Method and system for configuring wireless routers and networks

• US 20060126536A1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Choksi, Ojas T., Davidson, Kenneth W., Patel, Pulin R., Dantu, Ramanamurthy
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for configuring a wireless router and a wireless communications network includes establishing connectivity between a wireless router and at least one wireline router. Connectivity between the wireless router and a plurality of neighboring wireless routers is established through the wireline router. The wireless router is configured based on information exchanged with the neighboring wireless routers through the wireline router.

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108. A method for configuring a wireless node in a wireless communications network, comprising:

establishing connectivity between a wireless node and at least one wireline node;

establishing connectivity between the wireless node and a plurality of neighboring wireless nodes through the wireline node; and

configuring the wireless node based on information exchanged with the neighboring wireless nodes through the wireline node.

109. The method of claim 108, further comprising:

exchanging site impact information between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes; and

configuring the wireless node based on site impact information received from the neighboring wireless nodes.

110. The method of claim 109, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises a plurality of geographic parameters, network configuration parameters, service configuration parameters, and antenna parameters for the wireless node.

111. The method of claim 109, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises coverage parameters for the wireless node.

112. The method of claim 109, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises spectrum parameters for the wireless node.

113. The method of claim 109, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises channel parameters for the wireless node.

114. The method of claim 109, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises interference parameters for the wireless node.

115. The method of claim 109, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises a plurality of coverage, spectrum, channel, interference, control, and threshold parameters for the wireless node.

116. The method of claim 109, further comprising determining radio frequency (RF) coverage for the wireless node, interference impact of the wireless node, and operating parameters for the wireless node based on the site impact information exchanged with the neighboring nodes.

117. The method of claim 109, further comprising:

negotiating operating parameters between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes by receiving site impact information from the neighboring nodes, analyzing the site impact information, and generating a set of operating parameters based on the analysis;

transmitting the set of operating parameters to the neighboring nodes for neighbor analysis; and

receiving a modified set of operating parameters from the neighboring nodes based on the neighbor analysis.

118. The method of claim 117, further comprising providing the site impact information to a control node in response to a failure to agree on operating parameters between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes.

119. The method of claim 109, further comprising:

requesting additional radio frequency (RF) channel from the neighboring wireless nodes in response to a bandwidth shortfall in the wireless node;

selecting least interfering additional RF channels from RF channels provided by the neighboring nodes; and

reconfiguring the wireless node with the additional least interfering RF channels.

120. The method of claim 109, further comprising configuring at least one of the neighboring wireless nodes based on interference impact information received from the wireless node.

121. The method of claim 108, establishing connectivity between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes comprising:

broadcasting a wireless discovery message through the wireline router to a set of nodes, the wireless discovery message including site impact information on the wireless node;

each wireless node in the set of nodes determining whether it is a neighboring wireless node based on the wireless discovery message;

each neighboring wireless node responding with a neighbor reply message including site impact information on the neighboring wireless node; and

identifying the neighboring wireless nodes based on the neighbor reply messages.

122. The method of claim 121, further comprising:

each wireless node in the set of wireless nodes determining whether it is a potential neighboring wireless node based on the wireless discovery message;

each potential neighboring wireless node responding with a neighbor reply message including site impact information on the potential neighboring wireless node; and

identifying the neighboring wireless nodes by prioritizing the potential neighboring wireless nodes by coverage and interference analysis based on the neighbor reply messages.

123. The method of claim 108, further comprising negotiating operating parameters between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes.

124. The method of claim 108, further comprising:

determining whether the wireless node is a new previously unconfigured site; and

determining whether the wireless node comprises a configuration modification if the wireless node is a previously configured site.

125. The method of claim 124, further comprising determining whether the wireless node comprises stored operating parameters if the wireless node does not comprise the configuration modification.

126. A wireless node for a wireless communications network, comprising:

computer implementable instructions encoded in at least one computer processable medium; and

the instructions operable upon processing to establish connectivity between the a wireless node and at least one wireline node, to establish connectivity between the wireless node and a plurality of neighboring wireless nodes through the wireline node, and to configure the wireless node based on information exchanged with the neighboring wireless nodes through the wireline node.

127. The wireless node of claim 126, the instructions operable upon processing to exchange site impact information between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes and to configure the wireless node based on site impact information received from the neighboring wireless nodes.

128. The wireless node of claim 127, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises a plurality of geographic parameters, network configuration parameters, service configuration parameters, and antenna parameters for the wireless node.

129. The wireless node of claim 127, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises coverage parameters for the wireless node.

130. The wireless node of claim 127, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises spectrum parameters for the wireless node.

131. The wireless node of claim 127, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises channel parameters for the wireless node.

132. The wireless node of claim 127, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises interference parameters for the wireless node.

133. The wireless node of claim 127, wherein the site impact information for the wireless node comprises a plurality of coverage, spectrum, channel, interference, control, and threshold parameters for the wireless node.

134. The wireless node of claim 127, the instructions operable upon processing to determine radio frequency (RF) coverage for the wireless node, interference impact of the wireless node, and operating parameters for the wireless node based on the site impact information exchanged with the neighboring nodes.

135. The wireless node of claim 127, the instructions operable upon processing to negotiate operating parameters between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes by receiving site impact information from the neighboring nodes, analyzing the site impact information, and generating a set of operating parameters based on the analysis, to transmit the set of operating parameters to the neighboring nodes for neighbor analysis, and to receive a modified set of operating parameters from the neighboring nodes based on the neighbor analysis.

136. The wireless node of claim 127, the instructions operable upon processing to provide the site impact information to a control node in response to a failure to agree on operating parameters between a wireless node and the neighboring wireless nodes.

137. The wireless node of claim 126, the instructions further operable upon processing to establish connectivity between the wireless node and the neighboring wireless routers by broadcasting a wireless discovery message through the wireline node to a set of nodes, the wireless discovery message including site impact information on the wireless node, and to identify the neighboring wireless nodes based on neighboring reply messages generated by the neighboring wireless node based on the wireless discovery message.

138. The wireless node of claim 126, the instructions operable upon processing to determine whether the wireless node is a new previously unconfigured site and to determine whether the wireless node comprises a configuration modification if the wireless node is a previously configured site.

139. The wireless node of claim 138, the instructions operable upon processing to determine whether the wireless node comprises stored operating parameters if the wireless node does not comprise the configuration modification.

140. The wireless node of claim 126, the instructions operable upon processing to request additional radio frequency (RF) channels from the neighboring wireless nodes in response to a bandwidth shortfall in the wireless node, to select least interfering additional RF channels from RF channels provided by the neighboring nodes, and to reconfigure the wireless node with the additional least interfering RF channels.

141. A system for configuring a wireless node in a wireless communications network, comprising:

means for establishing connectivity between a wireless node and at least one wireline node;

means for establishing connectivity between the wireless node and a plurality of neighboring wireless nodes through the wireline node; and

means for configuring the wireless node based on information exchanged with the neighboring wireless nodes through the wireline node.