponding form of the interface group of the Mesh back-end device is: Mesh interface + wireless downlink interface + wireless uplink interface + wired uplink interface. Mesh back-end equipment realizes Mesh network connection through Mesh interface, and realizes wireless network connection through wireless downlink interface and wireless uplink interface.

For example, traditional terminal devices such as mobile phones can be connected to the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface to access and obtain data on any wireless device in the Mesh network; when the Mesh back-end device is connected to the Internet , Traditional terminal devices such as mobile phones can also access any wireless device in the Mesh network through the 4G/5G network.

Among them, the Mesh interface of the Mesh back-end device and the wireless downlink interface establish a connection at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer through a bridge, so that the data in the wireless network system can communicate at the MAC layer (that is, layer 2 interoperability). The wireless downlink interface and the wireless uplink interface or wired uplink interface of the Mesh back-end equipment and the bridged Mesh interface are connected through the IP management tool, so that the data in the wireless network system can communicate at the IP layer (that is, the three-layer interoperability) . Among them, the IP management tool can be an iptable firewall.

In the embodiment of the present application, the Mesh back-end device may also be used to allocate an IP address to each Mesh front-end device in the Mesh network. The Mesh back-end device correspondingly manages a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, thereby assigning an IP address to each Mesh front-end device according to the DHCP server. Because some protocols must rely on the direct transmission of the Layer 2 network, and in order to facilitate the management of the DHCP server, in the embodiment of the present application, in the Mesh back-end device, the connection established through the bridge method and the connection established through the iptable can coexist.

Non-Mesh back-end equipment:

The corresponding form of the interface group of non-Mesh back-end devices is: wireless downlink interface + wired uplink interface. Non-Mesh back-end equipment establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through a wired uplink interface, and realizes a wireless network connection through a wireless downlink interface and a wired uplink interface.

In the embodiments of the present application, MAC layer data intercommunication is realized by bridging, and IP layer data intercommunication is realized by iptable, so that Mesh network and non-Mesh network can realize data intercommunication locally, so as to improve the interoperability of the wireless network system.

In the wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application, the non-Mesh back-end device establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through a wired uplink interface. Mesh back-end devices establish network connections with non-Mesh back-end devices through wired uplink interfaces or wireless uplink interfaces. Mesh front-end devices and non-Mesh front-end devices establish wireless network connections with the wireless downlink interfaces of non-Mesh back-end devices through their respective wireless uplink interfaces. The non-Mesh front-end device can also establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater and the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface. The Mesh front-end device, the third Mesh repeater, and the Mesh back-end device can establish a wireless network connection with each other through their respective Mesh interfaces. The Mesh interface of the Mesh back-end device or the third Mesh repeater and the wireless downlink interface establish a connection at the MAC layer through a bridge, so that the MAC layer can communicate with each other. Establish a bridged Mesh interface and wireless downlink interface with the wireless uplink interface or wired uplink interface of the Mesh back-end device to establish a connection through an IP management tool to enable data intercommunication at the IP layer, which can include both Mesh front-end devices and non-Mesh in the wireless network system An effective wireless network connection is constructed when the front-end equipment is used. At the same time, by realizing the data intercommunication of the MAC layer and the data intercommunication of the IP layer, the data intercommunication between the Mesh network and the ordinary wireless network can be realized to improve the interoperability of the wireless network system.

On the basis of the foregoing embodiment, the case where the network back-end devices only include non-Mesh back-end devices is introduced in conjunction with FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a wireless network system that does not include Mesh devices provided by an embodiment of the application. As shown in Figure 5:

The non-Mesh back-end equipment, Mesh front-end equipment, and non-Mesh front-end equipment in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 are the same as those introduced in the embodiment in FIG. Highlights. In Figure 5, the double-dot sliding line represents the Mesh network connection, the dashed line represents the non-Mesh network connection, and the thick solid line represents the wired network connection.

The difference between Figure 3 and Figure 5 is that the network back-end devices of the wireless network system in Figure 5 only include non-Mesh back-end devices, and then Mesh front-end devices and non-Mesh front-end devices can respectively use their respective wireless uplinks. The interface establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device.

