CN113364893B

CN113364893B - Data transmission method, device and system

Info

Publication number: CN113364893B
Application number: CN202010152840.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 胡路遥; 孙荣彬; 易静
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-06
Filing date: 2020-03-06
Publication date: 2022-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2040-03-06
Also published as: CN113364893A

Abstract

The application discloses a data transmission method, a data transmission device and a data transmission system, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The control equipment sends MAC information of a target STA associated with the control equipment to the expansion equipment, the MAC information comprises a corresponding relation between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and the Wi-Fi destination address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the target STA. The control equipment sends a notification message to the expansion equipment, the notification message comprises the identification of the target STA, and the notification message is used for indicating the expansion equipment to start the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA so as to receive the Wi-Fi message with the Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address. The method and the device simplify the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension device.

Description

Data transmission method, device and system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a data transmission method, apparatus, and system.

Background

In a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), communication between devices is generally achieved through a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network. The WLAN includes a gateway and a Station (STA). The gateway is used to provide a bridging function between Ethernet (ETH) and Wi-Fi networks. The STA is assigned with terminal equipment with a wireless access function, such as a smart phone, a notebook computer, and the like. Since the Wi-Fi signal coverage provided by the gateway is limited, an extension device, which is generally referred to as an Access Point (AP), a Wi-Fi repeater, a Wi-Fi signal amplifier, or the like, is required in the WLAN to extend the service range of the Wi-Fi signal. The expansion device and the gateway can be connected through a Wi-Fi network, a network cable or a power line.

At present, an extension device connected with a gateway through a Wi-Fi network is essentially a device formed by combining an STA, a router and an AP, and includes an STA module, a route forwarding module and an AP module. And the STA module in the expansion equipment is connected with the gateway through the first Wi-Fi network and is used for realizing the communication between the expansion equipment and the gateway. And the AP module in the extension equipment is connected with the STA through a second Wi-Fi network and is used for realizing the communication between the extension equipment and the STA. The STA module and the AP module in the expansion equipment are communicated through the route forwarding module. Wherein the first Wi-Fi network and the second Wi-Fi network are two independent Wi-Fi networks. The process of communication between the gateway and the STA through the extension device comprises the following steps: the gateway sends a first Wi-Fi message to the expansion equipment; the expansion equipment receives the first Wi-Fi message through the STA module, converts the received first Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame and then sends the Ethernet frame to the route forwarding module; the route forwarding module in the expansion equipment forwards the Ethernet frame to an AP module in the expansion equipment; and the AP module in the extension equipment converts the Ethernet frame into a second Wi-Fi message and sends the second Wi-Fi message to the STA.

However, in the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi packet, the current extension device needs to convert the received Wi-Fi packet into an ethernet frame, and then convert the ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi packet for transmission.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a data transmission method, a data transmission device and a data transmission system, which can solve the problems that the process of forwarding a message by the existing expansion equipment is complex and the calculation cost is high.

In a first aspect, a data transmission method is provided. The data transmission method is applied to the WLAN. The Control device sends Media Access Control (MAC) information of a target STA, which has been associated with the Control device, to the extension device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address. The virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the target STA. The control equipment sends a notification message to the extension equipment, wherein the notification message comprises the identification of the target STA, and the notification message is used for indicating the extension equipment to start the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA so as to receive the Wi-Fi message with the Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

The virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the target STA. That is, the Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message sent by the target STA to the control device is a virtual MAC address, and the Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message sent by the control device to the target STA is also a virtual MAC address.

In the application, the control device sends the MAC information of each STA associated with the control device to the expansion device, and sends the notification message to the expansion device, so that the expansion device can start a virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA to receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address, and the STA and the control device can communicate by adopting the virtual MAC address. In the process of realizing the communication between the STA and the control equipment through the extension equipment, the extension equipment does not need to analyze the received Wi-Fi message, does not need to convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then converts the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension equipment is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension equipment is reduced.

Optionally, after a STA is successfully associated with the control device, the control device allocates a corresponding virtual MAC address to the STA, where the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA has uniqueness.

In this application, the process of sending the notification message to the expansion device by the control device may include: when the control device determines that the target STA enters the signal coverage range of the expansion device, the control device sends a notification message to the expansion device. When there are multiple extension devices in the signal coverage of the control device, the control device may determine one extension device of the notification message sent by the control device according to the received signal strength of each extension device to the target STA. Because the control device only sends the notification message to one extension device at the same time, at most one extension device starts the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA to receive the Wi-Fi message in the WLAN, and the influence on data transmission due to the problem of address conflict is avoided.

Optionally, after the control device sends the notification message to the extension device, the control device may further send a first Wi-Fi message to the target STA, where an ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is an MAC address of the control device, the Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both the ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA. Optionally, the data field of the first Wi-Fi packet is encrypted with a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA.

In a possible implementation manner, after the control device sends the notification message to the extension device, the control device may further receive a second Wi-Fi message sent by the extension device, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA, the ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control device, and the Wi-Fi destination address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device. And the control equipment acquires the MAC address of the target STA from the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses according to the virtual MAC address, wherein the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses comprises the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses of the STAs which are associated with the control equipment and the virtual MAC address. And the control equipment replaces the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA so as to package the Ethernet frame.

In another possible implementation manner, after the control device sends the notification message to the extension device, the control device may further receive a third Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi packet are both the MAC address of the target STA, the ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control device, and the Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. And the control equipment encapsulates the third Wi-Fi message to obtain an Ethernet frame.

