System and method for measuring and monitoring wireless network performance in campus and indoor environments

• US 20060036406A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roger R. Skidmore, Theodore S. Rappaport
• Original Assignee: Roger R. Skidmore, Theodore S. Rappaport
• Inventors: Rappaport, Theodore S., Skidmore, Roger R.
• Application Number:
  US11/176,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/391 Modelling the propagation channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A system and method for measuring and monitoring wireless network performance in campus and indoor environments provides for embedding measured network and signal properties at one or more locations within a facility into a site specific computer model which represents the facility. The computer representation is preferably three dimensional. The system and method allows for automatic, periodic, or location specific taking of measurements, and automatic or periodic embedding of measured data. The system and method allows real time or non-real time measurement and storing of performance data, and the invention is useful for test, measurement, verification, and in-situ or remote monitoring for on-going validation and maintenance of wireless networks.

Claims

1-803. -803. (canceled)

804. A system for determining, monitoring or optimizing network throughput properties, comprising:

at least one computer or network;

one or more measurement devices for measuring network throughput properties; and

a computer program which is operational on said at least one computer or network which provides a computerized three dimensional representation of a facility which includes at least a portion of one building, said computerized three dimensional representation being constructed from a site specific drawing database of said facility, and wherein one or more measurements of network throughput properties obtained with said one or more measurement devices are embedded into said site specific drawing database by inputting one or more measurements of network throughput properties obtained from one or more locations in said facility, and wherein each of said measurements is associated with location information corresponding to a location of said one or more locations where said measurements were made within said facility.

806. The system of claim 804 wherein said computerized three dimensional representation of said facility provides a three dimensional representation of position of at least one of said one or more measurement devices within said facility.

808. The system of claim 804 wherein said computer program is used with one or more wireless local area networks, wireless PBX systems, or in-building cellular networks, or any combination thereof.

810. The system of claim 804 wherein said computer program uses one or more client devices and one or more server devices to determine data throughput properties as a function of position.

812. The system of claim 804 wherein said computer program provides an assessment of data throughput properties by using transmission of specific data sets between at least one client device and at least one server device.

805. An apparatus for determining, monitoring or optimizing network throughput properties, comprising:

at least one computer or network;

a computer program which is operational on said at least one computer or network which provides a computerized three dimensional representation of a facility which includes at least a portion of one building, said computerized three dimensional representation being constructed from a site specific drawing database of said facility, and wherein one or more measurements of network throughput properties obtained from one or more measurement devices are embedded into said site specific drawing database by inputting one or more measurements of network throughput properties obtained from one or more locations in said facility, and wherein each of said measurements is associated with location information corresponding to a location of said one or more locations where said measurements were made within said facility.

807. The apparatus of claim 805 wherein said computerized three dimensional representation of said facility provides a three dimensional representation of position of at least one of said one or more measurement devices within said facility.

809. The apparatus of claim 805 wherein said computer program is used with one or more wireless local area networks, wireless PBX systems, or in-building cellular networks, or any combination thereof.

811. The apparatus of claim 805 wherein said computer program uses one or more client devices and one or more server devices to determine data throughput properties as a function of position.

813. The apparatus of claim 805 wherein said computer program provides an assessment of data throughput properties by using transmission of specific data sets between at least one client device and at least one server device.