A method for connecting a wireless device to a remote location on a
computer network. A beacon signal is transmitted from a beacon unit
disposed at a first geographic location. The beacon signal includes
components indicative of a first code and of a second code, the first
code being associated with a remote location on a computer network and
the second code being associated with an attribute of the beacon unit.
The beacon signal is received using a beacon signal receiver circuit
disposed with a wireless device at a second geographic location. The
first code and the second code are then extracted from the beacon signal.
In response to receiving the beacon signal, control signals indicative of
the first code and the second code are sent from the beacon signal
receiver circuit to the wireless device. In response to receiving the
control signals, an RF signal constituting a first message packet is
transmitted from the wireless device to an intermediate location on the
computer network. The first message packet is indicative of the first
code and the second code. The first message packet is received at the
intermediate location and the first code and the second code are
extracted therefrom. A computer database is accessed from the
intermediate location. The database includes a plurality of routing
information for remote locations on the computer network and a plurality
of first codes. Each of the routing information is associated with at
least one of the first codes. The routing information associated with the
first code received in the beacon signal is then retrieved, and a reply
packet including the routing information is transmitted from the
intermediate location across the computer network back to the wireless
device. In response to receiving the reply packet, a second message
packet is transmitted from the wireless device to a remote location on
the network using the routing information just received, thereby
connecting the wireless device to the associated remote location.