—Wireless local area network (WLAN) systems are widely implemented today to provide hot spot coverage. Operated typically in an infrastructure mode, each WLAN is managed by an access point (AP). Wireless mesh networks are employed for the purpose of extending the wireless coverage scope of the network. In this paper, we present a scalable and fully distributed algorithm that serves to autonomously elect certain Access Points as Backbone nodes to construct a connected mesh backbone network. We assume that multiple communications bands are used and that some nodal platforms are outfitted with multiple radio modules. The new scheme presented here is thus identified as a Multi-radio Topology Synthesis Algorithm (MR-TSA). Higher capability nodes are assumed to employ two radio modules and to engage in a collaborative manner in the construction of a mesh backbone network. Less capable nodes employ only a single radio module. We prove mathematically that the underlying topology synthesis al...