In a second aspect, a data transmission method is provided. The data transmission method is applied to the WLAN. The expansion equipment receives MAC information of a target STA which is sent by the control equipment and is associated with the control equipment, the MAC information comprises a corresponding relation between an identification of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, and the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment and a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the target STA. And the expansion equipment receives a notification message sent by the control equipment, wherein the notification message comprises the identification of the target STA. And the expansion equipment enables the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA based on the MAC information and the notification message so as to receive the Wi-Fi message with the Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

In this application, the extension device may receive MAC information of each STA that has been associated with the control device and a notification message sent by the control device. And after receiving the notification message, starting a virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA to receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address, so as to realize communication between the STA and the control equipment by adopting the virtual MAC address. In the process of realizing the communication between the STA and the control equipment through the extension equipment, the extension equipment does not need to analyze the received Wi-Fi message, or convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then convert the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension equipment is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension equipment is reduced.

Optionally, after the expansion device enables the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA identifier based on the MAC information and the notification message, the expansion device may further receive a first Wi-Fi message sent by the control device, where an ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is an MAC address of the control device, a Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both the ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. The expansion equipment replaces the Wi-Fi source address in the first Wi-Fi message with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replaces the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address in the first Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA to obtain a second Wi-Fi message. And the extension equipment sends a second Wi-Fi message to the target STA.

Optionally, after the expansion device enables the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA identifier based on the MAC information and the notification message, the expansion device may further receive a third Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi packet are both the MAC address of the target STA, the ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control device, and the Wi-Fi destination address is the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. And the expansion equipment replaces the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message with the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replaces the Wi-Fi destination address in the third Wi-Fi message with the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment to obtain a fourth Wi-Fi message. And the extension equipment sends a fourth Wi-Fi message to the control equipment.

After receiving the first Wi-Fi message and/or the third Wi-Fi message, the extension device only changes the content of a source address and/or a destination address in a message header of the Wi-Fi message, and compared with the related technology, the extension device does not need to interpret the Wi-Fi message or convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame and then convert the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension device is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension device is reduced.

In a third aspect, a data transmission apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of functional modules that interact to implement the method of the first aspect and its embodiments described above. The functional modules may be implemented based on software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware, and the functional modules may be arbitrarily combined or divided based on specific implementations.

In a fourth aspect, a data transmission apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of functional modules that interact to implement the method of the second aspect and its embodiments described above. The functional modules may be implemented based on software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware, and the functional modules may be arbitrarily combined or divided based on specific implementations.

In a fifth aspect, a control device is provided. The control apparatus includes: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. A memory for storing a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions. A processor for invoking a computer program for implementing the data transmission method according to any of the first aspect in cooperation with the transceiver.

In a sixth aspect, an extension device is provided. The expansion device includes: a processor, a memory transceiver. A memory for storing a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions. A processor for invoking a computer program to implement the data transmission method according to any one of the second aspect in cooperation with the transceiver.

In a seventh aspect, a data transmission system is provided. The data transmission system is applied to the WLAN and comprises a control device, an extension device and a STA. The control device comprises a data transmission apparatus according to any of the third aspects or a control device according to any of the fifth aspects. An extension device comprises a data transmission apparatus according to any of the fourth aspects or an extension device according to any of the sixth aspects.

In an eighth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided. The computer storage medium has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor of a control device, implement the data transmission method according to any one of the first aspect. Alternatively, the instructions, when executed by a processor of the expansion device, implement the data transmission method according to any one of the second aspect.

The beneficial effect that technical scheme that this application provided brought includes at least:

in the application, the STA and the control equipment communicate by adopting the virtual MAC address. The control device sends the MAC information of each STA associated with the control device to the expansion device, where the MAC information of each STA includes a correspondence between an identifier of the STA and a virtual MAC address. The virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the corresponding STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and a Wi-Fi source address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the STA. After starting a virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA, the extension device can receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address, and forwards the Wi-Fi message after changing the content of a source address and/or a destination address in a message header of the Wi-Fi message. In the process of realizing the communication between the STA and the control equipment through the extension equipment, the extension equipment does not need to analyze the received Wi-Fi message, or convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then convert the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension equipment is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension equipment is reduced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for communication between an STA and a control device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another method for communication between an STA and a control device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an expansion device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another data transmission device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another data transmission apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another data transmission apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a block diagram of a computer device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission system according to an embodiment of the present application. The data transmission system may be applied to a WLAN. As shown in fig. 1, the data transmission system includes: control device 110, STA120, and expansion devices 130A-130C (collectively expansion devices 130). STA120 has associated with control device 110. Of course, a plurality of STAs which have been associated with the control device may be included in the data transmission system. The number of the extension devices and STAs in fig. 1 is only used as an illustration and is not a limitation to the data transmission system provided by the embodiment of the present application.

The control device 110 may be a wireless controller, a network management device, a gateway, or other device having control capabilities and communication capabilities. The control device 110 may be one device or a plurality of devices. The STA120 may be a terminal device supporting Wi-Fi communication functionality, such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a set-top box, a smart television, a smart wearable, an in-vehicle communication device or computer, and so on. The extension device 130 may be referred to as an extension AP, a Wi-Fi repeater, a Wi-Fi signal amplifier, or the like, and may be a network device such as a router or switch.

In the embodiment of the present application, the STA that has been associated with the control device 110 refers to an STA that has established a communication connection with the control device 110. The process of establishing the communication connection between the STA and the control equipment comprises the following steps: the STA receives a beacon frame sent by the control device, or the STA sends a probe request frame to the control device and receives a probe response frame sent by the control device. The STA transmits an authentication request frame to the control device and receives an authentication response frame transmitted by the control device. The STA sends an association request frame to the control device and receives an association response frame sent by the control device, and at this time, it may be considered that the STA and the control device are successfully associated, that is, a communication connection is established.