Figure 5 does not include the Mesh back-end equipment, but the Mesh front-end equipment and the Mesh repeaters in Figure 5 also need to build a Mesh network between each other. Therefore, the embodiment of this application introduces a first Mesh repeater, where the first Mesh repeater is used to provide a network relay node for the Mesh front-end device, so that the Mesh front-end device can access the non-Mesh network through the first Mesh repeater . The first Mesh repeater includes a Mesh interface and a wireless uplink interface. Because the first Mesh repeater includes a wireless uplink interface, the first Mesh repeater can establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of a non-Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface, thereby realizing the access of the first Mesh repeater Internet. At the same time, because the first Mesh repeater also includes a Mesh interface, the Mesh repeater and Mesh front-end equipment in the wireless network system can establish a Mesh network connection with the first Mesh repeater through the Mesh interface, thereby realizing a Mesh network. In addition, the Mesh front-end device can access a non-Mesh network (that is, a normal wireless network) through the first Mesh repeater.

In the embodiment of the present application, by setting the first Mesh repeater, the construction of a Mesh network and a non-Mesh network can also be achieved without setting a Mesh back-end device, thereby increasing the flexibility of the wireless network system.

The second Mesh repeater in the embodiment of the present application has the same function and interface as the third Mesh repeater in the embodiment of FIG. 3, so it will not be repeated here, and its specific implementation can be referred to the above-mentioned embodiment. Introduction.

In the foregoing embodiment, the Mesh back-end device is responsible for assigning IP addresses to each Mesh front-end device. In this embodiment, there is no Mesh back-end device. Therefore, in the embodiment of this application, the first Mesh repeater can also be used for each Mesh. The front-end equipment assigns an IP address. Specifically, the first Mesh repeater provides a DHCP server allocation service to allocate IP addresses to each wireless device in the Mesh network. In a possible implementation, multiple first Mesh repeaters can be set in the Mesh network to provide multiple DHCP server distribution services to provide multiple network outlets for the Mesh network. Compared with the Mesh single-outlet network (Figure 3) In terms of only the Mesh back-end equipment as the network outlet), it plays a role in load balancing.

In the embodiment of this application, the interfaces included in the first Mesh repeater are Mesh interfaces and wireless uplink interfaces, and the interfaces included in the Mesh front-end equipment are also Mesh interfaces and wireless uplink interfaces. The difference between the two is: A connection is established between the Mesh interface of the Mesh repeater and the wireless uplink interface by means of bridging, so as to realize the MAC layer data intercommunication between the Mesh interface and the wireless uplink interface (ie, Layer 2 intercommunication). Among them, the wireless uplink interface is connected to the wireless downlink interface, and the Mesh interface is connected to the Mesh interface, so that the first Mesh repeater acts as a bridge between the Mesh network and the ordinary wireless network, so that the ordinary wireless network and the Mesh network can be merged together to realize the ordinary Data intercommunication between wireless network and Mesh network.

In the embodiment of this application, as long as a connection is established between the Mesh interface and the wireless uplink interface in the Mesh front-end device through a bridge connection, the Mesh front-end device can act as the first Mesh repeater, thereby improving the wireless network system's performance. Scalability.

The wireless network system provided by the embodiment of the present application establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through a wired uplink interface through a non-Mesh back-end device. The Mesh front-end device, the non-Mesh front-end device, and the first Mesh repeater respectively establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device through their respective wireless uplink interfaces. The Mesh front-end equipment, the first Mesh repeater, and the second Mesh repeater establish a wireless network connection with each other through their respective Mesh interfaces. The non-Mesh front-end device can also establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the second Mesh repeater through the wireless uplink interface. The first Mesh repeater realizes the integration of the normal wireless network and the Mesh network, so that the wireless network system can also be effectively constructed without including the Mesh back-end equipment, thereby improving the flexibility of the wireless network system.

In the embodiment of the present application, wireless networks include Mesh networks and non-Mesh networks. Non-Mesh networks can also be called ordinary wireless networks.

