TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of “Internet of Things” (IoT). In particular, the present disclosure relates to an IoT device and a 5 method to operate the IoT device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the 10 information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed subject matter, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] “Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to the interconnection of uniquely-identifiable embedded devices within an Internet infrastructure. The Internet of things (IoT) is the extension of Internet connectivity into physical devices and 15 everyday objects. Embedded with electronics, Internet connectivity, and other forms of hardware (such as sensors), these devices can communicate and interact with other devices over the Internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled. IoT possesses intelligent perception, identification, and interconnection functions, and is part of the third wave of the information industry. In a home 20 setting, for example, there may be numerous IoT devices within a designated vicinity that are connected to a home Wi-Fi network. Such a network may also be referred to as a "proximal network," in contrast to a remote network over which a user may remotely access IoT devices on the proximal network. More specifically, hundreds of IoT devices, such as appliances, televisions, light fixtures, air 25 conditioners, music systems, garage door, home security system, fans, sprinkler
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system, microwave oven, oven, dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, etc., may be connected to the proximal home IoT network.
[0004] An IoT device is activated and configured to connect with a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) by a cloud-based Wi-Fi service manager. A unique identifier of the IoT device and a unique identifier of the Wi-Fi AP are received by the cloud-5 based Wi-Fi service manager. The unique identifier of the Wi-Fi enabled device is used as a seed for a predetermined algorithm to generate a temporary service set identifier (SSID) and a temporary passphrase. The temporary SSID and the temporary passphrase are sent to the Wi-Fi AP for configuring the Wi-Fi AP with the temporary SSID and the temporary passphrase. IoT devices are configured to 10 communicate with an access network over a physical communications interface or layer, an air interface, and a direct wired connection. The air interface can comply with a wireless Internet protocol, such as IEEE 802.11.
[0005] Often, the area where a user wishes to use his or her IoT device is larger than the area providing a high-quality wireless connection to the Wi-Fi AP. For 15 example, the signal strength decreases based on the distance between the Wi-Fi AP and the IoT device. Additionally, certain areas that would otherwise receive a high-quality wireless connection are subject to interference that reduces the quality of the wireless connection. Accordingly, users may add additional wireless devices to their network, such as a Wi-Fi extender, to increase the area where the user can 20 maintain a high-quality wireless connection. A Wi-Fi extender is a device for wireless devices to connect to a network. Additionally, the Wi-Fi extender acts as a wireless device to connect to another wireless access device in order to connect to a network.
[0006] Wi-Fi extenders do not include an integral router connected to the 25 external network. Instead, Wi-Fi extenders typically rely on wired or wireless connections to the Wi-Fi router to connect to the external network. The coverage area in which a user can connect to at least one wireless access device is considered an “extended network environment.”
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[0007] However, a Wi-Fi extender is not a commercially viable solution for improving weak wireless signals, since one needs to purchase the extender itself that will use electricity and power outlet which otherwise could be used for other devices. Furthermore, it requires manual switching of a given device over to the new network and requires more upfront time to configure and setup. Moreover, it 5 does not work efficiently in buildings with large floor area and causes compatibility issues with the wireless access device. To overcome such problems, a possible solution is to integrate these Wi-Fi extenders with an IoT device.
[0008] However, integrating the Wi-Fi extender with the IoT device brings a further drawback that the IoT device is able to work either in the station (STA) 10 mode or the access point (AP) mode at a given time. In the station mode, the IoT device connects with an access point device via TLS based secure TCP connections and periodically send status and poll for commands from a cloud or web application. In AP mode, the IoT device acts as an access point device and provides a wireless connection to other wireless devices thereby acting as a Wi-Fi extender. 15
[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved IoT device which can concurrently operate in the STA mode and the AP mode.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0010] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one 20 embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below:
[0011] It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide an IoT device which on one hand operates in station mode and at the same time, concurrently, acts in software-enabled access point (SOFT-AP) mode allowing other wireless devices to connect to it as they would connect with a Wi-Fi Extender. 25
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[0012] It is also another object of the present disclosure to provide a method to operate an IoT device for operating the IoT device in a station mode and concurrently operating the IoT device in the SOFT-AP mode.