Referring to fig. 1, the expansion device 130 is located within the signal coverage of the control device 110. When the STA120 is located within the signal coverage of the control device 110 and/or located within the signal coverage of the extension device 130, the STA120 may communicate with the control device 110 through the Wi-Fi network, that is, the STA120 and the control device 110 may transmit Wi-Fi messages therebetween. The Wi-Fi message in the embodiment of the present application refers to a data message or a control message transmitted in the WLAN. The messages sent by the STA to the control equipment and the messages sent by the control equipment to the STA are both Wi-Fi messages. The headers of Wi-Fi messages defined in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series of standards carry Ethernet source addresses, Wi-Fi source addresses, Ethernet destination addresses, and Wi-Fi destination addresses. The ethernet source address is also called Source Address (SA), the Wi-Fi source address is also called Transmitter Address (TA), the ethernet destination address is also called Destination Address (DA), and the Wi-Fi destination address is also called Receiver Address (RA). The definitions and functions of SA, TA, DA and RA can refer to the related explanations in the IEEE 802.11 series of standards, and the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application is omitted here. In the related technology, a Wi-Fi destination address used when an STA sends a Wi-Fi message to a control device is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device (directly sent) or a Wi-Fi MAC address of an extension device (indirectly sent through the extension device); the Wi-Fi destination address used when the control device sends the Wi-Fi message to the STA is the Wi-FiMAC address of the STA (directly sent) or the Wi-Fi MAC address of the extension device (indirectly sent through the extension device). In the embodiment of the application, a Wi-Fi destination address used when the STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment is a virtual MAC address allocated to the STA by the control equipment; and the Wi-Fi destination address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the STA is the virtual MAC address distributed to the STA by the control equipment.

Optionally, the data transmission system provided in the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to other wireless networks, such as a cellular network, a bluetooth network, or a zigbee (zigbee) network. For example, when the data transmission system is applied to a cellular network, the extension device may be a base station, and a communication manner of a User Equipment (UE) and the control device may refer to a communication manner of an STA and the control device. The embodiment of the present application takes an example in which the data transmission system is applied to a WLAN.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to a WLAN, for example, may be applied to a data transmission system as shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2, the method includes:

step 201, after a STA successfully associates with a control device, the control device allocates a corresponding virtual MAC address to the STA, where the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA has uniqueness.

The successful association between the STA and the control device means that a communication connection is established between the STA and the control device. Optionally, after determining that an STA is successfully associated with the control device, the control device may generate a virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA, where the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA has uniqueness, that is, the virtual MAC addresses corresponding to different STAs are different, and the virtual MAC address uniquely identifies the corresponding STA in the WLAN. The virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the corresponding STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and is used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the corresponding STA.

Optionally, the control device allocates a corresponding virtual MAC address to each STA successfully associated with the control device.

In this embodiment, the control device may store a MAC address correspondence relationship, where the MAC address correspondence relationship includes a correspondence relationship between a MAC address of each STA associated with the control device and a virtual MAC address. After the control device allocates a corresponding virtual MAC address to the new STA, the control device may add the MAC address of the new STA and the corresponding virtual MAC address to the MAC address correspondence to obtain an updated MAC address correspondence.

Optionally, the control device sends the virtual MAC address to the STA after allocating the corresponding virtual MAC address to the STA. The virtual MAC address may be carried in a probe response frame, an authentication response frame, or an association response frame, or may be sent by using a separate message, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Step 202, the control device sends the MAC information of the target STA associated with the control device to the extension device.

The MAC information of the target STA includes a correspondence between the identifier of the target STA and the virtual MAC address. The identification of the target STA may be information that can uniquely identify the target STA, such as a MAC address or a hardware address of the target STA.

Optionally, the target STA is any STA that has been associated with the controlling device. One or more extension devices may be disposed in a signal coverage area of the control device, and the control device may send MAC information of the target STA to each extension device, respectively.

Step 203, the control device sends a notification message to the extension device, where the notification message includes the identifier of the target STA.

The notification message is used for indicating the expansion equipment to start the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA so as to receive the Wi-Fi message with the Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address. Optionally, the Wi-Fi packet with the Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address includes a Wi-Fi packet sent by the control device to the target STA and/or a Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA to the control device.

Alternatively, when the control device determines that the target STA enters the signal coverage of the extension device, the control device transmits a notification message to the extension device. When there are multiple extension devices in the signal coverage of the control device, the control device may obtain the received signal strength of each extension device to the target STA, determine the target extension device with the maximum received signal strength to the target STA among the multiple extension devices, and then send a notification message to the target extension device. For example, the target STA may broadcast the wireless measurement signal periodically in the WLAN, and the control device and the respective extension devices determine their own received signal strength for the target STA according to the received wireless measurement signal. The extension device may transmit its own received signal strength to the target STA to the control device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the determination manner of the position of the target STA relative to the extension device and/or the control device.

In the embodiment of the application, the control device only sends the notification message containing the identifier of the target STA to one extension device at the same time, so that at most one extension device enables the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA in the WLAN, and the problem of address collision is avoided to influence data transmission.

Optionally, if the first extension device in the WLAN enables the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, when the control device determines that the target STA moves from the signal coverage of the first extension device to the signal coverage of the second extension device, or the received signal strength of the second extension device to the target STA is greater than the received signal strength of the first extension device to the target STA, the control device may send a disabling message to the first extension device, and send a notification message including an identifier of the target STA to the second extension device. The disabling message includes an identifier of the target STA, and the disabling message is used for instructing the first extension device to stop using the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA, so that the first extension device cannot receive the Wi-Fi packet with the Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

Step 204, the extension device enables a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA based on the MAC information of the target STA and the notification message.

After the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA is enabled, the extension equipment can receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

Optionally, the expansion device stores MAC information corresponding to a plurality of STAs which have been associated with the control device. When the extension equipment receives the notification message containing the identification of the target STA, the extension equipment acquires the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA from the corresponding MAC information according to the identification of the target STA, and enables the virtual MAC address.

