CN112087787A

CN112087787A - Method for establishing WiFi network, communication method of WiFi network and WiFi equipment

Info

Publication number: CN112087787A
Application number: CN202010986475.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张余款; 陈振平; 章锦跃
Original assignee: Hangzhou Honyar Electrical Co Ltd; Putian Intelligent Lighting Institute Co Ltd
Current assignee: Putian Hongyan Internet Of Things Technology Co ltd; Hangzhou Honyar Electrical Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-18
Filing date: 2020-09-18
Publication date: 2020-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-18
Also published as: CN112087787B; CN114205886B; CN114205886A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising: broadcasting the connection level and the number of child nodes by the first WiFi equipment; judging whether the first WiFi equipment is a connection target of the second WiFi equipment or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the information broadcast by the first WiFi equipment; and in response to determining that the first WiFi device is the connection target of the second WiFi device, connecting to the first WiFi device by the second WiFi device as a child node of the first WiFi device. The disclosure also relates to a communication method of a WiFi network, a method of operation of a WiFi device, and a WiFi device.

Description

Method for establishing WiFi network, communication method of WiFi network and WiFi equipment

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method for establishing a WiFi network, a communication method for a WiFi network, and a WiFi device and an operation method thereof.

Background

WiFi technology has become very popular, and many devices communicate using WiFi technology, for example, WiFi technology is often used in smart home networks. Due to the fact that the capacity of each WiFi access point AP is limited, the WiFi access point AP is easily in a connection saturation state, and when the number of WiFi devices (for example, each smart terminal in the smart home network) is large, it is easy to cause that the WiFi devices access the WiFi network. In addition, in the existing WiFi network, if the number of APs is large, the configuration of the hierarchy and the routing is troublesome and complicated.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of establishing a WiFi network, a communication method of the WiFi network, and a WiFi device and an operation method thereof.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising: broadcasting the connection level and the number of child nodes by the first WiFi equipment; judging whether the first WiFi equipment is a connection target of the second WiFi equipment or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the information broadcast by the first WiFi equipment; and in response to determining that the first WiFi device is the connection target of the second WiFi device, connecting to the first WiFi device by the second WiFi device as a child node of the first WiFi device.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising: sending broadcast information by a first WiFi device, wherein the broadcast information comprises a connection level of the first WiFi device and the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device; judging whether the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the number of the child nodes; and responding to the judgment that the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated, and sending a forced connection request to the first WiFi equipment by the second WiFi equipment.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication method of a WiFi network, the WiFi network including a first node, the method comprising: the first node sends a first data packet to all nodes directly connected with the first node, wherein the first data packet comprises an identifier of the first node and an identifier of a destination node of the first data packet; a second node of all nodes directly connected with the first node judges whether a destination node of the first data packet is the second node; and in response to the destination node of the first packet being the second node, the second node not sending the first packet.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operation of a WiFi device, comprising: receiving broadcast information from each of one or more nodes in the WiFi network, the broadcast information of each node comprising an identification of the node, a connection level, and a number of child nodes; searching for an unsaturated node with the highest connection level in the one or more nodes; connecting to the unsaturated node with the highest connection level according to the identifier of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level and a preset connection password so that the equipment is used as a child node of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level; and in response to the connection being completed, transmitting broadcast information, the transmitted broadcast information including an identification of the device, a connection hierarchy, and a number of child nodes.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a WiFi device, comprising a broadcasting module, a connection module, and a control module, wherein the broadcasting module is configured to receive broadcast information from each of one or more nodes in a WiFi network, the broadcast information of each node including an identification of the node, a connection hierarchy, and a number of child nodes; the control module is configured to search for an unsaturated node with a highest connection hierarchy among the one or more nodes; and the connection module is configured to connect to the unsaturated node with the highest connection level according to the identifier of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level and a predetermined connection password so as to enable the device to serve as a child node of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level, wherein the control module is further configured to control the broadcast module to transmit broadcast information of the device in response to the connection module completing the connection, and the broadcast information of the device comprises the identifier of the device, the connection level and the number of the child nodes.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a WiFi device comprising operating circuitry configured to perform the method as described above.

According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a WiFi device comprising: a processor; and a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method as described above.

