Apparatus and methods for monitoring and diagnosing a wireless network

• US 10,164,858 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gunasekara, Don, Bencheikh, Ahmed, Vira, Priyank
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Peter
• Application Number:
  US15/183,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for monitoring a wireless local area network (WLAN) to identify inoperative or degraded devices and restore network connectivity to end users. In one embodiment, the network includes one or more access points (APs) in data communication with a cable modem, which in turn communicates with managed network entities via a backhaul connection. Each AP is configured to provide connectivity to client devices, as well as monitor the operation of other network components including the cable modem, via logic indigenous to the AP, and invoke corrective action when failures or degraded performance is detected. In one variant, the logic operative to run on the AP includes both diagnostic and self-healing functionality, so as to enable at least partial automated diagnosis, localization, and recovery from faults, thereby obviating costly troubleshooting by the network operator or service personnel.

Claims

1. Wireless radio frequency access point apparatus, comprising:

a first radio frequency modem configured to enable wireless communication between a plurality of user devices and the wireless radio frequency access point apparatus, the first radio frequency modem configured to operate according to a first protocol and comprising;

a baseband module;

a radio signal monitoring circuit in first data communication with the baseband module and comprising logic operative to run thereon; and

a data interface in second data communication with the baseband module and configured to enable the second data communication between the first radio frequency modem and a second modem, the second modem configured to operate according to a second protocol different than the first protocol;

wherein the logic is configured to;

selectively monitor a plurality of network entities via the second modem to evaluate an upstream connectivity status, the monitor comprising transmission of a heartbeat signal to each of the plurality of network entities;

determine whether a return signal is received from a first network entity of the monitored plurality of network entities within a first range of time;

based on a determination that the return signal is received from the first network entity within the first range of time, repeat the transmission of the heartbeat signal to the first network entity;

based on a determination that the return signal is received from the first network entity within a second range of time of greater duration than the first range of time, identify the first network entity for future investigation, and repeat the transmission of the heartbeat signal to the first network entity; and

based on a determination that the return signal is not received from the first network entity within the first or second range of time, determine that the upstream connectivity status is offline with respect to the first network entity, and cause the first radio frequency modem to stop transmission of a service set identifier (SSID) for the first network entity.

2. The wireless radio frequency access point apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first radio frequency modem comprises a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) modem having an air interface, and the second modem comprises a Data Over Cable Services Interface Specification (DOCSIS) compliant cable modem configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireline medium.

3. The wireless radio frequency access point apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network entities includes at least one cable modem in communication with the second modem;

and

wherein the logic is configured to determine that the upstream connectivity status is offline when the at least one cable modem is in a reboot sequence.

4. The wireless radio frequency access point apparatus of claim 3, wherein the logic is configured to determine that the upstream connectivity status is offline when the at least one cable modem has lost upstream connectivity to a service provider backbone network.

5. The wireless radio frequency access point apparatus of claim 3, wherein the logic is configured to determine that the upstream connectivity status is offline when the second modem has lost connectivity with the at least one cable modem.

6. Embedded access point apparatus, comprising:

a first radio frequency modem configured to enable wireless communication between a plurality of user devices and the embedded access point apparatus, the first radio frequency modem configured to operate according to a first protocol;

a cable modem configured to operate according to a second protocol different than the first protocol, wherein the cable modem is configured to communicate with a cable modem termination system of a service provider backbone network; and

a signal monitoring apparatus configured to transact data between the first radio frequency modem and the cable modem and comprising logic operative to run thereon;

wherein the logic is configured to;

selectively monitor a plurality of network entities of the service provider backbone network via the cable modem to evaluate an upstream connectivity status with respect to the plurality of network entities;

based on a determination that (i) the upstream connectivity status is evaluated to be offline based on at least a partial failure of the embedded access point apparatus and a return signal not being received from at least one of the plurality of network entities within a range of time, and that (ii) a configuration mismatch is present, the configuration mismatch comprising at least a billing code mismatch or an internet protocol (IP) address mismatch, cause the first radio frequency modem to stop transmission of a service set identifier (SSID); and

initiate a self-healing process of the embedded access point apparatus, the self-healing process comprising (i) a self-reboot of the embedded access point apparatus and (ii) in response to the determination that the configuration mismatch is present, causation of a correction of the configuration mismatch.

7. The embedded access point apparatus of claim 6, wherein the cable modem is further configured to cause the first radio frequency modem to stop transmission of a service set identifier (SSID) when the cable modem is in a reboot sequence.

8. The embedded access point apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first radio frequency modem stops transmission of a service set identifier (SSID) when in a reboot sequence.

9. The embedded access point apparatus of claim 6, wherein the selective monitoring of the plurality of network entities comprises transmission of a heartbeat signal to each of the plurality of network entities.

10. The embedded access point apparatus of claim 9, wherein the logic is further configured to, based on a determination that the return signal is received from the from at least one of the plurality of network entities within the range of time, repeat the transmission of the heartbeat signal to the at least one of the plurality of network entities.

11. A method executed by a network device to assist in evaluating network connectivity, the method comprising:

transmitting a heartbeat signal to one or more network entities, the one or more network entities comprising at least one of (i) a cable modem, (ii) an access point controller, and (iii) an access point, the heartbeat signal causing the one or more network entities to respond when received;

waiting for a response to the heartbeat signal; and

based on determining that the response to the heartbeat signal is not successfully received within a predetermined time period;

evaluating whether at least one of the one or more network entities is offline;

verifying one or more controller configuration parameters responsive to determining that one or more end users are unable to connect to the network device despite the network device being online;

self-evaluating, by the network device, an internal status to determine whether the network device caused the determination that the response to the heartbeat signal is not successfully received;

stopping transmission of a service set identifier (SSID); and

implementing, by the network device, corrective action for at least one of (i) the at least one of the one or more network entities and (ii) the network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least of the one or more network entities is the network device, and the evaluating comprises determining whether the network device is upgrading or rebooting;

and

wherein the implementing of the corrective action comprises waiting for the upgrading or rebooting to complete and thereafter self-healing the network device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the self-healing further comprises one or more actions selected from the group consisting of:

checking at least one billing code and at least one internet protocol (IP) address of the network device;

and

checking a controller configuration associated with an upstream controller and pinging the upstream controller.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the one or more network entities is the network device, and the method further comprises:

pinging an authorization server of the network, when multiple end users are unable to connect to the network device despite the network device being online.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the one or more network entities comprises multiple access points, and the method further comprises executing a trouble shooting process that includes at least one of:

checking a connectivity of one or more of the multiple access points;

identifying a network entity correlated with all of the multiple access points having a likelihood of being defective based on the checking of the connectivity of the one or more of the multiple access points; and

identifying a network component correlated with all of the multiple access points having a likelihood of being defective based on the checking of the connectivity of the one or more of the multiple access points.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifying the network entity comprises checking one or more of a shared access point controller and a shared cable modem termination system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifying the network component comprises checking one or more of a shared fiber, a shared switch, or a shared concentrator.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting one or more additional heartbeat signals to the one or more network entities;

wherein the determining that the response to the heartbeat signal is not successfully received within the predetermined time period further comprises determining that a response to the one or more additional heartbeat signals is not successfully received.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising initiating a self-reboot process based on the determining that the response to the heartbeat signal is not successfully received, the self-reboot process comprising an attempt to restore a network connection with the at least one of the one or more network entities.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending an alert message to at least one of the one or more end users via at least one client device associated with the at least one of the one or more end users, the alert message comprising instructions to resolve the inability to connect to the network device.