In this embodiment, the expansion device may enable one or more virtual MAC addresses according to the received notification message. For example, the extension device has enabled a virtual MAC address corresponding to the first STA, and when the extension device receives the notification message including the identifier of the second STA, the extension device may also enable the virtual MAC address corresponding to the second STA, that is, the extension device may enable the virtual MAC address corresponding to the first STA and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the second STA at the same time.

Step 205, the target STA and the control device communicate with each other by using the virtual MAC address.

Optionally, the target STA and the control device may directly communicate using a virtual MAC address; alternatively, the target STA and the control device may communicate indirectly through the extension device using the virtual MAC address. Illustratively, when the target STA is located in the signal coverage of the control device, the target STA and the control device may communicate directly using the virtual MAC address. When the target STA enters the signal coverage range of the extension device, the target STA and the control device may use the virtual MAC address to indirectly communicate through the extension device, that is, the Wi-Fi packet transmitted between the target STA and the extension device may be transmitted through the extension device.

In an optional embodiment of the present application, the target STA and the control device communicate directly using a virtual MAC address. Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for communication between an STA and a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 3, the communication process includes:

and step 2051a, the control equipment sends a Wi-Fi message 1 to the target STA.

The Ethernet source address in the Wi-Fi message 1 is an MAC address of the control equipment, the Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-FiMAC address of the control equipment, and both the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA. The MAC address of the device is the actual MAC address of the device, which is globally unique for the device to perform ethernet communication. The Wi-Fi MAC address of the device is unique in the WLAN where the device is located for the device to perform Wi-Fi communication.

Optionally, the Wi-Fi packet 1 is obtained by decapsulating, by the control device, the received ethernet frame.

And step 2052a, the target STA analyzes the Wi-Fi message 1.

Optionally, the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 1 may be encrypted with a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA. When the target STA analyzes the Wi-Fi message 1, the data field of the Wi-Fi message 1 is decrypted based on a secret key negotiated between the target STA and the control equipment, and then information is obtained from the decrypted data field. Alternatively, the data field of Wi-Fi packet 1 may not be encrypted. When the target STA analyzes the Wi-Fi message 1, the information carried by the data field of the Wi-Fi message 1 can be directly acquired. When the data field of the Wi-Fi message 1 is encrypted by using a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA, the security of data transmission between the control device and the target STA can be improved.

And step 2053a, the target STA sends a Wi-Fi message 2 to the control equipment.

The Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 2 are both the MAC address of the target STA, the Ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control equipment, and the Wi-Fi destination address is the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA.

Optionally, the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 2 may be encrypted with a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA, or the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 2 may not be encrypted.

And step 2054a, the control device packages the Wi-Fi message 2 to obtain an Ethernet frame.

When the data field of the Wi-Fi message 2 is encrypted by using the key negotiated between the control device and the target STA, the control device may decrypt the data field of the Wi-Fi message 2 by using the corresponding key to obtain the decrypted Wi-Fi message 2. The control device may encapsulate the decrypted Wi-Fi packet 2 to obtain an ethernet frame. The control device encapsulates the resulting ethernet frame for transmission in the ethernet network. For example, the control device encapsulates the Wi-Fi packet into an ethernet frame and then performs three-layer forwarding.

Alternatively, the control device may have stored therein a plurality of keys negotiated with different STAs. The key is stored in association with the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA. After receiving the Wi-Fi message 2 sent by the target STA, the control device acquires a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA carried by a Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message 2. And the control equipment acquires a secret key corresponding to the target STA according to the virtual MAC address.

In another optional embodiment of the present application, the target STA and the control device communicate indirectly through the extension device using a virtual MAC address. Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another method for communication between an STA and a control device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4, the communication process includes:

and step 2051b, the control equipment sends a Wi-Fi message 3 to the expansion equipment.

The Ethernet source address in the Wi-Fi message 3 is the MAC address of the control equipment, the Wi-Fi source address is the Wi-FiMAC address of the control equipment, and the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA.

Optionally, the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 3 may be encrypted with a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA, or the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 3 may not be encrypted.

Optionally, the Wi-Fi packet 3 is obtained by decapsulating, by the control device, the received ethernet frame.

And step 2052b, the expansion device replaces the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 3 with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replaces the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message 3 with the MAC address of the target STA to obtain a Wi-Fi message 4.

The expansion device stores MAC information corresponding to the target STA, and the MAC information comprises the corresponding relation between the identification of the target STA and the virtual MAC address. Wherein the identification of the target STA may be the MAC address of the target STA. After receiving the Wi-Fi message 3 sent by the control equipment, the extension equipment acquires a virtual MAC address carried by a destination address of the Wi-Fi message 3, and acquires an MAC address of a target STA from corresponding MAC information according to the virtual MAC address. And then, replacing the content carried by the Wi-Fi source address, the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message 3 to obtain a Wi-Fi message 4. The Ethernet source address in the Wi-Fi message 4 is the MAC address of the control device, the Wi-Fi source address is the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and both the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are the MAC addresses of the target STA.

In the embodiment of the application, after receiving the Wi-Fi message sent by the control device, the extension device only needs to change the content of the source address and/or the destination address in the message header of the Wi-Fi message, does not need to analyze the Wi-Fi message, does not need to convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then converts the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension device is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension device is reduced.

And step 2053b, the extension equipment sends a Wi-Fi message 4 to the target STA.