Other features of the present disclosure and advantages thereof will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The present disclosure may be understood more clearly and in accordance with the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

fig. 1 schematically illustrates a plurality of WiFi devices within a particular physical space.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plurality of WiFi devices shown in fig. 1 connected to form a WiFi network based on the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram schematically illustrating at least a portion of a method of establishing a WiFi network, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart schematically illustrating at least a portion of a method of establishing a WiFi network in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart schematically illustrating at least a portion of a communication method of a WiFi network according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a flow diagram schematically illustrating at least a portion of a method of operation of a WiFi device in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a WiFi device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a WiFi device in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, the embodiments described below are intended to provide a more complete disclosure of the present disclosure, and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

It should be understood that like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views. In the drawings, the size of some of the features may be varied for clarity.

It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

In this document, the term "coupled" is intended to encompass a physical, electrical, and/or communicative coupling of one feature to another, and may or may not have intervening features between the one feature and the other feature. When the connection is a communicative connection, even though reference is made to a and B being "directly connected," it is intended to merely emphasize that one or more features emphasized by the present disclosure are not present between the connection of a and B, but is not meant to limit the connection between a and B without passing through any element, as one skilled in the art will appreciate that a and B may be connected by a cable, router, gateway, channel, link, network, or the like. It should be noted that, in the drawings of the present disclosure, a direct connection or an indirect connection between a and B is represented by a straight line connecting a and B.

Herein, the term "a or B" includes "a and B" and "a or B" rather than exclusively including only "a" or only "B" unless otherwise specifically stated.

In this document, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not as a "model" that is to be reproduced exactly. Any implementation exemplarily described herein is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, the disclosure is not limited by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the detailed description.

In this document, the term "substantially" is intended to encompass any minor variations due to design or manufacturing imperfections, tolerances of the devices or components, environmental influences and/or other factors. The term "substantially" also allows for differences from a perfect or ideal situation due to parasitics, noise, and other practical considerations that may exist in a practical implementation.

In addition, "first," "second," and like terms may also be used herein for reference purposes only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises/comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As shown in fig. 1, there are multiple WiFi devices, including WiFi device A, B, C, etc., within a particular physical space (e.g., within a home or office), which may establish communication connections with each other to form a local area network, such as the WiFi network referred to herein. One of the WiFi devices, for example, device a, is configured as a central node of the WiFi network (i.e., a node with the highest connection level in the WiFi network) which may only have a routing function, for example, may be a router or the like. Other WiFi devices, such as device B, C, may have both routing and terminal functions, such as a cell phone with WiFi hotspot function. It should be understood that a WiFi device configured for a central node may also be equipped with both routing and terminal capabilities. Devices connected in the network are also referred to as nodes of the network, and thus, herein, the device A, B, C, etc. are also referred to as nodes A, B, C, etc.

In the method for establishing a WiFi network according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, each node broadcasts its own two Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs) alternately, where one is a static SSID and the other is a dynamic SSID. The static SSID and the dynamic SSID have associated portions, e.g., each include a specific identifier, e.g., a character or string that may be agreed upon to indicate that the node broadcasting the SSID supports the method of establishing a WiFi network as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. The associated portion may also indicate that the two SSIDs originate from the same node. For example, both the static and dynamic SSIDs also include an identification of the node broadcasting the SSID, which may be, for example, the MAC address of the node. In one particular example, both static and dynamic SSIDs may include "POINT _ XXX", where the string "POINT _" at the head of the SSID serves as a specific identifier to indicate that the node supports the methods of embodiments of the present disclosure, and the string "XXX" is a hexadecimal character of the MAC address of the node, which may be 12 bits in length. For example, if the binary MAC address of a node is 0b000000000001, which is 0x001 in hexadecimal form, the character string "XXX" may be "001". The MAC address of the node is used as the identifier of the node, so that the repeated SSIDs of different nodes can be avoided. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the specific identifier in the SSID may not be located at the head of the SSID, as long as the character content of the specific identifier in the SSID and its location in the SSID string are defined between the devices supporting the method for establishing a WiFi network according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In addition to the specific identifier and identification of the node described above, the dynamic SSID also includes the connectivity hierarchy of the node in the WiFi network and the number of its child nodes. In the example shown in fig. 2, the connection level of the central node in the WiFi network is one level, that is, the node a is a first-level node; directly connected to the central node is a secondary node, i.e., node B, C, D, E has a connection level of two; directly connected to the secondary nodes are the tertiary nodes, i.e., nodes F through M are connected at a three-level hierarchy, and so on. In this context, a lower number of connection levels is also referred to as a higher or "upper" connection level, e.g. the connection level of node a is higher than the connection level of node B, which is the higher node of node B. The next level node directly connected to a node is a child node thereof, for example, in the example shown in fig. 2, node B is a child node of node a, and node F, G is a child node of node B. Accordingly, node B is the parent of node F, G and node a is the parent of node B. The dynamic SSID may also include a connection status of the node to indicate whether the node is connected to its previous node. It may be agreed that the connection status of the central node is always connected to its previous node.