[0013] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed 5 description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0014] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to an Internet of 10 Things (IoT) Device and a method for operating the IoT device. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0015] The present disclosure relates to an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The 15 IoT device comprises a wide area network (WAN) interface to communicatively couple the IoT device to an IoT service access point device over a wireless primary network when the IoT device operate in a station mode, and an extended area network (EAN) interface to communicatively couple the IoT service access point device to one or more wireless devices over a wireless extended network when the 20 IoT device operates in an access point mode. Further, the IoT device includes one or more processors, coupled to the WAN interface and the EAN interface, to execute one or more routines including a Wi-Fi engine in such a way that the Wi-Fi engine enables communication between the wireless primary network and the wireless extended network and allows the IoT device concurrently operate in the 25 station mode as well as the access point mode while enabling the communication between the wireless primary network and the wireless extended network.
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[0016] In an aspect, the IoT device comprises a Wi-Fi controller having the WAN interface and the EAN interface.
[0017] In an aspect, the Wi-Fi controller further includes an electrical printed circuit board (PCB) comprising one or more semiconductor chips to implement the WAN interface and the EAN interface wherein the one or more semiconductor 5 chips are one or more processing engines.
[0018] In an aspect, the WAN interface comprises a cellular network interface and/or a local wireless communication interface comprises a Wi-Fi network interface.
[0019] In an aspect, the IoT device includes an antenna component having a 10 plurality of antennas to be electrically coupled to the WAN interface and the EAN interface, respectively wherein the plurality of antennas comprises a first antenna and a second antenna, and wherein the first antenna is to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals for the wireless primary network and the second antenna is to transmit and receive RF signals for the wireless extended network. 15
[0020] In an aspect, the one or more processing engine(s) includes a routing engine to transit network packets from one network interface to another network interface over respective first and second antennas.
[0021] In another aspect, the IoT device includes an antenna component having a single antenna to be electrically coupled to the WAN interface and the EAN 20 interface, respectively. Further, the one or more processing engine(s) includes a routing engine to implement time-division multiplexing for transiting packets from one network interface to another network interface over the single antenna.
[0022] In an aspect, the wireless primary network and the wireless extended network comprise any combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), and 25 cellular data protocols wherein the cellular data protocols comprise 3G, 4G, or 5G communication protocols.
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[0023] In an aspect, the IoT device comprises a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein the one or more routines executable by the one or more processing engines, wherein the one or more processing engines comprise one or more Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) processors. The one or more MIMO processors are to execute an extended management function to identify the wireless 5 devices for providing the wireless connection the wireless extended network.
[0024] In an aspect, the extended network is configured in a tree topology including an IoT service access point device as a root, the IoT device as node in the tree, and one or more wireless devices as wherein the IoT device is operable to connect with the IoT service access point device in the station mode through a 10 remote control device. The remote control device is a wireless electronic device which is used to operate the IoT device from a distance wherein the wireless devices comprise one of a smartphone, a laptop, and a tablet or like.
[0025] The present disclosure further relates to a method for operating the IoT device. The method comprises operating the IoT device in a station mode by 15 communicatively coupling the IoT device to an IoT service access point device over a wireless primary network, and concurrently operating the IoT device in an access point mode by communicatively coupling the IoT service access point device to one or more wireless devices over a wireless extended network.
[0026] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive 20 subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
[0027] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the 25 aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
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[0028] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of 10 example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture of a wireless communications system of the IoT device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of an IoT device, in accordance 15 with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of an IoT device in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates a method of operating an IoT device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 20
[0034] The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein. 25
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided 5 herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0036] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised 10 that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0037] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular 15 embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, 20 steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0038] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, 25 two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
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[0039] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context 5 of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
Non-limiting Definitions
[0040] In the disclosure hereinafter, one or more terms are used to describe various aspects of the present disclosure. For a better understanding of the present 10 disclosure, a few definitions are provided herein for better understating of the present disclosure.