Optionally, fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an expansion device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5, the expansion device includes a receive physical layer (rx phy), a memory, an address replacement module, and a transmit physical layer (tx phy). The memory may be a Random Access Memory (RAM). Optionally, the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi packet by the extension device includes: the expansion device receives the Wi-Fi message 3 sent by the control device through the rx phy, and caches the Wi-Fi message 3 in a Memory through a Direct Memory Access (DMA) mode. The Wi-Fi message 3 is read from the memory through the address replacement module, the 802.11 address in the Wi-Fi message 3 is replaced, namely the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 3 are replaced by the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, the Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message 3 is replaced by the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment, and the Wi-Fi message 4 is obtained. And the expansion equipment sends the Wi-Fi message 4 to the control equipment through the tx phy.

And step 2054b, the target STA analyzes the Wi-Fi message 4.

For the explanation of this step, reference may be made to the explanation of step 2052a, and details of the embodiment of the present application are not repeated herein.

And step 2055b, the target STA sends a Wi-Fi message 5 to the expansion equipment.

The Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 5 are both the MAC address of the target STA, the Ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control device, and the Wi-Fi destination address is the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA.

Optionally, the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 5 may be encrypted by using a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA, or the data field of the Wi-Fi packet 5 may not be encrypted.

And step 2056b, the expansion device replaces the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 5 with the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replaces the Wi-Fi destination address in the Wi-Fi message 5 with the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device to obtain a Wi-Fi message 6.

The Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 6 are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA, the Wi-Fi destination address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and the Ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control device.

The implementation process of this step can refer to the related description of step 2052b, and this embodiment of the present application is not described herein again.

In the embodiment of the application, after receiving the Wi-Fi message sent by the STA, the extension device only needs to change the content of the source address and/or the destination address in the message header of the Wi-Fi message without analyzing the Wi-Fi message or converting the Wi-Fi message into the Ethernet frame, and then converts the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension device is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension device is reduced.

And step 2057b, the expansion device sends the Wi-Fi message 6 to the control device.

The implementation process of this step can refer to the related description of step 2053b, and this embodiment of the present application is not described herein again.

And step 2058b, the control device obtains the MAC address of the target STA from the MAC address corresponding relationship according to the virtual MAC address.

The MAC address correspondence includes a correspondence between the MAC address of each STA associated with the control device and the virtual MAC address, and after receiving the Wi-Fi packet 6, the control device may obtain, from the MAC address correspondence, the MAC address corresponding to the virtual MAC address carried in the Wi-Fi packet 6, that is, the MAC address of the target STA.

And step 2059b, the control device replaces the ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi message 6 with the MAC address of the target STA to obtain an ethernet frame by encapsulation.

When the data field of the Wi-Fi message 6 is encrypted by using the key negotiated between the control device and the target STA, the control device may decrypt the data field of the Wi-Fi message 6 by using the corresponding key, so as to obtain the decrypted Wi-Fi message 6. In addition, the control device may replace the ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the Wi-Fi packet 6 with the MAC address of the target STA to obtain an updated packet header. Finally, the control device encapsulates the updated message header and the decrypted data field to obtain the Ethernet frame. The control device encapsulates the resulting ethernet frame for transmission in the ethernet network. For example, the control device encapsulates the Wi-Fi packet into an ethernet frame and then performs three-layer forwarding.

The sequence of the steps of the method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present application can be appropriately adjusted, and the steps can be correspondingly increased or decreased according to the situation, and any method that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application shall be covered by the protection scope of the present application, and therefore, the details are not repeated.

In summary, in the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the STA and the control device communicate with each other by using the virtual MAC address. The control device sends the MAC information of each STA associated with the control device to the expansion device, where the MAC information of each STA includes a correspondence between an identifier of the STA and a virtual MAC address. The virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the corresponding STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and a Wi-Fi source address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the STA. After starting a virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA, the extension device can receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address, and forwards the Wi-Fi message after changing the content of a source address and/or a destination address in a message header of the Wi-Fi message. In the process of realizing the communication between the STA and the control equipment through the extension equipment, the extension equipment does not need to analyze the received Wi-Fi message, or convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then convert the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension equipment is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension equipment is reduced.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to the WLAN, and the network architecture applying the method at least comprises a control device, an extension device and the STA. For example, the control device may be the control device 110 in the data transmission system shown in fig. 1, the extension device may be the extension device 130 in the data transmission system shown in fig. 1, and the STA may be the STA120 in the data transmission system shown in fig. 1. The method may be specifically used to implement the method shown in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 2, fig. 3 or fig. 4. As shown in fig. 6, the method includes:

step 601, the control device sends the MAC information of the target STA associated with the control device to the extension device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, and the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi packet to the control device, and is used when the control device sends a Wi-Fi packet to the target STA.

Step 602, the control device sends a notification message to the extension device, where the notification message includes an identifier of the target STA, and the notification message is used to instruct the extension device to enable a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA, so as to receive a Wi-Fi packet with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 2, fig. 3, or fig. 4, the specific implementation process of step 601 to step 602 may refer to the related description in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, fig. 3, or fig. 4, and is not described here again.

Optionally, the controlling device sends a notification message to the expansion device, including: when the control device determines that the target STA enters the signal coverage range of the expansion device, the control device sends a notification message to the expansion device.

Optionally, after the control device sends the notification message to the extension device, the method further includes: the control device sends a first Wi-Fi message to the target STA, an Ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is an MAC address of the control device, the Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 3, the first Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 1. Alternatively, when the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, the first Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 3.

Optionally, the data field of the first Wi-Fi packet is encrypted with a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 3, the first Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 1. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, the first Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 3.

In one possible implementation, after the control device sends the notification message to the extension device, the method further includes: the control equipment receives a second Wi-Fi message sent by the expansion equipment, an Ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA, an Ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control equipment, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment. And the control equipment acquires the MAC address of the target STA from the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses according to the virtual MAC address, wherein the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses comprises the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses of the STAs which are associated with the control equipment and the virtual MAC address. And the control equipment replaces the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA so as to obtain an Ethernet frame by encapsulation. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, the second Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 6.

In another possible implementation manner, after the control device sends the notification message to the extension device, the method further includes: and the control equipment receives a third Wi-Fi message sent by the target STA, wherein the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message are both the MAC address of the target STA, the Ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control equipment, and the Wi-Fi destination address is the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. And the control equipment encapsulates the third Wi-Fi message to obtain an Ethernet frame. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 3, the third Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 2.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to the WLAN, and the network architecture applying the method at least comprises a control device, an extension device and the STA. For example, the control device may be the control device 110 in the data transmission system shown in fig. 1, the extension device may be the extension device 130 in the data transmission system shown in fig. 1, and the STA may be the STA120 in the data transmission system shown in fig. 1. The method can be specifically used for realizing the method shown in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 2 or fig. 4. As shown in fig. 7, the method includes:

step 701, the expansion device receives MAC information of a target STA which is sent by the control device and associated with the control device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, and the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi packet to the control device and a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control device sends a Wi-Fi packet to the target STA.

Step 702, the extension device receives a notification message sent by the control device, where the notification message includes an identifier of the target STA.

Step 703, the extension device enables a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA based on the MAC information and the notification message, so as to receive a Wi-Fi packet with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 2 or fig. 4, the specific implementation process of step 701 to step 703 may refer to the related description in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 or fig. 4, and is not described herein again.

Optionally, after the extension device enables the target STA to identify the corresponding virtual MAC address based on the MAC information and the notification message, the method further includes: the expansion equipment receives a first Wi-Fi message sent by the control equipment, the Ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is the MAC address of the control equipment, the Wi-Fi source address is the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment, and the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA. The expansion equipment replaces the Wi-Fi source address in the first Wi-Fi message with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replaces the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address in the first Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA to obtain a second Wi-Fi message. And the extension equipment sends a second Wi-Fi message to the target STA. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, the first Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 3, and the second Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, Wi-Fi packet 4.

Optionally, after the extension device enables the target STA to identify the corresponding virtual MAC address based on the MAC information and the notification message, the method further includes: and the expansion equipment receives a third Wi-Fi message sent by the target STA, wherein the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message are both the MAC address of the target STA, the Ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control equipment, and the Wi-Fi destination address is the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. And the expansion equipment replaces the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message with the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replaces the Wi-Fi destination address in the third Wi-Fi message with the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment to obtain a fourth Wi-Fi message. And the extension equipment sends a fourth Wi-Fi message to the control equipment. When the method is specifically used to implement the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, the third Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, a Wi-Fi packet 5, and the fourth Wi-Fi packet may be, for example, a Wi-Fi packet 6.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application. The data transmission apparatus 800 is applied to a control device in a WLAN. As shown in fig. 8, the data transmission apparatus 800 includes a sending module 801.

The sending module 801 is configured to send, to the extension device, MAC information of a target STA that is already associated with the control device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, and the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi packet to the control device, and is used when the control device sends the Wi-Fi packet to the target STA.

The sending module 801 is further configured to send a notification message to the extension device, where the notification message includes an identifier of the target STA, and the notification message is used to instruct the extension device to enable a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA, so as to receive a Wi-Fi packet with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 9, the data transmission apparatus 800 further includes a processing module 802.

The processing module 802 is configured to, after an STA successfully associates with a control device, allocate a corresponding virtual MAC address to the STA, where the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA has uniqueness.

Optionally, the sending module 801 is further configured to: and when the control device determines that the target STA enters the signal coverage range of the extension device, sending a notification message to the extension device.

Optionally, the sending module 801 is further configured to send a first Wi-Fi packet to the target STA, where an ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi packet is an MAC address of the control device, a Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both the ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA.

Optionally, the data field of the first Wi-Fi packet is encrypted with a key negotiated between the control device and the target STA.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 9, the data transmission apparatus 800 further includes a receiving module 803.

The receiving module 803 is configured to receive a second Wi-Fi packet sent by the extension device, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi packet are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA, an ethernet destination address is a MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device.

A processing module 802, configured to obtain, according to the virtual MAC address, an MAC address of the target STA from a MAC address correspondence relationship, where the MAC address correspondence relationship includes a correspondence relationship between an MAC address of each STA associated with the control device and the virtual MAC address; the processing module 802 is further configured to replace the ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA, so as to obtain an ethernet frame by encapsulation.

Optionally, the receiving module 803 is configured to receive a third Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi packet are both MAC addresses of the target STA, an ethernet destination address is a MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. And the processing module 802 is configured to encapsulate the third Wi-Fi packet to obtain an ethernet frame.

To sum up, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission apparatus, where a sending module of a control device sends, to an extension device, MAC information of each STA that is associated with the control device, where the MAC information of each STA includes a correspondence between an identifier of the STA and a virtual MAC address. The virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the corresponding STA sends a Wi-Fi message to the control equipment, and a Wi-Fi source address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the STA. The method comprises the steps that a sending module of control equipment sends a notification message to extension equipment, so that the extension equipment can receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as a virtual MAC address after the virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA is started, and forwards the Wi-Fi message after the content of a source address and/or a destination address in a message header of the Wi-Fi message is changed. In the process of realizing the communication between the STA and the control equipment through the extension equipment, the extension equipment does not need to analyze the received Wi-Fi message, does not need to convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then converts the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension equipment is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension equipment is reduced.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a data transmission device according to another embodiment of the present application. The data transmission apparatus 1000 is applied to an extension device in a WLAN. As shown in fig. 10, the data transmission apparatus 1000 includes a receiving module 1001 and a processing module 1002.

The receiving module 1001 is configured to receive MAC information of a target STA, which is sent by a control device and is associated with the control device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, and the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a Wi-Fi packet to the control device and a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control device sends a Wi-Fi packet to the target STA; the receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive a notification message sent by the control device, where the notification message includes an identifier of the target STA.