In one particular example, the dynamic SSID can include the string "POINT _ XXX _ aacc," where "POINT _ XXX" can be as described above, i.e., the "POINT _ XXX" in the dynamic SSID of a node is identical to the static SSID of that node. "AA" may be used to indicate the level of connectivity of the node, e.g., "AA" of "01" indicates a primary node, "02" indicates a secondary node, and so on. "B" may be used to indicate the connection status of the node, for example, a "B" of "0" indicates that the node is not connected to a previous node, and a "1" indicates that the node is connected to a previous node. "CC" may be used to indicate the number of children of the node (i.e., nodes directly connected to the node), e.g., "CC" of "01" indicates that 1 child has been connected to the node, "CC" of "02" indicates that 2 children have been connected to the node, and so on.

In the method for establishing the WiFi network in the embodiment of the disclosure, each node broadcasts two SSIDs of the node, wherein the dynamic SSID can be used by other nodes to judge whether the node can be used as a connection target of other nodes; and the static SSID is fixed, so that other nodes can be conveniently connected to the node through the static SSID.

A method of establishing a WiFi network of an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below using a specific example in conjunction with fig. 1.

Node a, configured as a central node, broadcasts its static and dynamic SSIDs alternately, which may begin, for example, after power-up. A WiFi device that can implement the methods of the present disclosure searches for SSIDs within its signal reception range. For example, the node B searches for 5 SSIDs, respectively test _ wifi, POINT _001_01102, POINT _001, POINT _002_02102, and POINT _002, by receiving the broadcast. The node B may first determine that test _ wifi this SSID does not conform to the format of "POINT _ XXX _ aacc" or "POINT _ XXX", and therefore ignore this SSID. Since the MAC addresses carried by the two SSIDs POINT _001_01102 and POINT _001 are both 0x001, the two SSIDs are from the same node. Point _001_01102 is a dynamic SSID, and Point _001 is a static SSID. Similarly, Point _002_02102 and Point _002 are the dynamic SSID and the static SSID of the other node, respectively.

The node B may then decide which node to target for connection based on the two dynamic SSIDs from two different nodes, respectively. POINT 001_01102 the connection level "01" in the string "01102" in this dynamic SSID indicates that the node broadcasting this SSID is a level one node (i.e., a central node), which in the illustrated example is node a. "1" indicates that node a has been connected to an upper node (the central node has no parent node, by default, it has been connected to an upper node). "02" indicates that there are 2 child nodes connected to node A. The node B may be preconfigured with a saturation threshold to determine whether the connections of other nodes are saturated. For example, if the saturation threshold is configured in advance to be 5, that is, if the number of child nodes indicating the maximum connection per node is 5, it may be determined that the node is saturated (the number of child nodes of the node may be referred to as saturation, or the connection of the node may be saturated, or the like) if the number of child nodes is 5. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this threshold is merely an example, and may be configured according to the connectivity capabilities of the WiFi device. In addition, different saturation thresholds may be configured for nodes in different levels, for example, a saturation threshold of a node in a first level is configured to be 10 (saturation is performed when the number of child nodes of a center node is 10), and a saturation threshold of a node in another connection level is configured to be 3 (saturation is performed when the number of child nodes of a node in a second level and below is 3). Node a is not saturated because its dynamic SSID indicates that its child node number is only 2. Similarly, POINT _002_02102 indicates that the node broadcasting this SSID is a secondary node (which in the illustrated example may be node C), has been connected to an upper node, and has 2 child nodes (whose connections are not saturated).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, each WiFi device preferentially selects an unsaturated node with a high connection level for connection. Thus, in this example, node B receives two SSIDs from two nodes, respectively, based on which it determines that the unsaturated higher-level node is the node broadcasting POINT _001_01102, i.e., node a. Therefore, node B preferentially selects to connect to node a. Then, the node B is connected to the node a according to the static SSID (POINT _001) of the node a and a connection password predetermined by the node a. In one embodiment, node B connects to node a through a static SSID and password after delaying a random time, which is delayed to avoid collisions with simultaneous connections.

