Abstract: A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless transceiver with “N” transmit and receive chains and a bandwidth evaluation circuit, a chain partitioning circuit and a switchable radio frequency ‘RF’ filter bank. The bandwidth evaluation circuit evaluates both the utilization of the WLAN(s) and any remaining communications channels and determines whether to operate the MIMO chains synchronously as a single radio or asynchronously as multiple radios. The chain partitioning circuit either partitions subsets of the MIMO chains for asynchronous operation as distinct radios or combines all MIMO chains for synchronous operation as a single radio. The switchable RF filter bank is responsive to a partitioning of subsets of the chains into distinct radios to add RF filters to a RF portion of the chains to isolate each radio from one another, and responsive to a combining of all MIMO chains into a single radio to remove all RF filters.

Abstract: A wireless access point (WAP) configured to supporting wireless communications with station nodes on a selected communication channel of an associated wireless local area network (WLAN). The WAP includes multiple multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmit and receive paths.

Abstract: An acoustic spatial diagnostic circuit couples to an array of microphones to successively sample an acoustic environment surrounding a wireless transceiver to generate an acoustic spatial map of activity within the environment based on sets of acoustic samples and execute one or more actions based on a related portion of the acoustic spatial map exhibiting one or more correlations with a spatial context condition of a wireless trained transceiver.

Abstract: Systems and methods for a wireless station supporting wireless communications with an associated wireless access point (WAP) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) where the wireless station can include hardware processing circuitry to perform hybrid spatial mapping feedback operations for multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) downlinks from the WAP to a group of associated stations. An exemplary implementation includes a channel estimation circuit to determine a communication channel responsive to an explicit sounding from the WAP, and to transmit channel sounding feedback to the WAP indicating the determined communication channel; and a crosstalk tracking circuit to determine an amount of crosstalk from portions of a downlink MU-MIMO communication packet targeted for other stations in the group of associated stations, and to transmit crosstalk feedback to the WAP as to the determined amount of crosstalk.

Abstract: A system for optimizing communications on a plurality of wireless local area networks (WLAN)s each supporting wireless communications between a wireless access point (WAP) node and associated station nodes. The system includes: a link aggregator, a link categorizer and a link protocol identifier. The link aggregator is configured to aggregate information about communication links across all the WLANs including communication parameters associated with each link. The link categorizer is coupled to the link aggregator and configured to categorize the aggregated communication links by at least the station type associated therewith. The link protocol identifier is coupled to the link categorizer, and configured to identify any variations in the communication parameters utilized by the various WLANs for communication links with stations of a selected type, and further to identify any such variations in the communication parameters associated with relatively higher throughput to the stations of the selected type.

Abstract: A wireless access point (WAP) including: antennas, shared and discrete components forming transmit and receive chains coupled to the antenna for orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) WLAN communications with wireless stations. The station set identifier identifies any legacy stations that do not support multi-user (MU) MIMO concurrent downlinks from the WAP, and a number of WLAN subnets for concurrent downlinks communications thereto. The subnet controller generates the WLAN subnets each having a discrete beacon channel together with a discrete medium access control (MAC) for collision sense multiple access (CSMA) uplinks from associated stations to the WAP, and concurrent downlinks from the WAP including concurrent downlinks to legacy stations associated with different subnets; thereby enabling concurrent downlink communications with said legacy stations despite their lack of support for MU-MIMO.

Abstract: A wireless transceiver including: an array of antennas; a plurality of transmit and receive path components; an array of microphones; a composite spatial diagnostic circuit and a rule execution circuit. The plurality of components form transmit and receive paths coupled to the array of antennas for processing wireless communications. The composite spatial diagnostic circuit couples to the array of antennas and to the array of microphones to successively sample respectively a WiFi environment and an acoustic environment surrounding the wireless transceiver and to determine from each set of WiFi and acoustic samples a composite spatial map of humans and wireless transceivers within the surrounding environment. The rule execution circuit executes an action proscribed by a selected rule when a related portion of the composite spatial map sampled by the composite spatial diagnostic circuit exhibits a correlation above a threshold amount with a spatial context condition associated with the selected rule.

