Signal assessment

• US 20050138155A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Lewis, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off

Abstract

A communication system comprises at least a first and a second access point and a network arrangement device to receive radio signaling from at least a first station and to relay messages received through the radio signaling from the at least first station to the network management device. Each of the access points extracts performance data, for each message received from the at least first station, from the radio signaling. Each of the access points generates a message identity for each message received from the station. The message identity uniquely identifies a transmitted message, each of the at least first and second access point is provided to send radio performance messages to the network management device comprising at least the message identity and the performance data, and the network management device is provided to receive the radio performance messages from the at least first and second access point.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising at least a first and a second access point and a network management device, wherein

said at least first and second access point are provided to receive radio signaling from at least a first station and one of said at least first and second access point are provided to relay messages received through said radio signaling from said at least first station,

each of said at least first and second access point comprises radio communication performance means provided to extract performance data, for each message received from said at least first station, from said radio signaling,

each of said at least first and second access point comprises a message identification means provided to generate a message identity for each message received from said station and where said message identity uniquely identifies a transmitted message,

each of said at least first and second access point is provided to send radio performance messages to said network management device comprising at least said message identity and said performance data, and

said network management device is provided to receive said radio performance messages from said at least first and second access point.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said network management device is an access router, and

said access router is provided to further relay messages, received from a station and relayed through an access point, to another network.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

said access point is provided to include said radio performance message in the message received from said station when said access point relays messages from said station to said access router.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said radio performance message comprises a station identity, and

said network management device is provided to compare said performance data from two messages having the same message identity and station identity but being received from different access points to determine which of said access points have the best radio characteristics.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said network management device is provided to store and to process said performance data to provide statistics relating to the radio environment for each station.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said message identification means is a, within the network, globally synchronized clock and said message identity is a time-stamp.

7. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein

said network management device comprises means for sending control messages to a selected access point,

said network management device is provided to send a first control message to the access point being associated with said station, if it has not the most favorable radio characteristics, indicating that the access point should disassociate with said station, and

said network management device is provided to send a second control message to the access point having the most favorable radio characteristics, if it is not already associated with said station, indicating that the access point should associate with said station.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said radio performance data is any performance data selected from the group of performance data comprising:

RSSI, receiving antenna, silence level.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said communication system is a IEEE 802.11 communication system.

10. A method for communication in a network comprising at least a first and a second access point, at least a first station and a network management device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving radio signaling, at said at least first and second access points, from said at least first station,

relaying messages received from said at least first station by one of said at least first and second access point,

extracting performance data from said radio signaling for receiving messages from said at least first station by each of said at least first and second access point,

generating, in each of said at least first and second access point, a message identity for each message received from said station and where said message identity uniquely identifies a transmitted message,

sending, from each of said at least first and second access point, radio performance messages to said network management device comprising at least said message identity and said performance data, and

receiving said radio performance messages from said at least first and second access point at said network management device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein

said network management device is an access router, and

relay messages, received at said access router from an station through an access point, to another network.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising the step of:

including said radio performance message in the message received from said station when said station is associated with said access point and said access point relays messages from said station to said access router.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein

said radio performance message comprises a station identity, and comprising the step of:

comparing said performance data from two messages having the same message identity and station identity but being received from different access points.

14. The method according to claim 10, comprising the step of:

storing and processing said performance data to provide statistics relating to the radio environment for each station.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein

said message identification means is a globally synchronized clock and said message identity is a time-stamp.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein

said network management device comprises means for sending control messages to a selected access point, and the method comprises the steps of:

determining, from said comparison, which of said access points have the most favorable radio performance,

determining which of said access points is currently associated with said station,

sending a control message to the access point currently associated with said station, if the access point has not the most favorable radio performance, indicating that the access point is to disassociated with said station, and

sending a control message to the access point having the most favorable radio performance, if the access point is not currently associated with said station, indicating that the access point is to associate with said station.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein

said radio performance data is any performance data selected from the group of performance data comprising:

RSSI, receiving antenna, silence level etc.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein

said network is an IEEE 802.11 network.

19. An access point in a network, wherein said network comprises at least a first station and a network management device, said access point is provided to receive messages from said station and, if associated with said station, relay said messages, and said access point comprises radio communication performance means provided to extract performance data from said radio messages received from said at least first station, wherein

said access point comprises a message identification means provided to generate a message identity for each message received from said station and where said message identity uniquely identifies a transmitted message, and

said access point is provided to send radio performance messages to said network management device comprising at least said message identity and said performance data.

20. A network management device in an network, wherein said network comprises at least a first and a second access point and a station, wherein

said network management device is provided to receive performance messages from each of said at least first and second access point wherein each message comprises at least radio performance data and a message identity uniquely identifying the message, and wherein

said network management device is provided to compare radio performance data from each access point having same message identity to identify the access point having the most favorable radio characteristics.