After the node B is successfully connected to the node A, the dynamic SSID of the node A is changed, the number of the child nodes is increased by 1, namely the dynamic SSID is changed to POINT _001_01103, and the static SSID is not changed. Node a starts broadcasting its static SSID and the changed dynamic SSID alternately. After node B successfully connects to node a, node B begins broadcasting its SSID for other nodes to receive and connect to. For example, the node B may alternately broadcast a static SSID "POINT _ 00B" and a dynamic SSID "POINT _00B _ 020100" indicating that the MAC address of the node B is 0x00B, the connection level is a secondary node, an upper node is connected, and the number of its child nodes is 0.

The operation of the other nodes is similar to that of node B. Each node searches for SSIDs within its reception range, looks for unsaturated higher-level nodes to connect, and forms a WiFi network as shown in fig. 2.

Each saturated node periodically measures the signal strength of each of its child nodes and can eliminate the child nodes with poor signals. In one embodiment, a node disconnects one or more child nodes to which it is connected with a signal strength less than a threshold. In one embodiment, a node periodically disconnects the child node with the worst signal strength to which it is connected. In this way, each node can be enabled to search for and connect to a parent node with better signal strength (e.g., closer distance) to ensure communication quality.

The method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure also provides a forced connection mechanism for WiFi devices. In one embodiment, if a WiFi device attempts to connect multiple times but does not successfully connect to any node (e.g., the number of attempted connections exceeds a threshold), the device may apply for a forced connection. In one embodiment, WiFi devices are always rejected by a node due to poor signal strength (e.g., the number of times of rejection exceeds a threshold), and if they have data packets to transmit, they may apply for a forced connection. In one embodiment, a WiFi device that has not yet connected any node (e.g., may be unable to connect any node due to full saturation of nodes located in its vicinity) may apply for a mandatory connection if a higher priority packet needs to be transmitted (e.g., an emergency communication packet). The WiFi device may send a forced connection request to nodes in its vicinity, e.g., to each of a plurality of nodes in its vicinity in turn. The node receiving the forced connection request disconnects the node from the child node with the weakest signal strength and broadcasts a new dynamic SSID, wherein the carried information indicates that the node is not saturated. After receiving the new dynamic SSID, the device sending the forced connection request determines that the node is not saturated and can connect to the node. In one embodiment, the node does not eliminate WiFi devices that are forcibly connected to it, but can only wait for the device to disconnect from the node itself.

After the WiFi network shown in fig. 2 has been formed, if a node, for example, the node C goes offline (for example, power off, crash, etc.) for some reason, the child node H, I of the access node C is disconnected from the node C, and becomes a node which does not access an upper node. At this point, node H, I may stop broadcasting its SSID and disconnect from all of the child nodes (not shown) connected to it. The node H, I (and its child nodes) start receiving broadcasts to search for SSIDs in their vicinity for new nodes that are available for access, thus forming a new WiFi network.

Any node in the WiFi network may initiate communication, such as sending a data packet to any other node in the WiFi network. Each communication needs to indicate the originator and destination of the communication, e.g. the transmitted data packet includes the identity of the node that transmitted the data packet and the identity of the destination node that expects to receive the data packet. In addition, the data packet may further include a frame sequence number, so that the receiving side determines whether the data packet is repeatedly received, whether the data packet is retransmitted, or the like. And each node needing communication sends the data packet needing to be sent to all the child nodes of the node and the parent node of the node. After any node receives the data packet, if the destination node of the data packet is not self, the data packet is forwarded to all the child nodes of the data packet and the parent node of the data packet, except the node from which the data packet is sent. If the destination node of the data packet is self, the data packet is not forwarded after being received. Thus, as long as the destination node of the data packet is within the WiFi network, the data can be received with certainty. If the destination node is not present, i.e. not within the WiFi network, the data will propagate once in all nodes within the WiFi network.

