Wireless network comprising collaborative groups of nodes each provided with multiple MAC addresses

摘要

Each node of a collaborative group of nodes (in a WLAN, Wi-Fi or other 802.11 type network) is provided with a first and a second Medium Access Control (MAC) address. Upon successful contention by a first node of the group, it is determined at the node whether communication to a legacy node outside the group is required. If so, the second MAC address of the node is selected as a source address for issuing a request to access the medium (RTS). Upon reception of a medium access authorization (CTS), first data is transmitted to the legacy node using the second MAC address. Second data intended for another node inside the group is sent using the first MAC address. The above may be particularly relevant to networks using Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA).