Abstract: A method, a software product, and an apparatus to operate in a wireless device of a wireless network. The wireless device acts as a plurality of APs. The method includes transmitting bursts of management frames containing a broadcast-buffered indication for a corresponding subset of network identifiers of the wireless device, and transmitting bursts of management frames not containing any broadcast-buffered indication. The broadcast-buffered indication indicates that broadcast data is buffered at the AP of the device. Thus, management frames are sent in bursts, and the burst are staggered to reduce the likelihood that two bursts of management frames containing a broadcast-buffered indication are transmitted in immediate succession.

Abstract: A method performed by a wireless media device such as a wireless loudspeaker subsystem for configuring and connecting to a media wireless network. The wireless media device first associates to an existing infrastructure based wireless network at a first phase. At a second phase, the wireless media device establishes a secure communications tunnel with a complementary wireless device that has also previously associated to the existing wireless network. Using the secure tunnel, the wireless media device shares with the complementary wireless device data indicative of a set of parameters for a second wireless media wireless network at a third phase. Once this sharing is complete, the wireless media device connects to the second wireless network at a fourth phase.

Abstract: In a network environment such as a wireless packet network, a source node transmits a data stream, e.g., a stream of media packets to a plurality of sink nodes, including the source node transmitting a first data stream of unicast packets addressed to at least a first one of the sink nodes, while other ones of said sink nodes receive while in promiscuous mode traffic on the network including the data stream. Individual ones of the other sink nodes, upon ascertaining that there are packets of the stream that were not received, transmit a re-transmission request to the source node so that the source node can take corrective action, and so all the sink nodes can receive the data stream, even though sent as unicast addressed to fewer than all the sink nodes.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and software containing computer readable code to implement the method implemented in a first wireless device, e.g., an access point. The method includes, for a particular network identifier, e.g., BSSID, of at least one network identifier supported by the first wireless device that including a transmitter and modulator, each network identifier identifying a wireless network, e.g., an IEEE 802.11 BSS for which the first wireless device acts as an access point, transmitting full parent beacon frames periodically at the beacon frame rate for the particular network identifier; and transmitting at least one mini-beacon frames in between consecutive full parent beacon frames for the particular network identifier. Each mini beacon frame includes a subset of the information in a full parent beacon frame, and further including timing information indicative of when the next full parent beacon frame will be transmitted for the particular network identifier.

Abstract: A method, a software product, and an apparatus to determine time offsets to use with a local synchronization clock in a wireless device that can act as a plurality of (virtual) APs, each having a different network identifier. The offsets provide for the wireless device the time to transmit frames that include a broadcast-buffered indication for a particular (virtual) AP identified by a MAC address of a plurality of MAC addresses supported by the wireless device. The broadcast-buffered indication for a particular MAC address indicates that there is broadcast/multicast data buffered in the wireless device. The method is arranged such that the frames containing the broadcast buffered indication for each access point of the wireless device are transmitted by the wireless device at times spread substantially evenly, interleaved with other broadcast frames not containing broadcast buffered indications.