Wireless access point service coverage area management

• US 20040017793A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thermond, Jeffrey L., Martin, Richard G., Palm, Stephen, Abramowitz, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,394,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructure includes a wired backbone network, an air controller, and a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs). Each WAP includes a processor, a wired backbone interface, a first radio, a directional antenna, a second radio, and an antenna. The first radio and directional antenna service wireless terminals. The second radio and the antenna collect non-participatory WAP data. The first radio and directional antenna optionally collect participatory WAP data. Based upon the non-participatory WAP data (and optionally the participatory WAP data), the processor creates WAP operational reports and provides the WAPs operational reports to the air controller. The air controller creates directions based thereon and directs one or more of the WAPs to alter the gain pattern(s) of the directional antenna(s), alter the transmit power(s) of the first radio(s), and/or to alter the channel usage of the first radio(s). In another embodiment, the first radio collects non-participatory WAP data when not servicing communications with wireless units.

Claims

1. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructure that services a plurality of wireless terminals, the WLAN infrastructure comprising:

a wired backbone network;

an air controller communicatively coupled to the wired backbone network;

a plurality of Wireless Access Points (WAPs) communicatively coupled to the wired backbone network, wherein each of the plurality of WAPs comprises;

a processor;

a wired backbone interface communicatively coupled to the processor;

a first radio communicatively coupled to the wired backbone interface and to the processor that supports communications with the plurality of wireless terminals;

a directional antenna coupled to the first radio having an antenna gain pattern that is controlled by the processor;

a second radio communicatively coupled to the wired backbone interface and to the processor that listens to, but does not participate in transmissions of at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals, gathers non-participatory WAP data, and provides the non-participatory WAP data to the processor;

an antenna coupled to the second radio;

wherein, the processor receives the non-participatory WAP data from the second radio, creates WAP operational reports based there upon, and provides the WAP operational reports to the air controller; and

wherein, based upon directions received from the air controller, the processor alters the gain pattern of the directional antenna.

2. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 1, wherein based upon directions received from the air controller, the processor also alters the transmission power of the first radio.

3. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 1, wherein based upon directions received from the air controller, the processor also alters the channels of operation of the first radio.

4. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 3, wherein in altering the channels of operation of the first radio, the processor directs the first radio to operate on a reserved set of channels.

5. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 4, wherein the first radio supports communications with a WLAN telephone on the reserved set of channels.

6. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 3, wherein in altering the channels of operation of the first radio, the processor directs the first radio to operate on one of a plurality of sets of available channels.

7. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 1, wherein the air controller coordinates the operation of directional antennas of each of the plurality of WAPs.

8. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 7, wherein the air controller also coordinates the operation of first radios of each of the plurality of WAPs.

9. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 8, wherein in controlling the directional antennas and the first radios of each of the plurality of WAPs, the air controller controls the service areas of the plurality of WAPs.

10. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 8, wherein in controlling the directional antennas and the first radios of each of the plurality of WAPs, the air controller reduces inter-WAP interference among the plurality of WAPs.

11. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 1, wherein the WAP operational reports further include participatory WAP data received by the processor from the first radio.

12. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 11, wherein participatory WAP data is selected from the group consisting of received carrier signal strength, carrier to interference ratio, bit error rate, dropped link occurrences, and channel utilization.

13. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 1, wherein the non-participatory WAP data provided by the second radio is selected from the group consisting of received carrier signal strength, carrier to interference ratio, and channel utilizations.

14. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructure that services a plurality of wireless terminals, the WLAN infrastructure comprising:

a wired backbone network;

an air controller communicatively coupled to the wired backbone network;

a plurality of Wireless Access Points (WAPs) communicatively coupled to the wired backbone network, wherein each of the plurality of WAPs comprises;

a processor;

a wired backbone interface communicatively coupled to the processor;

a radio communicatively coupled to the wired backbone interface and to the processor that supports communications with a first plurality of wireless terminals;

a directional antenna coupled to the first radio having an antenna gain pattern that is controlled by the processor;

wherein when the radio is idle with respect to the first plurality of wireless terminals, the radio listens to, but does not participate in transmissions of at least some of a second plurality of wireless terminals, gathers non-participatory WAP data, and provides the non-participatory WAP data to the processor;

wherein, the processor receives the non-participatory WAP data from the radio, creates WAP operational reports based there upon, and provides the WAP operational reports to the air controller; and

wherein, based upon directions received from the air controller, the processor alters the gain pattern of the directional antenna.

15. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 14, wherein based upon directions received from the air controller, the processor also alters the transmission power of the radio.

16. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 14, wherein based upon directions received from the air controller, the processor also alters the channels of operation of the radio.

17. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 16, wherein in altering the channels of operation of the radio, the processor directs the radio to operate on a reserved set of channels.

18. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 17, wherein the radio supports communications with a WLAN telephone on the reserved set of channels.

19. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 17, wherein in altering the channels of operation of the radio, the processor directs the radio to operate on one of a plurality of sets of available channels.

20. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 14, wherein the air controller coordinates the operation of directional antennas of each of the plurality of WAPs.

21. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 20, wherein the air controller also coordinates the operation of radios of each of the plurality of WAPs.

22. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 21, wherein in controlling the directional antennas and the radios of each of the plurality of WAPs, the air controller controls the service areas of the plurality of WAPs.

23. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 21 wherein in controlling the directional antennas and the radios of each of the plurality of WAPs, the air controller reduces inter-WAP interference among the plurality of WAPs.

24. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 14 wherein the WAP operational reports further include participatory WAP data received by the processor from the radio.

25. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 24, wherein participatory WAP data is selected from the group consisting of received carrier signal strength, carrier to interference ratio, bit error rate, dropped link occurrences, and channel utilization.

26. The WLAN infrastructure of claim 14, wherein the non-participatory WAP data is selected from the group consisting of received carrier signal strength, carrier to interference ratio, and channel utilizations.

27. A method for operating a Wireless Access Point (WAP) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), the method comprising:

servicing communications with at least one wireless terminal using a first radio and a directional antenna;

listening to communications between at least one other wireless terminal and another WAP of the WLAN;

based upon the listening to the communications between the at least one other wireless terminal and the another WAP of the WLAN, collecting non-participatory WAP data;

creating a WAP operational report based upon the non-participatory WAP data;

providing the WAP operational report to an air controller;

receiving directions from the air controller; and

based upon the directions received from the air controller, altering the gain pattern of the directional antenna.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising altering the transmission power of the first radio based upon the directions received from the air controller.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising altering the channels of operation of the first radio based upon the directions received from the air controller.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein altering the channels of operation of the first radio includes operating on a reserved set of channels.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising communicating with a WLAN telephone on the reserved set of channels.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein altering the channels of operation of the first radio based upon the directions received from the air controller includes operating on one of a plurality of sets of available channels.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising coordinating the operation of directional antennas of each of a plurality of WAPs of the WLAN.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising coordinating the operation of first radios of each of a plurality of WAPs of the WLAN.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein in coordinating the operation of the directional antennas and the first radios of the plurality of WAPs of the WLAN, the air controller controls the service areas of the plurality of WAPs of the WLAN.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein in coordinating the operation of the directional antennas and the first radios of the plurality of WAPs of the WLAN, the air controller reduces inter-WAP interference among the plurality of WAPs of the WLAN.

37. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

based upon servicing communications with at least one wireless terminal using a first radio and a directional antenna, collecting participatory WAP data; and

wherein the WAP operational report is also based upon the participatory WAP data.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the participatory WAP data is selected from the group consisting of received carrier signal strength, carrier to interference ratio, bit error rate, dropped link occurrences, and channel utilization.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the non-participatory WAP data is selected from the group consisting of received carrier signal strength, carrier to interference ratio, and channel utilizations.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein a second radio listens to communications between the at least one other wireless terminal and the another WAP of the WLAN.

41. The method of claim 27, wherein the first radio listens to communications between the at least one other wireless terminal and the another WAP of the WLAN when not communicating with a wireless terminal.