Powerline base station
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for providing in-building wireless communications are provided. A master base transceiver station can include a standards-compliant powerline modem coupled to one or more slave base transceiver stations and/or antenna modules. A bridge can be provided that includes a standards-compliant powerline modem coupled to one or more base transceiver stations. The standards-compliant powerline modems communicate standards-compliant digital signals over powerlines. The master base transceiver station or bridge is coupled to a mobile switching center/base station controller via a network.
1. A method for supporting wireless communications, the method comprising the acts of:
receiving, by a master base transceiver station, data from a base station controller;
identifying a device supporting a wireless station associated with the data;
transmitting the data to the identified device in a digital standards-based power line transmission format;
receiving, by the master base transceiver station, second data from the base station controller; and
transmitting the second data over an antenna.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is an antenna module.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is a slave base transceiver station.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
rebroadcasting, by the device, paging channel information, control channels and user traffic channels received from the master base transceiver station.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is located in a building, and the master base transceiver station is coupled to the base station controller via a network external to the building.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base station controller is a component of a wireless macro network.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master base transceiver station comprises a location register.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master base transceiver station is coupled to an external location register.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is an antenna module.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is a slave base transceiver station.
11. A method for supporting wireless communications, the method comprising the acts of:
receiving, by a master base transceiver station, data from a base station controller;
identifying a device supporting a wireless station associated with the data;
transmitting the data to the identified device in a digital standards-based power line transmission format; and
receiving, by the master base transceiver station, second data from the device in the digital standards-based powerline transmission format; and transmitting the second data over an antenna.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
rebroadcasting, by the device, paging channel information, control channels and user traffic channels received from the master base transceiver station.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the device is located in a building, and the master base transceiver station is coupled to the base station controller via a network external to the building.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the base station controller is a component of a wireless macro network.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the master base transceiver station comprises a location register.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the master base transceiver station is coupled to an external location register.