[0041] “IoT service access point device” refers to a networking hardware device that allows other IoT device to receive Internet connectivity over the wireless primary network. In an embodiment, “IoT service access point device” may include 15 a cellular or other broadband network transceiver radio or interface such as a router, and may be configured to communicate with a cellular or other broadband network using the cellular or broadband network transceiver radio or another wireless network.
[0042] “Wireless access device” refers to the access device may include any 20 human-to-machine interface with network connection capability that allows access to a network. For example, the access device may include a stand-alone interface (e.g., a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a home computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computing device, a wearable device such as a smartwatch, a wall panel, a keypad, or the like), an interface that is built 25 into an appliance or other device e.g., a television, a refrigerator, a security system, a game console, a browser, or the like), a speech or gesture interface (e.g., a Kinect™ sensor, a Wiimote™, or the like), an IoT device interface (e.g., an
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Internet-enabled devices such as a wall switch, a control interface, or another suitable interface), or the like.
Exemplary Implementations
[0043] Embodiments explained herein pertain to an IoT device and a method to 5 operate the IoT device. The technology discussed herein may be embodied in wireless devices, typically for deployment at user premises, and/or to programming for IoT devices that may function as such wireless extender devices concurrently working in station mode as well.
[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of a wireless communications network 10 100 in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The network includes an IoT service access point (AP) device 102. In an aspect, the IoT service AP device 102 may include, but not limited to, a cellular or other broadband network transceiver radio or interface such as a router, and may be configured to communicate with a cellular or other broadband network using the cellular or 15 broadband network transceiver radio or another wireless network.
[0045] The IoT service AP device 102 is connected to an IoT device 104 over a wireless primary network 106 when the IoT device 102 operates in a station (STA) mode. In an aspect, the IoT device 104 may include, but not limited to, televisions, light fixtures, air conditioners, music systems, garage door, home security system, 20 fans, sprinkler system, microwave oven, oven, dishwasher, clothes washers and dryers.
[0046] Generally, the IoT device 104 is able to work either in the station (STA) mode or the access point (AP) mode at a given time. To this, the subject matter described herein proposes a solution in which the IoT device 104 is able to operate 25 concurrently in the STA mode as well as the software-enabled access point (SOFT-AP) mode. For enabling the SOFT-AP mode while operating in the STA mode, the
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IoT device 104 may include an electrical printed circuit board (PCB) comprising one or more semiconductor chips to concurrently execute wireless area network (WAN) interface for STA mode and extended area network (EAN) interface for SOFT-AP mode. The semiconductor chips may act as processor(s), working of which is described in detail with reference to the description of FIG. 2. 5
[0047] In STA mode, the IoT device 104 connects with the IoT service AP device 102 via Transport Layer Security (TLS) based secure Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections, and periodically send status and poll for commands from a cloud or web application. In the SOFT-AP mode, the IoT device 104 acts as an AP device and provides wireless extended network 108 to other wireless devices 10 110-1, 110-2,……110-N, collectively referred to as wireless devices 110 and separately referred to as wireless device 110 in the description hereinafter. An example of such a wireless device(s) 110 include, but are not limited to, desktop computers, laptops, and portable computers. The present approaches may also be implemented in other types of the wireless device(s) 110 without deviating from the 15 scope of the present subject matter. The wireless device(s) 110 may be either a standalone device or in communication with other wireless devices (not shown in FIG. 1) over the wireless extended network 108.
[0048] Continuing with the present example, the wireless primary network 106 and the wireless extended network 108 comprise any combination of Wi-Fi, 20 Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), and cellular data protocols. The cellular data protocols comprise but not limited to 3G, 4G, or 5G communication protocols.
[0049] Thus, with the implementation of the present disclosure, the IoT device 104 can concurrently operate in STA mode as well as SOFT-AP mode, thereby acting as an IoT device as well as Wi-Fi extender. These and other aspects are 25 described in conjunction with FIG. 2.
