HYBRID CABLE/WIRELESS TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

摘要

A hybrid cable/wireless communication system. Donwstream information is transported to one or more users via one or more physical communication links, such as a link employed in a CATV network infrastructure or cable plant. Upstream information is transported from the users on one or more wireless communication links. In one exemplary implementation, users may employ cable modems to decode the downstream information from the physical communication link and to encode the upstream information. An output of the user cable modem encoded with the upstream information is coupled to a cable-to-spread spectrum converter to transmit the upstream information on a spread spectrum frequency channel of the wireless communication link. In an alternative exemplary implementation, upstream information from the users is directly encoded on a spread spectrum frequency channel of the wireless communication link, which is decoded (demodulated) at a receiving end. A cable modem at the receiving end may receive the upstream information decoded from the wireless communication link and subsequently encode the upstream information on cable frequency channels for further upstream transmission.