The processing module 1002 is configured to enable a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA based on the MAC information and the notification message, so as to receive a Wi-Fi packet with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 11, the data transmission apparatus 1000 includes a receiving module 1001, a processing module 1002 and a sending module 1003.

The receiving module 1001 is configured to receive a first Wi-Fi packet sent by the control device, where an ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi packet is an MAC address of the control device, a Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both an ethernet destination address and a Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA.

The processing module 1002 is configured to replace a Wi-Fi source address in the first Wi-Fi message with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replace an ethernet destination address and a Wi-Fi destination address in the first Wi-Fi message with an MAC address of the target STA to obtain a second Wi-Fi message.

A sending module 1003, configured to send the second Wi-Fi packet to the target STA.

Optionally, the receiving module 1001 is configured to receive a third Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi packet are both MAC addresses of the target STA, an ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA. The processing module 1002 is configured to replace the ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replace the Wi-Fi destination address in the third Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, so as to obtain a fourth Wi-Fi message. A sending module 1003, configured to send the fourth Wi-Fi packet to the control device.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission apparatus, and after receiving a notification message sent by a control device, a receiving module of an extension device may start a virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA. After the expansion device starts a virtual MAC address corresponding to a certain STA, a receiving module of the expansion device can receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address, and forwards the Wi-Fi message after changing the content of a source address and/or a destination address in a message header of the Wi-Fi message. In the process of realizing the communication between the STA and the control equipment through the extension equipment, the extension equipment does not need to analyze the received Wi-Fi message, or convert the Wi-Fi message into an Ethernet frame, and then convert the Ethernet frame into the Wi-Fi message for transmission, so that the process of forwarding the Wi-Fi message by the extension equipment is simplified, and meanwhile, the calculation overhead of the extension equipment is reduced.

It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described apparatuses and modules may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

The embodiment of the application also provides a data transmission system, and the data transmission system can be applied to the WLAN. The data transmission system includes a control device, an extension device, and a station STA. The control device comprises a data transmission arrangement 800 as shown in fig. 8 or fig. 9. The expansion device includes a data transmission apparatus 1000 as shown in fig. 10 or fig. 11.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present application. The computer device may be a control device or an expansion device. As shown in fig. 12, the computer apparatus 1200 includes: a processor 1201, a memory 1202, and a transceiver 1203.

A memory 1202 for storing a computer program comprising program instructions;

a processor 1201 for invoking a computer program to implement, in cooperation with the transceiver 1203, the steps performed by the control device according to the above-described method embodiments; alternatively, the steps performed by the extension device as referred to in the above method embodiments are implemented in cooperation with the transceiver 1203. Wherein, the transceiver is used for executing the transceiving step. The processor is used for executing other steps besides the transceiving steps, such as controlling the transceiver to execute the transceiving steps and the like.

The processor 1201 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 1201 executes various functional applications and data processing by executing computer programs.

Optionally, memory 1202 may store an operating system and application program elements required for at least one function. The operating system may be a Real Time eXceptive (RTX) operating system, such as LINUX, UNIX, WINDOWS, or OS X.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer storage medium, where instructions are stored on the computer storage medium, and when the instructions are executed by a processor of a control device, the steps executed by the control device related to the above method embodiment are implemented. Or, when the instructions are executed by a processor of the expansion device, the steps performed by the expansion device related to the above method embodiments are implemented.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by a program instructing relevant hardware, where the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

The term "and/or" in this application is only one kind of association relationship describing the associated object, and means that there may be three kinds of relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

The above description is only exemplary of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application are intended to be included within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, applied to a wireless local area network WLAN, the method comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a control device sends Media Access Control (MAC) information of a target Station (STA) associated with the control device to an expansion device, wherein the MAC information comprises a corresponding relation between an identification of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a wireless high-fidelity (Wi-Fi) message to the control device, the control device sends the Wi-Fi destination address used when the control device sends the Wi-Fi message to the target STA, and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA has uniqueness;

the control device sends a notification message to the expansion device, the notification message includes the identifier of the target STA, and the notification message is used for indicating the expansion device to enable the virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA, so as to receive a Wi-Fi packet with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after one STA is successfully associated with the control equipment, the control equipment allocates a corresponding virtual MAC address to the STA, and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA has uniqueness.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device sends a notification message to the extension device, including:

when the control device determines that the target STA enters the signal coverage range of the extension device, the control device sends the notification message to the extension device.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the control device sends a notification message to the extension device, the method further comprises:

the control device sends a first Wi-Fi message to the target STA, wherein an Ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is an MAC address of the control device, a Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both an Ethernet destination address and a Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the control device sends a notification message to the extension device, the method further comprises:

the control device receives a second Wi-Fi message sent by the expansion device, wherein an Ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA, an Ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device;

the control equipment acquires the MAC address of the target STA from the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses according to the virtual MAC address, wherein the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses comprises the corresponding relation of the MAC addresses of all STAs which are associated with the control equipment and the virtual MAC address;

and the control equipment replaces the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA so as to obtain an Ethernet frame by encapsulation.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the control device sends a notification message to the extension device, the method further comprises:

the control device receives a third Wi-Fi message sent by the target STA, wherein an Ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message are both MAC addresses of the target STA, an Ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA;

and the control equipment encapsulates the third Wi-Fi message to obtain an Ethernet frame.

