Method and system for wirelessly transmitting data
Methods and systems for wirelessly transmitting data between Wi-Fi stations without requiring the Wi-Fi stations to be fully connected to the Wi-Fi network. A first Wi-Fi station generates the data to be transmitted. The data comprises status data and/or wake-up data. The first Wi-Fi station then inserts the data in a vendor-specific information element of a probe request frame and wirelessly transmits the probe request frame. The probe request frame is then received by a second Wi-Fi station. If the probe request frame contains wake-up data and the second Wi-Fi station is operating in a low-power mode when it receives the probe request frame, the second Wi-Fi station will wake-up from the low-power mode. If the probe request frame contains status data then the second Wi-Fi station may process the probe request frame and/or forward at least a portion of the received probe request frame to another device.
1. A method to wirelessly transmit data, the method comprising:
generating at a first Wi-Fi station data to be transmitted to another Wi-Fi station, the data comprising one or more actions to be executed by the other Wi-Fi station;
inserting at the first Wi-Fi station the generated data in a vendor-specific information element of a Wi-Fi probe request frame; and
wirelessly transmitting at the first Wi-Fi station the Wi-Fi probe request frame;
wherein at least one of the first Wi-Fi station and the other Wi-Fi station is operating in a low-power mode in which at least one module in the Wi-Fi station is suspended to conserve power.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining at the first Wi-Fi station whether one or more predetermined conditions are met; wherein the first Wi-Fi station generates the data to be transmitted if at least one predetermined condition is met.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame is a broadcast probe request frame.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises wake-up data and status data.
5. A system to wirelessly transmit data, the system comprising a first Wi-Fi station, the first Wi-Fi station comprising:
a processor configured to:
operate the first Wi-Fi station in a low-power mode in which at least one module in the first Wi-Fi station is suspended to conserve power, and
generate data to be transmitted to a second Wi-Fi station, the data comprising one or more actions to be executed by the other Wi-Fi station, and insert the generated data in a vendor-specific information element of a Wi-Fi probe request frame; and
a Wi-Fi module configured to wirelessly transmit the Wi-Fi probe request frame.
6. The system according to claim 5 , further comprising the second Wi-Fi station, said second Wi-Fi station being configured to:
receive the Wi-Fi probe request frame; and
in response to receiving the Wi-Fi probe request frame, execute the one or more actions.
7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the second Wi-Fi station is operating in a low-power mode when it receives the Wi-Fi probe request frame, and the one or more actions executed by the second Wi-Fi station comprise waking up the second Wi-Fi station from the low-power mode.
8. The system according to claim 5 , further comprising a non-Wi-Fi device configured to:
determine whether one or more predetermined conditions are met; and
if at least one predetermined condition is met, transmit a notification from the non-Wi-Fi device to the first Wi-Fi station that at least one predetermined condition is met;
wherein the first Wi-Fi station generates the data to be transmitted in response to receiving the notification from the non-Wi-Fi device that at least one predetermined condition is met.
9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the notification is transmitted using a protocol other than Wi-Fi.
10. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame is a broadcast probe request frame.
11. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises wake-up data and the status data.
12. A Wi-Fi station comprising:
a Wi-Fi module configured to wirelessly receive a Wi-Fi request frame from another Wi-Fi station while the Wi-Fi station is operating in a low power-mode in which at least one module in the Wi-Fi station is suspended to conserve power, the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprising data defining one or more actions to be executed by the Wi-Fi station in a vendor-specific information element of the Wi-Fi probe request frame; and
a processor configured to execute the one or more actions in response to receiving the Wi-Fi probe request frame.
13. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more actions executed by the processor comprises:
determining whether the received Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises a vendor-specific information element comprising wake-up data; and
if the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the vendor specific information element comprising wake-up data, waking-up the Wi-Fi station from the low-power mode.
14. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 13 , wherein waking-up the Wi-Fi station from the low-power mode comprises enabling the at least one module of the Wi-Fi station.
15. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine if one or more predetermined conditions are met and if at least one predetermined condition is met, operate the Wi-Fi device in the low-power mode.
16. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 12 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises the status data and the one or more actions executed by the processor comprises forwarding at least a portion of the Wi-Fi probe request frame to another device.
17. The Wi-Fi station according to claim 12 , wherein the Wi-Fi probe request frame comprises status data and the one or more actions executed by the processor comprise processing the Wi-Fi probe request frame.