Selecting a frequency band from a set of candidate frequency bands associated with a wireless access point

• US 10,681,710 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2019
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Feng, Wolter, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trandai, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US16/274,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20190182848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/00 Monitoring; Testing of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/327 Received signal code power [RSCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/30 Special cell shapes, e.g. doughnuts or ring cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method includes determining, at an access point, that a channel used to communicate with a device is experiencing interference. The method also includes, in response to the access point detecting that the channel used to communicate with the device is experiencing interference, switching, at the access point to a second channel. The second channel is selected from available channels associated with a set of candidate frequency bands. The set of candidate frequency bands is selected based on a signal quality of a particular device in communication with the access point. The particular device is a communication device in communication with the access point that has a lowest signal quality of signal qualities of communication devices in communication with the access point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, at an access point, that a channel used to communicate with a first device is experiencing interference; and

in response to the access point determining that the channel used to communicate with the first device is experiencing interference;

generating, at the access point, a set of candidate frequency bands and corresponding available channels that mitigate the interference; and

switching, at the access point, to a second channel, the second channel selected from available channels associated with the set of candidate frequency bands, and the set of candidate frequency bands selected based on a signal quality of a particular device in communication with the access point.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during or in response to a power up event of the access point:

facilitating communication with a plurality of communication devices using a particular channel;

receiving a plurality of signal quality indicators from the plurality of communication devices;

determining a first particular device of the plurality of communication devices with a low signal quality based on the plurality of signal quality indicators; and

determining an initial set of candidate frequency bands for use by the access point in communicating with a plurality of devices based on the first particular device, wherein a power level associated with each candidate frequency band in the initial set of candidate frequency bands satisfies a threshold power level that enables wireless communication between the access point and the first particular device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular channel is in a frequency band having an available output power level that exceeds the threshold power level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular device comprises a communication device in communication with the access point that has a low signal quality as compared to signal qualities of other communication devices in communication with the access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching to the second channel comprises using the second channel to communicate with all devices communicating with the access point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the channel used to communicate with the first device is experiencing interference comprises comparing a threshold to a first quality of service parameter for the first device, to a second quality of service parameter for the access point, or both.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first quality of service parameter or the second quality of service parameter is based on an error rate in packets received by the first device from the access point, an error rate in packets received by the access point from the first device, or both.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first quality of service parameter or the second quality of service parameter is based on a packet loss of packets sent to the access point from the first device, a packet loss of packets sent to the first device from the access point, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second channel is a particular channel of a particular frequency band of the set of candidate frequency bands with a power level that exceeds a threshold power level.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second channel is a particular channel of a particular frequency band of the set of candidate frequency bands with a power level that mitigates the interference.

11. A wireless access point comprising:

a transceiver;

a processor coupled to the transceiver; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

detecting that a channel used to communicate via the transceiver with a first device is experiencing interference; and

in response to the detecting that the channel is experiencing interference;

generating a set of candidate frequency bands and corresponding available channels that mitigate the interference; and

switching to a second channel, the second channel selected from available channels associated with the set of candidate frequency bands, the set of candidate frequency bands selected based on a signal quality of a particular device in communication with the transceiver.

12. The wireless access point of claim 11, wherein the particular device has a low signal quality as compared to signal qualities of a plurality of other devices in communication with the transceiver.

13. The wireless access point of claim 11, wherein the detecting that the channel used to communicate via the transceiver with the first device is experiencing interference comprises basing a determination that there is interference on a comparison of a threshold to a quality of service parameter associated with first data sent from the transceiver, to a quality of service parameter for second data received by the transceiver, or both.

14. The wireless access point of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise updating the set of candidate frequency bands based on an event change, wherein the event change comprises a detection of a client device with a signal profile that differs with the first device, the particular device, or both.

15. The wireless access point of claim 11, wherein the switching to the second channel comprises using the second channel to communicate with all devices in communication with the transceiver.

16. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an access point, perform operations, the operations comprising:

detecting that a channel used to communicate with a first device is experiencing interference; and

in response to the detecting that the channel used to communicate with the first device is experiencing interference;

generating a set of candidate frequency bands and corresponding available channels that mitigate the interference; and

switching to a second channel, the second channel selected from available channels associated with a set of candidate frequency bands, the set of candidate frequency bands selected based on a signal quality of a particular device in communication with the access point.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the access point is compliant with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11 standard.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise, during an event change:

facilitating communication with a plurality of communication devices using a particular channel;

obtaining a plurality of signal quality indicators;

identifying a communication device of the plurality of communication devices with a low signal quality based on the plurality of signal quality indicators; and

determining an initial set of candidate frequency bands for use by the access point in communicating with a plurality of devices based on the the communication device, wherein a power level associated with each candidate frequency band in the initial set of candidate frequency bands satisfies a threshold power level that enables wireless communication between the access point and the communication device.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the event change comprises a power up of the access point, a detection of a client device with a signal weaker than a first signal associated with the communication device, a loss of communication with the communication device, an expiration of a timer, or a combination thereof.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the particular channel is in a frequency band having an output power level that exceeds the threshold power level.