Data communication in a WiFi network formed according to a method of establishing a WiFi network of an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in a specific example below with reference to fig. 2. If a node K needs to send data to M, and K has no child node, the data is directly sent to a parent node D of the node K, the data comprises the MAC of the node K and the MAC of the node M, the MAC of the node K is an initiator, and the MAC of the node M is a target. D, after receiving the data, the destination party is not found to be the destination party, and the data are forwarded to all child nodes J except K and the parent node A. J, after receiving the data, finds that the destination is not self because there is no child node and the data comes from the parent node, so it does not need to be forwarded. After receiving the data, node a finds that the destination is not itself, and forwards the data to all its children nodes B, C, E except D. Because there is no parent node, it does not need to be issued to the parent node. B. C, after receiving the data, the destination party is not found to be the destination party, and the data is forwarded to all child nodes G, F and H, I of the destination party, and the data does not need to be forwarded to a parent node because the data comes from the parent node. G. F, H, I, when the data is received, it is found that the destination party is not itself, and there is no child node or parent node that can forward, so it will not forward any more, and the received data can be discarded. E, upon receiving the data, finds that the destination is not itself, since the data is from the parent node a, and therefore does not need to be forwarded to the parent node a and to all its children M, L. L finds that the data destination is not itself and has no place to forward, and therefore no longer forwards. After receiving the data, the M finds that the destination party is the M, so the M does not forward and process the data, and the communication is finished.

In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure may also include the following examples:

example 1: as shown in fig. 3, a method 100 of establishing a WiFi network. The method 100 comprises: step S11: broadcasting the connection level and the number of child nodes by the first WiFi equipment; step S12: judging whether the first WiFi equipment is a connection target of the second WiFi equipment or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the information broadcast by the first WiFi equipment; and step S13: and in response to the fact that the first WiFi equipment is judged to be the connection target of the second WiFi equipment, the second WiFi equipment is used as a child node of the first WiFi equipment to be connected to the first WiFi equipment.

Example 2: as shown in fig. 4, a method 200 of establishing a WiFi network. The method 200 comprises the following steps: step S21: the method comprises the steps that first WiFi equipment sends broadcast information, wherein the broadcast information comprises the connection level of the first WiFi equipment and the number of child nodes of the first WiFi equipment; step S22: judging whether the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the number of the child nodes; and step S23: and responding to the judgment that the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated, and sending a forced connection request to the first WiFi equipment by the second WiFi equipment.

Example 3: as shown in fig. 5, a communication method 300 for a WiFi network, wherein the WiFi network includes a first node. The method 300 includes: step S31: a first node sends a first data packet to all nodes directly connected with the first node, wherein the first data packet comprises an identifier of the first node and an identifier of a destination node of the first data packet; step S32: a second node of all nodes directly connected with the first node judges whether a destination node of the first data packet is the second node; and step S33: the second node does not transmit the first packet in response to the destination node of the first packet being the second node.

Example 4: as shown in fig. 6, a method 400 of operation of a WiFi device. The method 400 includes: step S41: receiving broadcast information from each of one or more nodes in a WiFi network, the broadcast information for each node including an identification of the node, a connection level, and a number of child nodes; step S42: searching for an unsaturated node with the highest connection level in the one or more nodes; step S43: connecting to the unsaturated node with the highest connection level according to the identifier of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level and a preset connection password so as to enable the equipment to be used as a child node of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level; and step S44: in response to the connection being completed, broadcast information is transmitted, the transmitted broadcast information including an identification of the device, a connection hierarchy, and a number of child nodes.

Example 5: as shown in fig. 7, a WiFi device 500. The device 500 includes a broadcast module 510, a connection module 520, and a control module 530. The broadcast module 510 is configured to receive broadcast information from each of one or more nodes in the WiFi network, the broadcast information for each node including an identification of the node, a connection hierarchy, and a number of child nodes. The control module 530 is configured to search for an unsaturated node with the highest connection level among the one or more nodes. The connection module 520 is configured to connect to the unsaturated node with the highest connection level according to the identifier of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level and a predetermined connection password, so that the device serves as a child node of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level. The control module 530 is further configured to control the broadcast module 510 to transmit broadcast information of the device in response to the connection module 520 completing the connection, the broadcast information of the device including an identification of the device, a connection hierarchy, and the number of child nodes.

Example 6: as shown in fig. 8, a WiFi device 600. The device 600 includes a processor 610 and a memory 620. The memory 620 stores computer-executable instructions 621 and data 622 needed to execute the instructions 621. The computer-executable instructions 621, when executed by the processor 610, cause the processor 610 to perform the methods as described above.

Example 7: a WiFi device comprising operating circuitry configured to perform the method as described above.

