Access point to access point range extension

• US 20040185845A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shen, Hui, Abhishek, Abhishek, Ayyagari, Arun
• Application Number:
  US10/377,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20040185845A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

An architecture and methods for extending the depth of a WLAN to a four-level hierarchal access point structure including wireless access points. The wireless access points in the WLAN can be networked by scanning for a network, collecting one or more packets that identify the network from one or more access points, each packet including an address identifying an ancestry of the access points to an ancestral wired access point; and applying an access point selection algorithm to configure a parent access point. The architecture includes a scanning object configured to issue a scan request to a network interface and collect access point data; a selection object configured to filter and sort the collected access point data; an authentication state machine configured to perform authentication and validate; and an association state machine configured to compose a packet including hierarchical data indicative of access point ancestry to a conventional access point.

Claims

1. A method for networking a wireless access point, the method comprising:

scanning for a network;

collecting one or more packets from one or more access points, the packets identifying the network and identifying whether the one or more access points are wireless or wired, each of the one or more packets including an address identifying an ancestry of the access points to an ancestral wired access point; and

applying an access point selection algorithm to configure a parent access point from the one or more access points, the parent access point having a parent ancestry independent of the wireless access point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning, collecting and applying occurs in a plurality of wireless access points within a same wireless local area network (WLAN), the WLAN, the wireless access points in a hierarchy.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the hierarchy includes at least three wireless access points, the data packets being routed through the hierarchy according to a packet structure identifying the ancestry.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the address is a media access layer (MAC) address, the ancestry being independent of the wireless access point preventing a ring of access points.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the parent access point is a wireless access point.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning includes creating a list of candidate parent access points.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection algorithm selects a best parent access point via one or more or a combination of signal strength, traffic load, position of the access point in a spinning tree and a random selection.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising authenticating the parent access point, the authenticating including performing one of an open system and a shared key authentication.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the authenticating includes the wireless access point performing as a station and the parent access point acting as the wireless access point.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein an application programming interface initiates the authenticating via an entry point routine.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is a wireless local area network (WLAN) following an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the authenticating includes the wireless access point performing as a station and the parent access point acting as the wireless access point.

12. A method for an access point in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

receiving one or more data packets;

if the data packet is destined for one of a station in a local cell and a child access point (CAP) associated with the wired access point, forwarding the data packet;

if the data packet is destined for a CAP or station outside the local cell or a station outside the local cell;

determining the hierarchical location of the CAP or station within the LAN, the WLAN including a hierarchical access point structure; and

altering the data packet according the location of the CAP or station in the hierarchical access point structure.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining a type of the one or more data packets, the type including one of an IEEE 802.11 unicast data packet, an IEEE 8802.11 multicast data packet, a management-type packet, and an IEEE 802.1x authenticated packet.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the altering the data packet includes constructing one of a three or four address packet header to identify two or more access points required to route the data packet.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the access point in the WLAN is a wired access point.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the access point in the WLAN is a wireless access point.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein if the data packet is destined for a CAP, the data packet is further destined for a station

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions to perform the method of claim 12.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions to perform a method for, the method comprising:

scanning for a network;

collecting one or more packets from one or more access points, the packets identifying the network and identifying whether the one or more access points are wireless or wired, each of the one or more packets including an address identifying an ancestry of the access points to an ancestral wired access point; and

applying an access point selection algorithm to configure a parent access point from the one or more access points, the parent access point having a parent ancestry independent of the wireless access point.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the address is a media access layer (MAC) address, the ancestry being independent of the wireless access point preventing a ring of access points.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the parent access point is a wireless access point.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the scanning includes creating a list of candidate parent access points.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the selection algorithm selects a best parent access point via one or more or a combination of signal strength, traffic load, position of the access point in a spinning tree and a random selection.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19 further comprising authenticating the parent access point, the authenticating including performing one of an open system and a shared key authentication.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein an application programming interface initiates the authenticating via an entry point routine.

27. An architecture for a wireless access point, the architecture comprising:

a scanning object configured to issue a scan request to a network interface, the scanning object enabling collection of access point data;

a selection object configured to filter and sort the collected access point data;

an authentication state machine configured to perform authentication and validate a match between a parent access point and a wireless repeater access point; and

an association state machine configured to compose a packet including hierarchical data indicative of access point ancestry to a conventional access point.

28. The architecture of claim 27 further including a router module, the router module configured to accept data packets with up to four access point addresses therein and to determine a next forward hop for data packets destined outside a local cell area of the wireless access point.

29. The architecture of claim 28 wherein the router module includes a hash table configured to enable linking of one or more routing entries wherein an input to the hash table is one or more media access control (MAC) addresses.

30. The architecture of claim 28 wherein the router module includes a table reaper to remove out of date entries from a routing table and a routing entry refresher configured to determine whether a media access control (MAC) address is associated with a disconnected access point and to remove the MAC address from the routing table.

31. The architecture of claim 27 further including an access point reset routine object configured to instantiate when the wireless access point requires a reset for receiving a parent access point (PAP) beacon, the access point rest routine configured to stop any ongoing IEEE 802.11 authentication or association.

32. The architecture of claim 31 wherein the reset is performed when one or more of a PAP beacon being received with an unexpected session;

PAP beacon not being received for a predetermined period of time; and

when a repeater AP is disassociated from a PAP due to lack of activity beyond a predetermined amount of time.

33. The architecture of claim 27 wherein the packet includes an element for the hierarchical data, the element configured to identify up to four levels of access points.

34. The architecture of claim 33 wherein the architecture enables a hierarchical relationship among two or more wireless devices acting as access points.

35. The architecture of claim 33 wherein the authentication state machine exposes a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs) for operating the authentication state machine.

36. The architecture of claim 35 wherein the authentication state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMAuthentication API to provide an entry point routine to initiate an authentication procedure.

37. The architecture of claim 35 wherein the authentication state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMCancelAuthentication API stop and cancel an ongoing authentication procedure.

38. The architecture of claim 35 wherein the authentication state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMReceiveAuth API to call one or more routines to process the packet based on an authentication algorithm, a packet sequence number and a state of the authentication state machine.

39. The architecture of claim 35 wherein the authentication state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMAuthCompletion API to cause a repeater AP to perform a post authentication operation and trigger an association process.

40. The architecture of claim 33 wherein the association state machine exposes one or more application programming interfaces for operating the association state machine.

41. The architecture of claim 40 wherein the association state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMAssocation API to provide an entry point routine for initiating an association procedure.

42. The architecture of claim 40 wherein the association state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMInternalAssocCompletion API to enable the access point to perform post association operations.

43. The architecture of claim 40 wherein the association state machine exposes a SoftAPPAMCancelAssociation API to stop and cancel an ongoing association procedure.