Wireless cable networking gateway and Wi-Fi system incorporating the same
View Patent ↗A wireless cable networking gateway, a method of wireless cable networking and a Wi-Fi system incorporating the gateway or the method. In one embodiment, the gateway includes: (1) a wireless transceiver for transferring data between wireless and wireline domains, (2) wide-area and premises cable interfaces for coupling the wireless cable networking gateway to respective wide-area and premises cable networks and (3) channel insertion and extraction circuitry, coupling the wireless transceiver, the wide-area cable interface and the premises cable interface, that routes the data between the wireless transceiver and at least a portion of a television channel to be transmitted across at least the premises cable interface, remaining television channels being transmitted from the wide-area cable interface to the premises cable interface.
1. A Wi-Fi system, comprising:
(A) a premises cable network, including:
(1) a television cable backbone, and
(2) at least one television set coupled to said television cable backbone;
(B) a wireless cable networking gateway coupled to said premises cable network and a wide-area cable network and including:
(1) a Wi-Fi transceiver for transferring wireless data to and from an IEEE 802.11 domain,
(2) digital/analog conversion circuitry, coupled to said Wi-Fi transceiver, for converting said wireless between digital and analog domains,
(3) a wide-area cable interface for coupling said wireless cable networking gateway to said wide-area cable network, and
(4) channel insertion and extraction circuitry, coupling said digital/analog conversion circuitry, said wide-area cable interface and said premises cable network, that routes said wireless data between said wireless transceiver and at least a portion of a television channel to be transmitted across at least said premises cable network by inserting said wireless data to and extracting said wireless data from said at least a portion of a television channel, remaining television channels being transmitted from said wide-area cable interface to said premises cable network; and
(C) at least one Wi-Fi device, wirelessly coupled to said Wi-Fi transceiver, for communicating said wireless data therewith and to said at least one television set.
2. The Wi-Fi system as recited in claim 1 wherein said Wi-Fi device is selected from the group consisting of:
a computer,
a video cassette recorder,
a video camera,
a digital versatile disk player,
a gaming system console,
a gaming system controller, and
a digital camera.
3. The Wi-Fi system as recited in claim 1 further comprising processing circuitry, coupled to said channel insertion and extraction circuitry, that allows said television channel to be remotely selectable.
4. The Wi-Fi system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a buffer, interposing said wireless transceiver and said channel insertion and extraction circuitry, for buffering said wireless data.
5. The Wi-Fi system as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least said portion of said television channel is further transmitted across said wide-area cable interface.
6. The Wi-Fi system as recited in claim 1 wherein said channel insertion and extraction circuitry routes said wireless data between said wireless transceiver and at least portions of multiple television channels.