Abstract: A diagnostic system for spatial diagnosis of the WLAN includes: a sounding aggregator and a spatial correlator. The sounding aggregator is configured to aggregate multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel state information (CSI) from channel soundings of the WLAN, including channel soundings between a wireless access point (WAP) node and associated station nodes on a selected one of a plurality of communication channels of the WLAN. The spatial correlator is coupled to the sounding aggregator and configured to correlate CSI from the channel soundings with spatial characteristics of the WLAN including at least one of: a change in location of a WLAN node, human activity among the WLAN nodes, and structural impediments among WLAN nodes.

Abstract: A WAP including: a spatial mapper component, a partial sounding feedback expander circuit and a beamforming matrix calculator. The spatial mapper component spatially maps the transmission of a single MIMO sounding packet with either a single full spatial mapping matrix (SMM) or a set of “N” partial SMM responsive respectively to a full or composite sounding mode designation. The partial sounding feedback expander circuit in the composite sounding mode, expands partial sounding feedback received from a targeted station in response to the single MIMO sounding packet into a full sounding feedback. The beamforming matrix calculator calculates a full beamforming matrix for transmitting downlink communications to the targeted station from the full sounding feedback provided by either the partial sounding feedback expander circuit in the composite sounding mode, or the full sounding feedback received directly from the targeted station in the full sounding mode.

Abstract: A hybrid wireless client apparatus including: a hybrid client controller, at least one antenna, and a plurality of shared and discrete components coupled to one another to form at least one transmit and receive chain each coupled to the at least one antenna for orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) wireless communications with a wireless access point (WAP). The hybrid client controller is coupled to the plurality of shared and discrete components and configured to determine an eligibility of at least one neighboring wireless client node on a wireless local area network (WLAN) as a relay target, and responsive to an affirmative eligibility determination to initiate on the hybrid wireless client apparatus both local communications with the WAP together with a relay of distinct communications between the WAP and the at least one neighboring wireless client node as the relay target.

Abstract: A system for automating setup of a station on one among a plurality of wireless home networks each associated with a distinct subscriber and each including a wireless access point (WAP) node supporting wireless communications with an associated set of station nodes. A station provisioner circuit couples to the WAP nodes to acquire credentials for a new station prior to delivery to an identified one of the subscribers; and to inject the acquired credentials into a corresponding one of the WAP nodes which services the wireless network of the identified one of the subscribers. A secure link management circuit on the corresponding one of the WAP nodes utilizes the acquired credentials from the station provisioner circuit for identification of the new station shipped to the identified subscriber; and for setup of a secure wireless communication link between the new station and the corresponding WAP node which services the subscriber's wireless home network.

Abstract: A WAP including: a sounding mode module, a sounding matrix generator, a sounding aggregator, a gain normalizer and a beamforming expansion module. The sounding mode module determines whether a number of communication streams supported by the WAP matches the number of streams contained in a sounding response from a station, and initiates a composite set of soundings when those capabilities do not match. The sounding matrix generator generates linearly independent spatial mapping matrices each associated with a corresponding one of the set of composite soundings and at least one reference SMM. The sounding aggregator aggregates partial sounding feedback matrices received from the targeted station node in response to the composite soundings. The gain normalizer normalizes the partial sounding feedback matrices utilizing the reference SMM. The beamforming expansion module expands the aggregated sounding feedback matrices into a full beamforming matrix for spatially mapping downlink communications.

Abstract: A server coupled to wireless transceivers wirelessly communicating user data on corresponding ones of a plurality of wireless local area networks (WLAN) is disclosed. The server comprises: a memory, and a processor. The memory to store executable instructions. The processor is coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising: identifying wireless transceivers and access privileges requested by each of a plurality of WiFi service vendors; opening a control portal between each WiFi service vendor and the corresponding wireless transceivers identified in the identifying act; and arbitrating access by each WiFi service vendor to the corresponding identified wireless transceivers to avoid interruption of the wireless user data communications on corresponding ones of the WLANs.

Abstract: A charge pump and a differential phase locked loop incorporating the charge pump. The charge pump includes a differential charge pump and an auxiliary charge pump. The differential charge pump has differential inputs and primary and mirror outputs. The differential charge pump is responsive to a down signal at the differential inputs to provide a negative current at the primary output and a positive current at the mirror output, and further responsive to an up signal at the differential inputs to provide a positive current at the primary output and a negative current at the mirror output. The auxiliary charge pump has differential inputs and an auxiliary output coupled to the mirror output of the differential charge pump. The differential charge pump is responsive to the down signal at the differential inputs to provide a negative current at the auxiliary output, and responsive to the up signal at the differential inputs to provide a positive current at the auxiliary output.

