Adaptive rate and reach optimization for wireless access networks

• US 20070263587A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Jin, Ou, Canhui, Savoor, Raj
• Granted Patent: US 8,064,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/346
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) control system includes network elements (such as access points and clients) and a centralized dynamic performance management system. The network elements measure signal attenuation in communications with other WLAN network elements. The dynamic performance management system receives signal attenuation data from the network elements, and determines a frequency and/or transmission power level for each of the network elements to reduce interference with the other WLAN network elements. The dynamic performance management system also transmits instructions to each network element to control the frequency and/or transmission power level of the network elements.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing a program for controlling a plurality of network elements of a plurality of wireless local area networks (WLANs), comprising:

a WLAN network element polling code segment that receives interference data from the plurality of WLAN network elements, the interference data indicating network elements that interfere with the plurality of WLAN network elements;

a frequency/power determination code segment that determines a frequency and/or transmission power level for each WLAN network element to reduce interference with the interfering network elements; and

a transmitting code segment that transmits instructions to each WLAN network element to control the frequency and/or transmission power level of the WLAN network elements.

2. The medium of claim 1, in which each of the WLANs comprises an 802.11 network.

3. The medium of claim 1, in which each of the WLANs comprises an 802.16 network.

4. The medium of claim 2, in which the instructions comprise a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) instruction.

5. The medium of claim 2, in which the instructions comprise a transmit power control (TPC) instruction.

6. The medium of claim 1, in which the frequency/power determination code segment determines the power level to be an increased power level when a signal attenuation value between an access point and a client is above a threshold value.

7. The medium of claim 1, in which the frequency/power determination code segment determines the frequency and/or the transmission power level by generating an adjacency matrix based upon the received interference data.

8. The medium of claim 7, in which the frequency/power determination code segment determines the frequency and/or the transmission power level by graph coloring based upon the generated adjacency matrix.

9. The medium of claim 8, in which the graph coloring includes a number of colors that is equal to a number of channels available in the WLANs.

10. The medium of claim 9, in which the transmission power level is a reduced power level for at least one of the plurality of WLAN network elements when the graph coloring requires more than the number of colors, which is equal to the number of channels available in the WLANs, in order to reduce interference.

11. A dynamic performance management system for controlling wireless networks, comprising:

a receiver that receives interference data from a plurality of WLAN network elements, the interference data indicating network elements that interfere with the plurality of WLAN network elements;

a frequency/power determination system that determines a frequency and/or transmission power level for each WLAN network element to reduce interference with the interfering network elements; and

a transmitter that transmits instructions to each WLAN network element to control the frequency and/or transmission power level of the WLAN network elements.

12. The system of claim 11, in which at least one of the WLAN network elements comprises an access point.

13. The system of claim 12, in which each of the WLANs comprises an 802.11 network.

14. The system of claim 12, in which each of the WLANs comprises an 802.16 network.

15. The system of claim 13, in which the instructions comprise a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) instruction.

16. The system of claim 13, in which the instructions comprise a transmit power control (TPC) instruction.

17. A wireless local area network (WLAN) control system comprising:

a plurality of access points that measure signal attenuation in communications with a plurality of other WLAN network elements; and

a dynamic performance management system that receives signal attenuation data from the plurality of access points, determines a frequency and/or transmission power level for each of the plurality of access points to reduce interference with the other WLAN network elements, and transmits instructions to each access point to control the frequency and/or transmission power level of the access points.

18. The system of claim 17, in which the dynamic performance management system determines the frequency and/or the transmission power level by generating an adjacency matrix based upon the received interference data.

19. The system of claim 18, in which the dynamic performance management system determines the frequency and/or the transmission power level by graph coloring based upon the generated adjacency matrix.

20. A method for controlling a plurality of network elements of a plurality of wireless local area networks (WLANs), comprising:

receiving interference data from the plurality of WLAN network elements, the interference data indicating network elements that interfere with the plurality of WLAN network elements;

determining a frequency and/or transmission power level for each WLAN network element to reduce interference with the interfering network elements; and

transmitting instructions to each WLAN network element to control the frequency and/or transmission power level of the WLAN network elements.