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[0050] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of the IoT device 104 proposed herein in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The IoT device 108 includes a processor(s) 202, an interface(s) 204, and a memory 208.
[0051] The processor(s) 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, 5 central processing units, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) processors, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 202 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions and one or more routines stored in the memory 206. In an exemplary embodiment, one or more 10 processor(s) 202 are to execute an extended management function to identify the wireless devices 110 for providing the wireless connection via the wireless extended network 108, wherein the wireless extended network 108 is configured in a tree topology including an IoT service AP device 102 as a root, the IoT device 104 as node in the tree, and one or more wireless devices 110 as leafs. 15
[0052] The interface(s) 204 may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) 204 may facilitate communication of the IoT device 104 with various wireless devices 110 coupled to the IoT device 104. The interface(s) 204 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more 20 components of the IoT device 104 to other wireless devices. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, an input device such as keyboards, touchpads, a remote control device, computer mice, and so forth.
[0053] The memory 206 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to manage requests over a network 25 service. The memory 206 may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
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[0054] The IoT device 104 further includes a Wi-Fi controller 208 including one or more processing engine(s) 210, and data 212.
[0055] The Wi-Fi controller 208 includes a wide area network (WAN) interface 214, an extended area network (EAN) interface 216, a first antenna 218, and a second antenna 220. The Wi-Fi controller 208 is implemented on an electrical 5 printed circuit board (PCB) comprising one or more semiconductor chips to implement the WAN interface 214 and the EAN interface 216. The WAN interface 214 communicatively couple the IoT device 104 to the IoT service AP device 102 over a wireless primary network 106 so as to operate the IoT device 104 in the STA mode. The EAN interface 216 communicatively couple the IoT device 104 to the 10 IoT service AP device 102 to one or more wireless devices 110 over the wireless extended network 108 when the IoT device 104 concurrently operates in the SOFT-AP mode. In the SOFT-AP mode, the IoT device 104 acts as a Wi-Fi extender and provides a wireless connection to the wireless devices 110. Accordingly, with the implementation of the WAN interface 214 and the EAN interface 216, the 15 embedded IoT hub 208 aids the IoT device 104 in simultaneously connecting over the wireless primary network 106 and the wireless extended network 108.
[0056] Further, the Wi-Fi controller 208 comprises an antenna component which comprises a plurality of antennas to be electrically coupled to the WAN interface 214 and the EAN interface 216, respectively. The plurality of antennas 20 comprises the first antenna 218 and the second antenna 220. The first antenna 218 is to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals for the wireless primary network 106 and the second antenna 220 is to transmit and receive RF signals for the wireless extended network 108. Although the first antenna 218 and the second antenna 220 are shown as the part of the Wi-Fi controller 208, those skilled in the 25 art can appreciate that the first antenna 218 and the second antenna 220 can be mounted outside the Wi-Fi controller 208 without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
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[0057] In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the antenna component may include a single antenna 302 to be electrically coupled to the WAN interface 214 and the EAN interface 216, respectively.
[0058] Further, the processing engine(s) 210 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable 5 instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) 210. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) 210 may be processor executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the 10 hardware for the processing engine(s) 210 may include a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present implementations, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) 210. In such implementations, the IoT device(s) 104 may include the machine-readable 15 storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the IoT device(s) 104 and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) 210 may be implemented by electronic circuitry as a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) processor. 20
[0059] The data 212 includes data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the processing engine(s) 210.
[0060] In an example, the processing engine(s) 210 include a Wi-Fi engine 222, a routing engine 224 and other engine(s) 226. The Wi-Fi engine 222 is to enable communication between the wireless primary network (106) and the wireless 25 extended network (108); and allow the IoT device (104) concurrently operate in the station mode as well as the access point mode while enabling the communication between the wireless primary network and the wireless extended network.
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[0061] Further, in case of two antennas 218 and 220 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the routing engine 224 is to transit network packets from one network interface (214, 216) to another network interface (216, 214) over respective first and second antennas 218, 220.