A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the implementation of the foregoing embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing relevant hardware. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it executes the steps including the foregoing embodiments.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the application, not to limit them; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: The technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features can be equivalently replaced; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application. range.

Claims

A wireless network system is characterized by comprising: a network front-end device and a network back-end device, the network front-end device includes a Mesh front-end device and a non-Mesh front-end device;

The network back-end device is used to provide a local area network access point or a network gateway access point;

The Mesh front-end device and the non-Mesh front-end device are respectively connected to the network back-end device wirelessly, and are used to access the Internet through the network back-end device.
The system according to claim 1, wherein the Mesh front-end equipment includes a Mesh interface and a wireless uplink interface;

The non-Mesh front-end equipment includes a wireless uplink interface.
The system according to claim 2, wherein the network back-end device comprises a non-Mesh back-end device;

The non-Mesh back-end equipment includes an access point wireless downlink interface and a wired uplink interface.
The system according to claim 3, wherein the network front-end equipment further comprises a first Mesh repeater and a second Mesh repeater;

The first Mesh repeater is used to provide a network relay node for the Mesh front-end device, so that the Mesh front-end device accesses a non-Mesh network through the first Mesh repeater, and the first Mesh relay The device includes Mesh interface and wireless uplink interface;

The first Mesh repeater is also used to allocate Internet Protocol IP addresses to each of the Mesh front-end devices;

The second Mesh repeater is used to provide network relay nodes for the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment, so that the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment relay through the second Mesh The device is connected to the Mesh network, and the second Mesh repeater includes a Mesh interface and a wireless downlink interface.
The system according to claim 4, wherein the non-Mesh back-end device establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through the wired uplink interface;

The Mesh front-end device, the non-Mesh front-end device, and the first Mesh repeater respectively establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device through the respective wireless uplink interfaces;

The Mesh front-end equipment, the first Mesh repeater, and the second Mesh repeater each establish a wireless network connection with each other through their respective Mesh interfaces;

The non-Mesh front-end device also establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the second Mesh repeater through the wireless uplink interface.
The system according to claim 5, wherein the Mesh interface of the first Mesh repeater and the wireless uplink interface establish a connection through a bridge, so as to enable data intercommunication at the media access control MAC layer.
The system according to claim 3, wherein the network back-end device further comprises a Mesh back-end device;

The Mesh back-end device includes a Mesh interface, a wireless uplink interface, a wireless downlink interface, and a wired uplink interface;

The Mesh back-end device is also used to allocate an IP address to each of the Mesh front-end devices.
The system according to claim 7, wherein the network front-end equipment further comprises a third Mesh repeater;

The third Mesh repeater is used to provide network relay nodes for the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment, so that the Mesh front-end equipment and the non-Mesh front-end equipment relay through the third Mesh The device is connected to the Mesh network, and the third Mesh repeater includes a Mesh interface and a wireless downlink interface.
The system according to claim 8, wherein the non-Mesh back-end device establishes a wired network connection with the Internet through a wired uplink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device;

The Mesh back-end device establishes a network connection with the non-Mesh back-end device through a wired uplink interface or a wireless uplink interface of the Mesh back-end device;

The Mesh front-end device and the non-Mesh front-end device respectively establish a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the non-Mesh back-end device through their respective wireless uplink interfaces;

The non-Mesh front-end device further establishes a wireless network connection with the wireless downlink interface of the third Mesh repeater and the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device through the wireless uplink interface of the non-Mesh front-end device;

The Mesh front-end device, the third Mesh repeater, and the Mesh back-end device establish a wireless network connection with each other through their respective Mesh interfaces.
The system according to claim 9, wherein the Mesh interface and the wireless downlink interface of the Mesh back-end device establish a connection at the MAC layer by bridging, so that the MAC layer can communicate with each other;

The Mesh interface and the wireless downlink interface for establishing the bridge are connected with the wireless uplink interface or the wired uplink interface of the Mesh back-end device through an IP management tool, so as to enable IP layer data intercommunication.