Mobile wireless hotspot system

[0001] The invention relates to wireless Internet access points, and in particular to providing a mobile wireless access point for use with high-speed wireless devices.

[0002] Telecommunications technology has advanced dramatically in recent history. The era of cost effective mobile data connectivity, “anytime, anywhere” is rapidly approaching. With the growing popularity of the Internet and increasing mobility demands from end users, there has recently been increased interest in wireless public Internet access.

[0003] Public Internet access (e.g. Internet Café) has been around for many years. In the last couple of years, a new wireless data technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard has been gaining momentum. Of particular interest is the deployment of 802.11-based access points—so called “Hotspots”—in public spaces, e.g. coffee shops, hotels, conference centers, and airports. Users with client devices such as laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs) use an 802.11 network interface card that enables them to connect to the Internet without any physical cables. Once an association is established with the Wireless LAN (WLAN) Access Point (AP) or Hotspot, the user is able to surf the Internet as if they were on a LAN.

[0004] The existing Hotspots provide good Internet connectivity. The major challenge with this type of wireless solution is coverage. The 802.11 standard makes use of an unlicensed frequency spectrum and is therefore limited to low power transmissions. As a result, a typical Hotspot has a range of no more than 150 feet indoors and 1000 feet outdoors under ideal conditions. Even with large companies such as T-Mobile planning to install thousands of these Hotspots in the coming years, it will be very difficult to achieve sufficient coverage throughout a city to satisfy a large population of mobile workers.

[0005] To address the need for wide area wireless coverage, many cellular operators have been deploying new generation (known as 2.5G or 3G) wireless data networks. For example, the PCS Vision network from Sprint PCS is already providing substantially improved performance over previous generations of wireless technology. With speeds averaging 50-70 kbps and peaking at 144 kbps the PCS Vision network is much slower than its 802.11 counterpart but has the advantage of a large coverage area and support for vehicular mobility (e.g. 0-300 km/h). 3G networks provide a service that is closer to the “anytime, anywhere” objective.

[0006] There are drawbacks with 3G networks, chief among them being cost. 3G interface cards are expensive and so are the associated service plans. There are also several competing and evolving standards (1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, 1xEV-DV, GPRS, EDGE, etc.). A given interface card typically supports only one of these standards, the consumer is faced with a difficult decision, compounded by the knowledge he will likely have to upgrade to yet another expensive option within 18-36 months. High cost, confusing choices and poor performance relative to home Internet services such as DSL and cable modems all inhibit the wide acceptance of 3G.

[0007] Today, ground transportation is a part of nearly everyone's life. Be it airport transfers, customer visits, or daily commuting, more and more of the workforce is becoming mobile. Mobile workers are continually looking for cost effective solutions that allow them to stay in touch with their customers, co-workers, suppliers and shareholders electronically using standard computer equipment while “stuck” in transit using public transportation including limousines, taxis, buses, ferries or trains.

[0008] It is an object of this invention to provide a mobile wireless hotspot that allows client devices equipped with short-range wireless Internet capability (e.g. 802.11) to access the Internet from a mobile vehicle through a long-range wireless Internet system (e.g. a 3G network).

[0009] The present invention integrates a short-range wireless Hotspot, such as an 802.11-compatible hotspot, with the mobility of long-range wireless networks, such as 3G into a Mobile Hotspot System (MHS). The MHS includes a short-range wireless (WLAN) access point, a long-range wireless (WAN) Internet interface, and a Local Area Network (LAN) router to handle communications and features of the MHS.

[0010] The MHS provides wireless Internet connectivity to an end user with a client device configured for short-range wireless Internet access while in a mobile environment, such as a limousine.

[0011] The LAN router may further include transparent in-line data caching to improve an end user surfing experience and optimize access to popular web sites. This caching may also include pre-loading domain name service (DNS) results at system boot time to optimize host name lookups.

[0012] The MHS may further include a wireless WAN connection manager to monitor the state of the WAN connection and re-establishes it when necessary to ensure continuous Internet connectivity.

[0013] The MHS can also include content stored locally on the MHS instead of being retrieved over the WAN Internet connection. Such content can be retrieved by the user much faster than via the WAN. Such content may include, but not be limited to, advertising, local tourist information, and audio/video entertainment. The local content can be tailored to the user based on demographic information obtained directly or indirectly (e.g. by monitoring activity) from the user.

[0014] The MHS can include an integrated Operations Support System (OSS) for use with multiple MHS units. The OSS provides proactive monitoring and control of all deployed MHS units via the Internet. The MHS cache systems can be further optimized based on overall usage statistics collected by the OSS from all deployed MHS units.

[0015] The invention additionally includes a method of providing a mobile wireless hotspot by installing a mobile wireless hotspot system as described above into a vehicle for use by client devices in the vehicle. The method may also using an OSS to coordinate and share information between multiple mobile hotspots.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated within a typical architecture for a prior art Hotspot 10. The range of application of the prior art Hotspot 10 is limited to a small area since the WAN interface 18 is fixed in location.

[0028] In the prior art system, an 802.11 Access Point 12 accepts connections from a plurality of 802.11 client devices 30. Coupled to an output of the 802.11 Access Point 12 a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) module 14 assigns IP (Internetworking Protocol) addresses and configures other network settings (e.g. name servers, gateways) for the client devices 30 when they connect to the access point 12. The LAN Router 16 directs traffic from the access point 12 to the Internet 20 via the fixed WAN interface 18. The WAN interface 18 is typically a DSL or cable modem providing high-speed Internet access.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 2, a Mobile Hotspot System (MHS) 40 is shown in which Client devices 30 connect to the MHS 40 by an 802.11 access point 12 in the same fashion as they do to a standard hotspot. The key difference is the Internet connection is established via a mobile WAN interface 42 using a mobile WAN service such as 1xRTT or GPRS. The Mobile WAN Interface 42 allows the MHS 40 to be deployed in a moving vehicle (not shown). Typically, the MHS 40 would be installed in vehicles such as limousines and luxury vehicles given the current costs. However, as the costs for the hardware decrease over time, the MHS 40 will be installed in private vehicles as well as taxis, commuter buses, light rail, passenger and motor vehicle ferries and other mass transit systems.

[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative usage for the MHS 40, in which the MHS 40 acts as an 802.11 Client device when the vehicle is parked in proximity to an 802.11 access point 12. The MHS 40 can then use the relatively high speed 802.11 data link to update local content stored on the MHS 40. Unlike a conventional hotspot, the MHS 802.11 interface requires the ability to switch between client and access point modes.

[0031] The functional block diagram of the MHS 40, illustrated in FIG. 4, consists of the 802.11 interface 12 which is capable of acting as either a client device or an access point to support both operational modes as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The DHCP module 14 assigns IP addresses and configures other network information (name servers, gateways) for client devices 30 when they connect to the MHS 40. The DHCP module 14 performs no function when the MHS 802.11 interface 12 is operating as a client device.

[0032] The LAN Router 16 controls access to the MHS 40. Newly connected clients are prevented from accessing the Internet 20 immediately as all Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests are intercepted and redirected to the local web server module 52 for user authentication. Once authentication is complete, all HTTP requests are transparently redirected to the local Web Cache module 58, while all other traffic from the authenticated client is passed directly to the Internet 20.

[0033] The LAN Router 16 also performs Network Address Translation (NAT). This allows all client devices 30 to share a single external Internet address. It also acts as a security measure, preventing hostile external entities from establishing connections to MHS client devices 30. The Web Cache module 58 is a performance optimization feature. Each HTTP request is analyzed to see if the requested data exists in the local cache 58. If a match or “hit” is found, the data is returned to the user directly from the cache 58 at much higher speeds than if the data had to be retrieved from the Internet 20.

[0034] The Web Server module 54 handles user authentication and provides local content 56. Local content 56 may include but not be limited to advertising, audio/video entertainment, local news and traffic data. The Local Content Module (LCM) 52 customizes the information presented to the user from the local web server module 54. The LCM 52 gathers position information from the onboard GPS module 68, if present, in order to tailor advertising, news and traffic information based on the location of the vehicle. The LCM 52 also analyzes web surfing patterns from the Web Cache module 54 in order to tailor advertising based on the interests of the customers using the service. The LCM 52 also detects when the vehicle is parked in proximity to an 802.11 access point and switches the MHS 40 into client mode, downloading bulky new content over the high speed link from the central OSS (operations support system) 80.