1. a method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising:

broadcasting the connection level and the number of child nodes by the first WiFi equipment;

judging whether the first WiFi equipment is a connection target of the second WiFi equipment or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the information broadcast by the first WiFi equipment; and

and in response to the fact that the first WiFi equipment is judged to be the connection target of the second WiFi equipment, the second WiFi equipment is used as a child node of the first WiFi equipment to be connected to the first WiFi equipment.

2. The method of 1, further comprising:

broadcasting, by the second WiFi device, its connection level and the number of its child nodes in response to the second WiFi device connecting to the first WiFi device as a child node of the first WiFi device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first WiFi device is a connection target of the second WiFi device comprises:

judging whether the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is smaller than a preset number; and

and in response to the judgment that the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi device is smaller than the preset number, judging that the first WiFi device is the connection target of the second WiFi device.

4. The method of 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the connection level and the number of child nodes by the third WiFi equipment; and

judging whether the first WiFi equipment is a connection target of the second WiFi equipment or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the information broadcast by the first WiFi equipment and the information broadcast by the third WiFi equipment,

wherein determining whether the first WiFi device is a connection target of the second WiFi device comprises:

comparing the connectivity hierarchy of the third WiFi device with the connectivity hierarchy of the first WiFi device;

judging whether the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device is small or not in response to the fact that the connection level of the third WiFi device is lower than that of the first WiFi device

A predetermined number; and

5. The method of 4, wherein determining whether the first WiFi device is a connection target of the second WiFi device further comprises:

in response to that the connection level of the third WiFi equipment is not lower than that of the first WiFi equipment, judging whether the number of child nodes of the third WiFi equipment is less than a preset number;

in response to the judgment that the number of the child nodes of the third WiFi equipment is not less than the preset number, judging whether the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is less than the preset number or not; and

6. The method of 4, wherein determining whether the first WiFi device is a connection target of the second WiFi device further comprises:

in response to that the connection level of the third WiFi device is equal to the connection level of the first WiFi device, determining whether the number of child nodes of the third WiFi device is less than a predetermined number and the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device is less than a predetermined number;

in response to determining that the number of child nodes of the third WiFi device is less than a predetermined number and the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device is less than a predetermined number, comparing the strength of the signal received from the third WiFi device with the strength of the signal received from the first WiFi device;

and in response to the strength of the signal received from the first WiFi device being greater than the strength of the signal received from the third WiFi device, determining that the first WiFi device is a connection target of the second WiFi device.

7. The method of 1, further comprising:

in response to a disconnection between the first WiFi device and the second WiFi device, stopping, by the second WiFi device, broadcasting its connection level and its number of child nodes.

8. The method of 7, further comprising:

disconnecting, by the second WiFi device, its connection to each child node in response to the disconnection between the first WiFi device and the second WiFi device.

9. The method of 1, further comprising:

periodically measuring, by the first WiFi device, signal strength of each of its child nodes in response to the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device not being less than a predetermined number; and

disconnecting, by the first WiFi device, a connection with a first child node of the first WiFi device in response to the signal strength of the first child node being less than a threshold.

10. The method of 1, further comprising:

broadcasting its identification by the first WiFi device; and

and in response to the fact that the first WiFi equipment is judged to be the connection target of the second WiFi equipment, the second WiFi equipment is connected to the first WiFi equipment according to the identification of the first WiFi equipment and a preset connection password.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification is broadcast by the first WiFi device as at least a portion of a first SSID, and the connectivity hierarchy and the number of child nodes are broadcast by the first WiFi device as at least a portion of a second SSID, wherein the first and second SSIDs have associated portions.

12. A method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising:

sending broadcast information by a first WiFi device, wherein the broadcast information comprises a connection level of the first WiFi device and the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device;

judging whether the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the number of the child nodes; and

and responding to the judgment that the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated, and sending a forced connection request to the first WiFi equipment by the second WiFi equipment.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving a forced connection request from the second WiFi device, disconnecting, by the first WiFi device, its connection to the child node with the weakest signal strength;

in response to disconnecting the connection with the child node with the weakest signal strength, transmitting broadcast information by the first WiFi device, wherein the broadcast information comprises the updated number of child nodes;

judging whether the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is saturated or not by the second WiFi equipment according to the updated number of the child nodes; and

and in response to the judgment that the number of the child nodes of the first WiFi equipment is not saturated, the second WiFi equipment is used as the child node of the first WiFi equipment to be connected to the first WiFi equipment.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

periodically measuring, by the first WiFi device, signal strength of each of its child nodes in response to the second WiFi device being connected to the first WiFi device and the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device being not less than a predetermined number; and

disconnecting, by the first WiFi device, its connection with a first child node of the first WiFi device other than the second WiFi device in response to the signal strength of the first child node being less than a threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to receiving a forced connection request from a third WiFi device, disconnecting the first WiFi device from the sub-node with the weakest signal strength in all the sub-nodes except the second WiFi device; and

transmitting, by the first WiFi device, broadcast information.

