Method and system for discovery and display of operating wireless networks
First Claim
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1. A wireless station, comprising:
- a CPU;
memory coupled to said CPU, said memory containing an application that is executed by said CPU;
a radio module coupled to said CPU; and
a display coupled to said CPU;
wherein, under operation by said application, said CPU causes said radio module to scan through a plurality of channels, determine a communication activity level for each channel indicating whether an access point is operating on each channel, and show information on said display indicating the activity level on each of said plurality of channels.
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Abstract
A wireless LAN monitoring application runs on a computing device and scans through all possible wireless channels. The application then displays information indicative of the communication activity level on each channel and permits a user to select a channel having an access point with which to associate. The selection may be based on a desired network the user wishes to access, a channel that has the highest signal-to-ratio, signal quality, or channel utilization or, when looking for a channel to set up an ad hoc network, a channel that has a low signal-to-noise ratio, signal quality, or channel utilization.
159 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A wireless station, comprising:
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a CPU;
memory coupled to said CPU, said memory containing an application that is executed by said CPU;
a radio module coupled to said CPU; and
a display coupled to said CPU;
wherein, under operation by said application, said CPU causes said radio module to scan through a plurality of channels, determine a communication activity level for each channel indicating whether an access point is operating on each channel, and show information on said display indicating the activity level on each of said plurality of channels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer readable storage medium for storing an executable set of software instructions that are executable by a CPU, said software instructions being operable to inform a user of the communication activity that is occurring on each of a plurality of wireless channels, including:
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(a) a means for determining the activity level of each of said plurality of channels;
(b) a means for displaying information indicative of said activity level; and
(c) a means for permitting the user to select one of the channels over which to communicate.
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- 9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the activity level includes signal-to-noise ratios.
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15. A method of controlling a wireless network having a plurality of channels, comprising:
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(a) determining activity level of each of said plurality of channels;
(b) displaying information indicative of said activity level; and
(c) permitting a user to select one of the channels over which to communicate. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of establishing an ad hoc wireless network among a plurality of wireless stations operated by users, comprising:
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(a) causing one of said wireless stations to scan through a plurality of channels and display information on a display device indicative of communication activity level for each channel;
(b) selecting one of the channels for which said information indicates that no access points or other wireless stations are currently operating on said channel; and
(c) establishing the ad hoc network using the selected channel. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification