Systems and methods for enhanced mesh networking

1. A method for network device communication, the method comprising:

in a network comprising a wireless mesh segment and an Ethernet segment, determining a sum of a bitrate of each wireless link of a plurality of wireless links of a first access point (AP), wherein:

the wireless mesh segment comprises a plurality of wireless devices connected by wireless links, the plurality of wireless devices comprising: the first AP, a second AP, and a first wireless device; and

the Ethernet segment comprises a plurality of Ethernet devices connected by Ethernet, the plurality of Ethernet devices comprising: the first AP, the second AP, and a first Ethernet device;

at the first AP, broadcasting an announcement to the wireless mesh segment, wherein the announcement comprises the sum and a first AP identifier associated with the first AP;

at the second AP, in response to receiving the announcement, based on the sum and the first AP identifier, designating the first AP as a forwarding device for communication between the wireless mesh segment and the Ethernet segment; and

transmitting a communication from the first wireless device to the first Ethernet device, comprising:

at the first wireless device, wirelessly transmitting the communication to the second AP;

based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device, at the second AP, in response to receiving the communication, wirelessly transmitting the communication to the first AP; and

based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device, at the first AP, in response to receiving the communication, transmitting the communication via Ethernet to the first Ethernet device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a second communication from a second wireless device of the wireless mesh segment to the first Ethernet device, comprising, based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device:

at the second wireless device, wirelessly transmitting the second communication to the first AP; and

at the first AP, in response to receiving the second communication, transmitting the second communication via Ethernet to the first Ethernet device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein all communication between the wireless mesh segment and the Ethernet segment is sent via the forwarding device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after transmitting the first communication to the first Ethernet device:

designating the second AP as the forwarding device for communication between the wireless segment and the Ethernet segment; and

after designating the second AP as the forwarding device, transmitting a second communication from the first wireless device to the first Ethernet device, comprising:

at the first wireless device, wirelessly transmitting the second communication to the second AP; and

based on designating the second AP as the forwarding device, at the second AP, in response to receiving the communication, transmitting the communication via Ethernet to the first Ethernet device.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising, after designating the second AP as the forwarding device, transmitting a third communication from a second wireless device of the wireless mesh segment to the first Ethernet device, comprising:

at the second wireless device, wirelessly transmitting the third communication to the first AP;

based on designating the second AP as the forwarding device, at the first AP, in response to receiving the third communication, wirelessly transmitting the communication to the second AP; and

based on designating the second AP as the forwarding device, at the second AP, in response to receiving the third communication, transmitting the third communication via Ethernet to the first Ethernet device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the wireless mesh segment consists essentially of the plurality of wireless devices and the wireless links connecting the plurality of wireless devices; and

the Ethernet segment consists essentially of the plurality of the Ethernet devices and the Ethernet links connecting the plurality of Ethernet devices.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a set of potential forwarding devices, comprising, at a wireless device of the plurality, receiving, from each potential forwarding device of the set, a respective announcement, wherein:

each potential forwarding device of the set of potential forwarding devices is included in the plurality of wireless devices and is included in the plurality of Ethernet devices; and

designating the first AP as the forwarding device comprises, in response to receiving the announcements, selecting the forwarding device from the set of potential forwarding devices.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the forwarding device is selected based on a respective metric of each potential forwarding device of the set of potential forwarding devices, wherein, for each potential forwarding device of the set, the respective announcement comprises the respective metric.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:

the respective metric of each potential forwarding device is a sum of a bitrate of each wireless link of the potential forwarding device; and

selecting the forwarding device based on the respective metric of each potential forwarding device comprises selecting the potential forwarding device with the greatest respective metric.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first Ethernet device is wirelessly connected by Ethernet to a second mesh segment separate from the mesh segment, the second mesh segment comprising a second plurality of mesh devices connected by wireless links; and

the method further comprises:

designating the first Ethernet device as a second mesh segment forwarding device for communication between the Ethernet segment and the second mesh segment;

at the first Ethernet device, receiving the communication from the first AP; and

at the first Ethernet device, in response to receiving the communication from the first AP, wirelessly transmitting the communication to a second wireless device of the second mesh segment.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the announcement comprises a STAMP announcement, wherein the STAMP announcement comprises a STAMP metric including the sum.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of wireless links of the first AP comprises a first wireless link defining a first bitrate, a second wireless link defining a second bitrate, and a third wireless link defining a third bitrate; and

determining the sum comprises adding the first bitrate, the second bitrate, and the third bitrate.

13. A method for network device communication, the method comprising:

in a network comprising a wireless mesh segment and an Ethernet segment, determining a sum of a bitrate of each wireless link of a plurality of wireless links of a first access point (AP), wherein:

the wireless mesh segment comprises a plurality of wireless devices connected by wireless links, the plurality of wireless devices comprising: the first AP, a second AP, and a first wireless device; and

the Ethernet segment comprises a plurality of Ethernet devices connected by Ethernet, the plurality of Ethernet devices comprising: the first AP, the second AP, and a first Ethernet device;

at the first AP, broadcasting an announcement to the wireless mesh segment, wherein the announcement comprises the sum and a first AP identifier associated with the first AP;

at the second AP, in response to receiving the announcement, based on the sum and the first AP identifier, designating the first AP as a forwarding device for communication between the wireless mesh segment and the Ethernet segment; and

transmitting a communication from the first Ethernet device to the first wireless device, comprising:

transmitting the communication from the first Ethernet device via Ethernet;

at the first AP, receiving the communication via Ethernet;

at the second AP, receiving the communication via Ethernet;

based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device, at the first AP, in response to receiving the communication via Ethernet, wirelessly transmitting the communication to the first wireless device; and

based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device, at the second AP, in response to receiving the communication via Ethernet, determining not to transmit the communication.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein transmitting the communication from the first Ethernet device via Ethernet comprises:

at the first Ethernet device, transmitting a unicast frame via Ethernet to a switch of the Ethernet segment, wherein the frame comprises the communication and a destination, wherein the destination comprises an identifier of the first wireless device; and

at the switch, flooding the unicast frame, wherein:

the frame is transmitted via a first Ethernet path to the first AP, wherein the first Ethernet path does not comprise the second AP; and

the frame is transmitted via a second Ethernet path to the second AP, wherein the second Ethernet path does not comprise the first AP.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

transmitting the communication from the first Ethernet device via Ethernet comprises, at the first Ethernet device, transmitting a broadcast frame via Ethernet, wherein the broadcast frame comprises the communication;

the first wireless device is connected by Ethernet to a second Ethernet segment separate from the Ethernet segment, the second Ethernet segment comprising a second plurality of Ethernet devices connected by Ethernet; and

the method further comprises:

designating the first wireless device as a second Ethernet segment forwarding device for communication between the wireless segment and the second Ethernet segment;

at the first wireless device, receiving the communication from the first AP; and

at the first wireless device, in response to receiving the communication from the first AP, transmitting a second broadcast frame via Ethernet to the second Ethernet segment, wherein the second broadcast frame comprises the communication.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising transmitting a second communication from the first wireless device to the first Ethernet device, comprising:

at the first wireless device, wirelessly transmitting the second communication to the second AP;

based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device, at the second AP, in response to receiving the second communication, wirelessly transmitting the second communication to the first AP; and

based on designating the first AP as the forwarding device, at the first AP, in response to receiving the second communication, transmitting the second communication via Ethernet to the first Ethernet device.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein all communication between the wireless mesh segment and the Ethernet segment is sent via the forwarding device.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

the wireless mesh segment consists essentially of the plurality of wireless devices and the wireless links connecting the plurality of wireless devices; and

the Ethernet segment consists essentially of the plurality of the Ethernet devices and the Ethernet links connecting the plurality of Ethernet devices.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a set of potential forwarding devices, comprising, at a wireless device of the plurality, receiving, from each potential forwarding device of the set, a respective announcement, wherein:

each potential forwarding device of the set of potential forwarding devices is included in the plurality of wireless devices and is included in the plurality of Ethernet devices; and

designating the first AP as the forwarding device comprises, in response to receiving the announcements, selecting the forwarding device from the set of potential forwarding devices.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the forwarding device is selected based on a respective network centrality metric of each potential forwarding device of the set of potential forwarding devices, wherein, for each potential forwarding device of the set, the respective announcement comprises the respective network centrality metric.

21. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, after transmitting the first communication to the first wireless device:

designating the second AP as the forwarding device for communication between the wireless segment and the Ethernet segment; and

after designating the second AP as the forwarding device, transmitting a second communication from the first Ethernet device to the first wireless device, comprising:

transmitting the second communication from the first Ethernet device via Ethernet;

at the second AP, receiving the second communication via Ethernet; and

based on designating the second AP as the forwarding device, at the second AP, in response to receiving the communication via Ethernet, wirelessly transmitting the communication to the first wireless device.

22. The method of claim 13 , wherein wirelessly transmitting the communication to the first wireless device at the first AP comprises wirelessly transmitting the communication from the first AP to the second AP; the method further comprising, at the second AP:

wirelessly receiving the communication from the first AP; and

in response to wirelessly receiving the communication from the first AP, wirelessly transmitting the communication to the first wireless device.