16. A communication method of a WiFi network, the WiFi network comprising a first node, the method comprising:

the first node sends a first data packet to all nodes directly connected with the first node, wherein the first data packet comprises an identifier of the first node and an identifier of a destination node of the first data packet;

a second node of all nodes directly connected with the first node judges whether a destination node of the first data packet is the second node; and

the second node does not send the first packet in response to the destination node of the first packet being the second node.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to the destination node of the first packet not being the second node, the second node sends the first packet to all nodes directly connected to the second node except the first node.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the second node does not send the first packet in response to the destination node of the first packet not being the second node and only the first node directly connected to the second node.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

a third node of all nodes directly connected with the second node judges whether a destination node of the first data packet is the third node; and

the third node does not send the first packet in response to the destination node of the first packet being the third node.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

in response to the destination node of the first packet not being the third node, the third node sends the first packet to all nodes directly connected to the third node except the second node.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

the third node does not send the first data packet in response to the destination node of the first data packet not being the third node and only the second node directly connected to the third node.

22. The method of 16, wherein the identification is a MAC address.

23. A method of operation of a WiFi device, comprising:

receiving broadcast information from each of one or more nodes in the WiFi network, the broadcast information of each node comprising an identification of the node, a connection level, and a number of child nodes;

searching for an unsaturated node with the highest connection level in the one or more nodes;

connecting to the unsaturated node with the highest connection level according to the identifier of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level and a preset connection password so that the equipment is used as a child node of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level; and

in response to the connection completion, transmitting broadcast information, the transmitted broadcast information including an identification of the device, a connection hierarchy, and a number of child nodes.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to searching for two or more unsaturated nodes with the same connection hierarchy in the one or more nodes, searching for a node with the strongest signal strength in the two or more unsaturated nodes; and

and connecting to the node with the strongest signal strength according to the identifier of the node with the strongest signal strength and a preset connection password so as to enable the equipment to be used as a child node of the node with the strongest signal strength.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to not searching for any unsaturated nodes, sending a forced connection request to a first node of the one or more nodes with a highest connection level;

receiving broadcast information from the first node in response to sending the forced connection request; and

and in response to the broadcast information from the first node indicating that the first node is not saturated, connecting to the first node according to the identification of the first node and a predetermined connection password so that the device is used as a child node of the first node.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to the disconnection from the parent node, the transmission of the broadcast information is stopped.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to the disconnection from the parent node, the connection to each child node is disconnected.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

periodically measuring the signal strength of each child node in response to the number of child nodes being saturated; and

disconnecting the first child node in response to the signal strength of the first child node being less than a threshold.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to receiving the forced connection request, disconnecting the connection with the child node with the weakest signal strength; and

and in response to disconnecting the connection with the child node with the weakest signal strength, transmitting the broadcast information.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

disconnecting a connection with a first child node in response to the signal strength of the first child node being less than a threshold and the first child node being a non-forced connection node.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

measuring a signal strength of each child node in response to receiving the forced connection request; and

32. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to sending a first data packet to a destination node, sending the first data packet to all nodes of the direct connection, the first data packet including an identification of the device and an identification of the destination node.

33. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

in response to receiving a second data packet from a directly connected first node, determining whether a destination node of the second data packet is the device; and

not transmitting the second data packet in response to the destination node of the second data packet being the device.

34. The method of 33, further comprising:

and in response to the destination node of the second data packet not being the device, sending the second data packet to all nodes directly connected with the device except the first node.

35. The method of 33, further comprising:

not sending the second data packet in response to the destination node of the second data packet not being the device and only the first node directly connected to the device.

36. The method of 23, wherein the identification is broadcast by the first WiFi device as at least a portion of a first SSID, and the connectivity hierarchy and the number of child nodes are broadcast by the first WiFi device as at least a portion of a second SSID, wherein the first and second SSIDs have associated portions.