[0062] Yet further, in case of a single antenna 302 as in the embodiment shown 5 in FIG. 3, the routing engine 224 is to implement time-division multiplexing for transiting packets from one network interface (214, 216) to another network interface (216, 214) over the single antenna 302.
[0063] Accordingly, the subject matter described herein can be implemented with single as well as multiple antennae designs, without deviating from the scope 10 of the present subject matter. However, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the transiting of packets using time-division multiplexing over the single antenna 302 is having low transmission speed in comparison to transiting of packets over a plurality of antennas.
[0064] The other engine(s) 226 may implement functionalities that supplement 15 applications or functions performed by the IoT device(s) 104, the Wi-Fi controller 208 or the processing engine(s) 210.
[0065] In operation, when a user device requests for a Wi-Fi connection from the IoT device 204, such as IoT ceiling fan, which is operating in an STA mode, the IoT device 204 receives the user request at the Wi-Fi controller 208 and forwards 20 the same to the Wi-Fi engine 222. The Wi-Fi engine 222 determines the operating mode of the IoT device 104. In case it is determined that the operating mode of the IoT device 104 is STA mode, the Wi-Fi engine 222 interacts with the routing engine 224 to enable data communication interface between the wireless primary network 106 and the wireless extended network 108, through one or more antennas (218, 25 220, 302). With this, the Wi-Fi controller 208 enables the required communication by allowing the IoT device 104 to concurrently operate in the STA mode as well as the SOFT-AP mode, so as to facilitate the requested Wi-Fi connection to the user
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device. In this way, the Wi-Fi engine 222 in association with the routing engine 224 facilitate the IoT device 104 to simultaneously operate in both the STA mode and the SOFT-AP mode. This, in turn, relieves a user from installing an additional Wi-Fi extender at his or her premises, thereby saving the cost of purchase and installation as well as free up the power outlets for other devices. 5
[0066] FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 of operating an IoT device 104, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The order in which the method 400 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method 400, or an alternative method. Furthermore, method 400 may be 10 implemented by processing resource or computing device(s) through any suitable hardware, non-transitory machine-readable instructions, or combination thereof.
[0067] It may also be understood that method 400 may be performed by programmed computing devices, such as IoT device(s) 104 as depicted in FIGS. 1-2. Furthermore, the method 400 may be executed based on instructions stored in a 15 non-transitory computer-readable medium, as will be readily understood. The non-transitory computer readable medium may include, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media, such as one or more magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. The method 400 is described below with reference to the IoT device(s) 104 as described above; other 20 suitable systems for the execution of this method may also be utilized. Additionally, implementation of the method 400 is not limited to such examples.
[0068] At block 402, the method 400 includes operating the IoT device 104 in a station (STA) mode by communicatively coupling the IoT device 104 to an IoT service AP device 102 over a wireless primary network 106. 25
[0069] At block 404, the method 400 includes concurrently operating the IoT device 104 in an access point (AP) mode by communicatively coupling the IoT
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service AP device 102 to one or more wireless devices 110 over a wireless extended network 108.
[0070] Further, the IoT device 104 is operable to connect with the IoT service AP device 102 in the STA mode through a remote control device. The remote control device is a wireless electronic device used to operate the IoT device 104 5 from a distance.
[0071] Thus, with the implementation of the present disclosure, in case the IoT device 104 being a ceiling fan, the IoT device 104 will improve the Wi-Fi range inside a building in an efficient manner due to better line of sight connectivity between the source and the receiver as the ceiling fan is placed centrally in a 10 building. Apart from the ceiling fan, other IoT devices can be used for implementing the present matter without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0072] Also, with the integration of the Wi-Fi extender functionality within an IoT device, the IoT device aids in synergizing the Wi-Fi connectivity part and the 15 range extension part in a single solution. Using the IoT device in both the station mode and simultaneously in the access point mode relieve a user to additionally install a Wi-Fi extender at his or her premises, thereby saving the cost of purchase and installation as well as free up the power outlets for other devices.
[0073] Furthermore, the above description does not provide specific details of 20 the manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out, techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be employed. Those in the art can choose suitable manufacturing and design details.
