Monitoring network traffic

• US 20050249122A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ember Corporation
• Inventors: Wheeler, Andrew James, Avey, Jonathan Everett, Seward, Dewitt Clinton IV
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/08 Locating faults in cables, transmission lines, or networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/00 Arrangements characterised by the use of multiplexing for the transmission of a plurality of signals over a common path
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 1/16 Monitoring arrangements for transmission in general H04B17/00; for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/523
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1838 for semi-reliable protocols, e.g. for less sensitive applications such as streaming video buffer level management for video bitstream receiver H04N21/44004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0096 Channel splitting in point-to-point links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 : Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/26 : for hybrid routing by combining proactive and reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 : for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 : for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A method for monitoring a wireless network includes, at a device including a communication interface coupling the device to a wireless network, monitoring messages transmitted between the communication interface and the wireless network, and outputting monitoring data associated with the monitored messages from the device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a device comprising a communication interface coupling the device to a wireless network, monitoring messages transmitted between the communication interface and the wireless network; and

outputting monitoring data associated with the monitored messages from the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages comprise radio messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages comprise frames formatted according to a medium access control layer format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication interface performs data link layer functions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication interface performs medium access control layer functions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication interface comprises a radio receiver.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting monitoring data comprises outputting the monitoring data onto a wired network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring data comprises a copy of a transmitted or received frame.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring data comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

a time-stamp;

a received signal strength indicator;

a link quality indicator; and

a receiver gain.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring data comprises a copy of a transmitted or received frame.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface for coupling to a wireless network,

a backchannel module coupled to the communication interface and configured to monitor messages transmitted between the communication interface and the wireless network; and

an output port for outputting monitoring data associated with the monitored messages from the backchannel module.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the messages comprise radio messages.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the messages comprise frames formatted according to a medium access control layer format.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication interface is configured to perform data link layer functions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication interface is configured to perform medium access control layer functions.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication interface comprises a radio receiver.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the output port is configured to couple to a wired network.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the monitoring data comprises a copy of a transmitted or received frame.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the monitoring data comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

a time-stamp;

a received signal strength indicator;

a link quality indicator; and

a receiver gain.

17. A method for monitoring a wireless network comprising:

transmitting and receiving radio messages at nodes of a wireless network;

linking the nodes using a second network;

generating monitoring data associated with the radio messages at the nodes; and

collecting the monitoring data from the nodes over the second network.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the second network comprises a wired network.

21. A system for monitoring a wireless network comprising:

a plurality of nodes each having a radio transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio messages;

a communications medium linking the nodes; and

a monitoring station coupled to the communications medium;

wherein the monitoring station is configured to receive monitoring data associated with radio messages among the nodes over the communications medium.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the communications medium comprises a wired communications medium.