[0035] The DNS module 62 handles domain name resolution requests. These requests are issued by client devices 30 in order to translate human-friendly domain names (e.g. ‘www.google.com’) into their numerical equivalents (e.g. 123.456.789.555). The DNS module 62 resolves these requests via the slow WAN link on the first request but then caches the results so that subsequent requests are returned from directly from the DNS cache 60.

[0036] The WAN Manager module 70 monitors the state of the WAN connection. Like cell phones, the mobile WAN connection occasionally loses signal strength and drops the connection. The WAN manager 70 senses these dropouts and automatically re-initiates the call. The WAN manager 70 also sends a periodic beacon to the Web to confirm the WAN connection (see flowchart in FIG. 10). These operations dramatically improve the user experience by minimizing the outages the user sees. The WAN manager 70 also reports the state of the connection to the local content manager (LCM) 52 so that the user can see when they do and do not have Internet connectivity.

[0037] The Geographical Positioning Service (GPS) module 68 is a satellite-based system that can pinpoint the location of the MHS 40. This position information is logged with the OSS client 64 for vehicle tracking purposes and is also relayed to the Local Content Manager 52 for customization of local content.

[0038] The OSS client module 64 is an optional module installed when the MHS 40 is to be managed by a central OSS. It collects MHS operational statistics and makes them available to the central OSS via the Internet 20. In addition, the OSS client 64 provides administrative access to the unit via the Internet 20 so that basic maintenance can be performed without physically accessing the MHS 40.

[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates architecture for the connection of multiple MHS units 40 to the Internet 20 and management of the MHS units 40 from a central OSS 80 via the Internet 20.

[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates the aggregate web and DNS caching mechanisms for a network of MHS units 40. Each MHS unit 40 reports its local web cache 58 and DNS statistics 60 to the central OSS 80, which consolidates the information into lists of the most popular web sites and hostnames. During idle periods, the MHS units 40 retrieve these global popularity lists and update their web 58 and DNS 60 caches accordingly using the pre-loading logic shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. The priority between DNS pre-loading and web page pre-loading can be set either by the individual MHS 40 or from the OSS 80.

[0041] FIG. 7 illustrates the authentication procedure followed when a client device 30 connects to the MHS 40. The client device first 100 launches its Web Browser application and attempts to load a web page. The web server module 52 then checks 102 to see if the user of the device is logged in to the system. If the user is logged in, then the web page is loaded 108. If the user is not logged in, then a welcome page with a login information request (i.e. user ID and password) is presented 104. The login information is authenticated 106 and then further user requests are allowed to proceed to the Internet. Otherwise, the welcome page 104 is re-displayed requesting the user to enter the login information again.

[0042] The DNS pre-loading algorithm is shown in the flowchart in FIG. 8. At this system start-up (110) the list of the most popular domain names is downloaded (112) from the central OSS 80. During the idle cycle (114), if the system is idle, the next domain name on the list has its DNS address resolved (116). The list is checked for remaining domain names (118) and the process continues during MHS idle periods until the entire list has been resolved.

[0043] The web site pre-loading algorithm is shown in the flowchart in FIG. 9 and is similar to the DNS algorithm. After start-up (110) the list of most popular web sites is downloaded from the central OSS (120). During the idle cycle (122), if the system is idle, the root page of the next web site on the list is downloaded into the web cache 58 (124). Linked pages off the root page of the website are also fetched (126) up to a preset depth from the root page. This preset depth can be set to zero to cache only the root pages. The list is checked for remaining web sites (128) and the process continues during MHS idle periods until the entire list has been downloaded to the web cache 58.

[0044] The flowchart in FIG. 10 shows the WAN manager beacon process. Once the WAN connection is established (160) the system waits for a preset period (162) before sending a beacon to the WAN to verify the connection status (164). If the WAN is connected (166), the system returns to the wait state (162). If the WAN is not connected (166), the system attempts to re-establish the WAN connection (168). The WAN manager will also attempt to re-establish the WAN connection whenever it receives a signal 170 from the WAN interface 42 indicating that the WAN connection is down.

[0045] While the above description of the MHS 40 is based on 802.11 and 3G wireless Internet standards, the system can be readily modified to be compatible with other short-range or long-range wireless standards, such as 2.0G or 2.5G (long-range). The MHS 40 is also fully upgradeable with advances in the wireless field, such as the proposed 4G network from IPWireless.

[0046] Accordingly, while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the scope of the invention.