[0074] It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are 25 to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion herein, it is appreciated that throughout the description,
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discussions utilizing terms such as “operating,” or “processing,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of an electronic control unit, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the control unit’s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the control unit memories 5 or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
[0075] Further, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or 10 applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[0076] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, 15 encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
[0077] It will be appreciated that variants of the above-disclosed and other 20 features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

We claim:
1. An Internet of Things (IoT) device (104), comprising:
a wide area network (WAN) interface (214) to communicatively couple the IoT device (104) to an IoT service access point device (102) over a wireless primary network (106) when the IoT device (104) operates in a 5 station mode, and
an extended area network (EAN) interface (216) to communicatively couple the IoT service access point device (102) to one or more wireless devices (110) over a wireless extended network (108) when the IoT device (104) operate in an access point mode, 10
one or more processing engines (210), coupled to the WAN interface (214) and the EAN interface (216), to execute one or more routines including a Wi-Fi engine (222), wherein the Wi-Fi engine (222) is to:
enable communication between the wireless primary network (106) and the wireless extended network (108); and 15
allow the IoT device (104) concurrently operate in the station mode as well as the access point mode while enabling the communication between the wireless primary network and the wireless extended network.
2. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a Wi-Fi controller 20 (208) comprising the WAN interface (214) and the EAN interface (216).
3. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the Wi-Fi controller (208) further comprises an electrical printed circuit board (PCB) comprising one or more semiconductor chips to implement the WAN interface (214) and the EAN interface (216). 25
4. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the one or more semiconductor chips are one or more processing engines (210).
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5. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 2, the WAN interface (214) comprises a cellular network interface and/or a local wireless communication interface comprises a Wi-Fi network interface.
6. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, comprising an antenna component having a plurality of antennas (218, 220) to be electrically coupled 5 to the WAN interface (214) and the EAN interface (216), respectively.
7. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of antennas (218, 220) comprises a first antenna (218) and a second antenna (220), and wherein the first antenna (218) is to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals for the wireless primary network (106) and the second antenna (220) 10 is to transmit and receive RF signals for the wireless extended network (108).
8. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more processing engine(s) (210) comprises a routing engine (224) to transit network packets from one network interface (214, 216) to another network interface (216, 214) over respective first and second antennas (218, 220). 15
9. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, comprising an antenna component having a single antenna (302) to be electrically coupled to the WAN interface (214) and the EAN interface (216), respectively, and wherein the one or more processing engine(s) (210) comprises a routing engine (224) to implement time-division multiplexing for transiting packets from one 20 network interface (214, 216) to another network interface (216, 214) over the single antenna (302).
10. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless primary network (106) and the wireless extended network (108) comprise any combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), and cellular data 25 protocols.
11. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cellular data protocols comprise 3G, 4G, or 5G communication protocols.
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12. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein the one or more routines executable by the one or more processing engines (210).
13. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processing engines (210) comprise one or more Multiple Input Multiple 5 Output (MIMO) processors.
14. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more MIMO processors are to execute an extended management function to identify the wireless devices (110) for providing the wireless connection via the wireless extended network (108). 10
15. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless extended network (108) is configured in a tree topology including the IoT service access point device (102) as a root, the IoT device (104) as node in the tree, and the wireless devices (110) as leafs.
16. The IoT device (104) as claimed in 1, wherein the IoT device (104) is operable 15 to connect with the IoT service access point device (102) in the station mode through a remote control device.
17. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 16, wherein the remote control device is a wireless electronic device used to operate the IoT device (104) from a distance. 20
18. The IoT device (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless devices (110) comprise one of a smartphone, a laptop, and a tablet.
19. A method for operating the IoT device (104), comprising:
operating the IoT device (104) in a station mode by communicatively coupling the IoT device (104) to an IoT service access point device (102) over 25 a wireless primary network (106); and
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concurrently operating the IoT device (104) in an access point mode by communicatively coupling the IoT service access point device (102) to one or more wireless devices (110) over a wireless extended network (108).