Communicating data over a mesh network

摘要

In a wireless mesh network, a wireless communications device 802 operating according to a WLAN communications protocol is configured to generate a mesh network data packet and encapsulate the mesh network data packet in a WLAN beacon frame which is capable of being received and accurately decoded by WLAN-capable devices with which the wireless communications device has not established a WLAN communications connection. The mesh network data packet comprises a message authentication code (MAC) field, a lifetime or time-to-live (TTL) field and a higher layer message payload. The wireless communication device may additionally operate according to a second protocol such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Mesh network data packets are decapsulated from Bluetooth protocol data frames and encapsulated in WLAN protocol data frames and vice versa as they are routed through the mesh network.