Abstract: A wireless transceiver apparatus including: a plurality of components coupled to one another to form transmit and receive paths for processing wireless communications on the at least one selected wireless communication channel; local control circuits and a remote and local (R/L) switch fabric. The local control circuits each control a distinct portion of the wireless transceiver's wireless operations via connections to a related subset of the plurality of components. The R/L switch fabric configured to switchably connect each of the subsets of the plurality of components to at least one of, a related one of the local control circuits and a remote server providing remote control of a related portion of the wireless transceivers wireless operations, to enable a configurable mix of local and remote control sources among the distinct portions of the wireless transceiver's wireless operations.

Abstract: A traffic management system for managing communication traffic on wireless local area networks (WLAN)s. The traffic management system comprises: a traffic aggregator and a traffic prioritizer. The traffic aggregator is configured to aggregate traffic management parameters from neighboring ones of the WLANs which share a selected communication channel with one another for communication links between their associated wireless access point (WAP) node and station nodes. The traffic prioritizer is coupled to the traffic aggregator and configured to prioritize the communication traffic of the neighboring ones of the WLANs using the aggregated traffic management parameters; thereby avoiding impediments to high priority communication traffic on a one of the neighboring networks resulting from a lack of prioritization coordination with an other of the neighboring networks.

Abstract: A transceiver for a wireless local area network (WLAN) and the transceiver including a sounding feedback module and a sounding feedforward module. The sounding feedback module is responsive to an explicit sounding from a transmitting one of the nodes to send feedback of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel state information (CSI) derived from the channel sounding to the transmitting one of the nodes for improving subsequent transmissions. The sounding feedforward module is configured to monitor changes in CSI since the last explicit sounding based on CSI determined from the subsequent transmissions of the transmitting one of the nodes and responsive to a determination of a change in CSI above a threshold amount, to feedforward to the transmitting one of the nodes indicia of the change in CSI.

Abstract: A wireless communication sniffer including: a packet identification module; a channel modeler; single-channel and multi-channel equalization matrix calculators; and an equalizer. The packet identification module identifies a packet as single-user (SU) or multi-user (MU). The channel modeler models the communication channel for the packet as either a set of single-channel or multi-channel parameters responsive to the SU and MU packet identification. The single-channel equalization matrix calculator calculates a single-channel equalization matrix using the set of single-channel parameters, responsive to an SU identification. The multi-channel equalization matrix calculator calculates a multi-channel equalization matrix using the set of multi-channel parameters, responsive to an MU identification. The equalizer equalizes the received communication packet utilizing the single-channel or multi-channel equalization matrix responsive to the SU or MU packet identification respectively.

Abstract: A wireless transceiver for a wireless local area network (WLAN) including a port evaluator and a port correlator. Transceiver radio frequency “RF” communication ports are configured to couple to at least one of a wired or wireless communication medium. Shared and discrete components form transmit and receive chains each coupled to a corresponding RF communication port for communications with associated transceiver nodes. The port evaluator is coupled to each of the RF communication ports and configured to evaluate the selected communication channel on each of the RF communication ports with respect to each of the plurality of transceiver nodes. The port correlator is coupled to the shared and discrete components and to the port evaluator and configured to correlate each of the transceiver nodes with a corresponding subset of the RF communication ports supporting optimal communications therewith based on the evaluation by the port evaluator.

Abstract: A WAP including: an MU grouping module; a constrained station identifier: a precode matrix calculator and compressor, and a spatial mapper. The MU grouping module selects a downlink MU group of stations and a number of downlink streams. The constrained station identifier identifies any of the stations in the MU group that are constrained stations and a limit on the number of training streams supported for the most constrained station. The precode matrix calculator calculates a precode matrix “Q” for spatially separating the aggregate number of MU-MIMO downlink streams. The precode matrix compressor responds to the identification of any constrained stations in the MU group, by compressing the precede matrix Q into a compressed precode matrix “C(Q)”. The spatial mapper spatially maps a training portion of each packet with a selected one of C(Q) and Q as a precode matrix; based on whether or not a constrained station is identified within the MU group.