7. A data transmission method, applied to a wireless local area network WLAN, the method comprising:

the method comprises the steps that Media Access Control (MAC) information of a target Station (STA) which is sent by control equipment and is associated with the control equipment is received by extension equipment, the MAC information comprises the corresponding relation between the identification of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a wireless high-fidelity (Wi-Fi) message to the control equipment and a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control equipment sends the Wi-Fi message to the target STA, and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA has uniqueness;

the extension equipment receives a notification message sent by the control equipment, wherein the notification message comprises an identifier of the target STA;

and the expansion equipment enables a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA based on the MAC information and the notification message so as to receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after the extension device enables the target STA to identify a corresponding virtual MAC address based on the MAC information and the notification message, the method further comprises:

the expansion equipment receives a first Wi-Fi message sent by the control equipment, wherein an Ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is an MAC address of the control equipment, a Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment, and an Ethernet destination address and a Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA;

replacing the Wi-Fi source address in the first Wi-Fi message by a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA by the expansion equipment, and replacing the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address in the first Wi-Fi message by the MAC address of the target STA to obtain a second Wi-Fi message;

and the extension equipment sends the second Wi-Fi message to the target STA.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein after the expansion device enables the target STA to identify a corresponding virtual MAC address based on the MAC information and the notification message, the method further comprises:

the extension equipment receives a third Wi-Fi message sent by the target STA, wherein an Ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message are both MAC addresses of the target STA, an Ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control equipment, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA;

replacing the Ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message by the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA by the expansion equipment, and replacing the Wi-Fi destination address in the third Wi-Fi message by the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control equipment to obtain a fourth Wi-Fi message;

and the extension equipment sends the fourth Wi-Fi message to the control equipment.

10. A data transmission apparatus, applied to a control device in a wireless local area network WLAN, the apparatus comprising:

a sending module, configured to send media access control MAC information of a target station STA that is associated with a control device to an extension device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a wireless high-fidelity Wi-Fi packet to the control device, and the control device sends a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control device sends the Wi-Fi packet to the target STA, and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA has uniqueness;

the sending module is further configured to send a notification message to the extension device, where the notification message includes an identifier of the target STA, and the notification message is used to instruct the extension device to enable a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identifier of the target STA, so as to receive a Wi-Fi packet with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

and the processing module is used for allocating a corresponding virtual MAC address to the STA after the STA is successfully associated with the control equipment, and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the STA has uniqueness.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein the sending module is further configured to:

and when the control device determines that the target STA enters the signal coverage range of the extension device, sending the notification message to the extension device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein the sending module is further configured to:

and sending a first Wi-Fi message to the target STA, wherein an Ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi message is the MAC address of the control device, a Wi-Fi source address is the Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both the Ethernet destination address and the Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a second Wi-Fi packet sent by the extension device, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi packet are both virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA, an ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device;

a processing module, configured to obtain, according to the virtual MAC address, an MAC address of the target STA from an MAC address correspondence relationship, where the MAC address correspondence relationship includes a correspondence relationship between an MAC address of each STA associated with the control device and the virtual MAC address;

the processing module is further configured to replace the ethernet source address and the Wi-Fi source address in the second Wi-Fi message with the MAC address of the target STA, so as to obtain an ethernet frame by encapsulation.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a third Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi packet are both an MAC address of the target STA, an ethernet destination address is an MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA;

and the processing module is used for packaging the third Wi-Fi message to obtain an Ethernet frame.

16. A data transmission apparatus, applied to an extension device in a wireless local area network WLAN, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive media access control MAC information of a target station STA that is sent by a control device and is associated with the control device, where the MAC information includes a correspondence between an identifier of the target STA and a virtual MAC address, the virtual MAC address is used as a Wi-Fi destination address used when the target STA sends a wireless high-fidelity Wi-Fi packet to the control device and a Wi-Fi destination address used when the control device sends a Wi-Fi packet to the target STA, and the virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA has uniqueness;

the receiving module is further configured to receive a notification message sent by the control device, where the notification message includes an identifier of the target STA;

and the processing module is used for enabling a virtual MAC address corresponding to the identification of the target STA based on the MAC information and the notification message so as to receive a Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi destination address as the virtual MAC address.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a transmitting module;

the receiving module is further configured to receive a first Wi-Fi packet sent by the control device, where an ethernet source address in the first Wi-Fi packet is an MAC address of the control device, a Wi-Fi source address is a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, and both an ethernet destination address and a Wi-Fi destination address are virtual MAC addresses corresponding to the target STA;

the processing module is further configured to replace a Wi-Fi source address in the first Wi-Fi message with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replace an ethernet destination address and a Wi-Fi destination address in the first Wi-Fi message with an MAC address of the target STA, so as to obtain a second Wi-Fi message;

the sending module is configured to send the second Wi-Fi packet to the target STA.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 or 17, further comprising a transmitting module;

the receiving module is further configured to receive a third Wi-Fi packet sent by the target STA, where an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi packet are both the MAC address of the target STA, an ethernet destination address is the MAC address of the control device, and a Wi-Fi destination address is a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA;

the processing module is further configured to replace an ethernet source address and a Wi-Fi source address in the third Wi-Fi message with a virtual MAC address corresponding to the target STA, and replace a Wi-Fi destination address in the third Wi-Fi message with a Wi-Fi MAC address of the control device, so as to obtain a fourth Wi-Fi message;

the sending module is configured to send the fourth Wi-Fi packet to the control device.

19. A data transmission system, for use in a wireless local area network WLAN, the data transmission system comprising a control device, an extension device and a station STA, the control device comprising a data transmission apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 15, the extension device comprising a data transmission apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18.

20. A control apparatus, characterized by comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

the memory for storing a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions;

the processor, configured to invoke the computer program, and implement the data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in cooperation with the transceiver.

21. An expansion device, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

the processor, configured to invoke the computer program, and implement the data transmission method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 in cooperation with the transceiver.

22. A computer storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor of a control device, carry out a data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 6; or, when executed by a processor of an expansion device, implement the data transmission method of any of claims 7 to 9.