37. A WiFi device comprises a broadcasting module, a connecting module and a control module, wherein,

the broadcast module is configured to receive broadcast information from each of one or more nodes in a WiFi network, the broadcast information for each node including an identification of the node, a connection hierarchy, and a number of child nodes;

the control module is configured to search for an unsaturated node with a highest connection hierarchy among the one or more nodes; and

the connection module is configured to connect to the unsaturated node with the highest connection level according to the identifier of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level and a predetermined connection password so as to enable the device to be used as a child node of the unsaturated node with the highest connection level,

wherein the control module is further configured to control the broadcast module to transmit the broadcast information of the device in response to the connection module completing the connection, the broadcast information of the device including an identification of the device, a connection hierarchy, and the number of child nodes.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein,

the control module is further configured to search for a node with the strongest signal strength among the two or more unsaturated nodes in response to the control module searching for two or more unsaturated nodes with the same connection hierarchy among the one or more nodes; and

the connection module is further configured to connect to the node with the strongest signal strength according to the identifier of the node with the strongest signal strength and a predetermined connection password, so that the device serves as a child node of the node with the strongest signal strength.

39. The device of 37, wherein the control module is further configured to:

in response to the control module not searching for any unsaturated node, determining a first node with a highest connection level of the one or more nodes, and controlling the connection module to send a forced connection request to the first node;

in response to the connection module sending the forced connection request, controlling the broadcast module to receive broadcast information from the first node; and

and in response to the broadcast information received by the broadcast module from the first node indicating that the first node is not saturated, controlling the connection module to connect to the first node according to the identifier of the first node and a predetermined connection password so as to enable the device to be a child node of the first node.

40. The device of 37, wherein the control module is further configured to control the broadcast module to stop transmitting broadcast information in response to the device being disconnected from a parent node.

41. The device of 37, wherein the control module is further configured to control the connection module to disconnect from each child node in response to the device disconnecting from a parent node.

42. The device of 37, further comprising a measurement module, wherein the control module is further configured to:

controlling the measuring module to periodically measure the signal strength of each sub-node in response to the number saturation of the sub-nodes; and

and in response to the signal strength of the first sub-node being less than a threshold, controlling the connection module to disconnect from the first sub-node.

43. The device of 37, wherein the control module is further configured to:

in response to receiving a forced connection request, controlling the connection module to disconnect the child node with the weakest signal strength; and

and controlling the broadcast module to send broadcast information in response to the connection disconnection of the child node with the weakest signal strength.

44. The device of 37, further comprising a measurement module, wherein the control module is further configured to:

controlling the connection module to disconnect from a first child node in response to the signal strength of the first child node being less than a threshold and the first child node being a non-forced connection node.

45. The device of 37, further comprising a measurement module, wherein the control module is further configured to:

controlling the measurement module to measure the signal strength of each child node in response to receiving a forced connection request; and

46. The device of 37, wherein the control module is further configured to control the connection module to send a first packet to all nodes directly connected in response to sending the first packet to a destination node, wherein the first packet includes an identification of the device and an identification of the destination node.

47. The device of 37, wherein the control module is further configured to:

processing the second packet in response to the destination node of the second packet being the device.

48. The device of 47, wherein the control module is further configured to control the connection module to send the second packet to all nodes directly connected to the device except the first node in response to a destination node of the second packet not being the device.

49. The device of 47, wherein the control module is further configured to discard the second packet in response to the destination node of the second packet not being the device and only the first node directly connected to the device.

50. The device of 37, wherein the identification is a MAC address.

51. A WiFi device comprising operational circuitry configured to perform the method of any of claims 23-36.

52. A WiFi device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions,

wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any of claims 23-36.

Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing examples are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The various embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any combination without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the connection level of the third WiFi device being lower than the connection level of the first WiFi device, determining whether the number of child nodes of the first WiFi device is less than a predetermined number; and

5. A method of establishing a WiFi network, comprising:

6. A communication method of a WiFi network, the WiFi network comprising a first node, the method comprising:

7. A method of operation of a WiFi device, comprising:

8. A WiFi device comprises a broadcasting module, a connecting module and a control module, wherein,

9. A WiFi device comprising operational circuitry configured to perform the method of claim 7.

10. A WiFi device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions,

wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 7.