In a wireless network system having a wired backbone network with two or
more sub-networks, each having one or more access points for
communicating with wireless units via a wireless transmission medium, a
system, apparatus and method for a wireless unit to determine whether a
candidate access point is on a different sub-network than its current
access point. If the wireless unit determines that the candidate access
point is on a different sub-network, then the wireless unit releases its
current network protocol address which was valid for the current
sub-network, and obtains a new network protocol address valid for the new
sub-network. This is accomplished by the candidate access point
transmitting a multicast packet that includes the network protocol
address of the access point and the subnet mask of the sub-network which
the access point is on. By receiving this multicast packet, the wireless
unit can determine if the candidate access point is on a different
sub-network than its current sub-network. Also disclosed is a technique
for a wireless unit to determine whether to roam to a candidate access
point based on the signal qualities to its current and candidate access
points, and whether the candidate access point is on a different
sub-network or a designated restricted sub-network.