METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CREATING AND DEPLOYING A MESH NETWORK

• US 20080267124A1
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Azalea Networks
• Inventors: Wu, Fang, Wang, Xiadong, ZHAO, FUYONG
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]

Abstract

A method and system for creating and deploying a mesh network are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a mesh router having a plurality of radios. The mesh router is used in a cell of a plurality of cells that covers a geographic region. Channels are assigned to the plurality of radios. The channels are selected from a plurality of channels to allow channel reuse throughout the plurality of cells.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a mesh router having a plurality of radios, wherein the mesh router is used in a cell of a plurality of cells that cover a geographic region, and wherein the mesh router includes three or more backhaul radios on three or more different channels, the backhaul radios used to communicate only with other routers; and

assigning channels to the plurality of radios wherein the channels are selected from a plurality of channels to allow channel reuse throughout the plurality of cells.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mesh router is in a hexagonal cell having six neighboring cells, each neighboring cell has a neighboring mesh router;

and wherein the mesh router communicates with the neighboring mesh routers via the three or more backhaul radios.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a common channel of the three or more different channels to a first neighboring mesh router within a first neighboring cell, and a second neighboring mesh router within a second neighboring cell, wherein the first neighboring cell, the second neighboring cell, and the cell are adjacent to one another; and

assigning additional channels to the first neighboring mesh router and second neighboring mesh router, wherein the additional channels are not the three or more different channels of the mesh router.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

reusing the common channel in non-adjacent cells, wherein the non-adjacent cells are not adjacent to the first neighboring cell, the second neighboring cell, or the cell.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the mesh router uses sectored directional antennas.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of channels includes seven non-overlapping channels.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving channel assignments from a network management server;

and, wherein assigning channels further comprises scanning for the plurality of channels.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the geographic area includes edge cells, the edge cells including a simple mesh router having one access radio and one backhaul radio.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising turning off one or more backhaul radios of the three backhaul radios when the plurality of channels is insufficient to allow channel reuse.

10. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform:

providing a mesh router having a plurality of radios, wherein the mesh router is used in a cell of a plurality of cells that cover a geographic region, and wherein the mesh router includes three or more backhaul radios on three or more different channels, the backhaul radios used to communicate only with other routers; and

assigning channels to the plurality of radios wherein the channels are selected from a plurality of channels to allow channel reuse throughout the plurality of cells.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the mesh router is in a hexagonal cell having six neighboring cells, each neighboring cell has a neighboring mesh router;

and wherein the mesh router communicates with the neighboring mesh routers via the three or more backhaul radios.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

assigning a common channel of the three or more different channels to a first neighboring mesh router within a first neighboring cell, and a second neighboring mesh router within a second neighboring cell, wherein the first neighboring cell, the second neighboring cell, and the cell are adjacent to one another; and

assigning additional channels to the first neighboring mesh router and second neighboring mesh router, wherein the additional channels are not the three or more channels of the mesh router.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

reusing the common channel in non-adjacent cells, wherein the non-adjacent cells are not adjacent to the first neighboring cell, the second neighboring cell, or the cell.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the mesh router uses sectored directional antennas.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the plurality of channels includes seven non-overlapping channels.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform receiving channel assignments from a network management server;

and, wherein assigning channels further comprises scanning for the plurality of channels.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the geographic area includes edge cells, the edge cells including a simple mesh router having one access radio and one backhaul radio.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform turning off one or more backhaul radios of the three backhaul radios when the plurality of channels is insufficient to allow channel reuse.

19. A network management server, comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor; and

a bus coupling the processor and memory;

wherein the memory stores instructions that are executed by the processor to assign channels to a plurality of radios in a mesh router wherein the channels are selected from a plurality of channels to allow channel reuse throughout a plurality of cells that cover a geographic region, and wherein the mesh router includes three or more backhaul radios on three or more different channels, the backhaul radios used to communicate only with other routers.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the mesh router is in a hexagonal cell having six neighboring cells, each neighboring cell has a neighboring mesh router;

and wherein the mesh router communicates with the neighboring mesh routers via the three or more backhaul radios.

21. The server of claim 20, wherein the instructions allow the processor to assign a common channel of the three or more different channels to a first neighboring mesh router within a first neighboring cell, and a second neighboring mesh router within a second neighboring cell, wherein the first neighboring cell, the second neighboring cell, and the cell are adjacent to one another, and assign additional channels to the first neighboring mesh router and second neighboring mesh router, wherein the additional channels are not the three or more different channels of the mesh router.

22. The server of claim 21, wherein the instructions allow the processor to reuse the common channel in non-adjacent cells, wherein the non-adjacent cells are not adjacent to the neighboring cell, the second neighboring cell, or the cell.

23. The server of claim 20, wherein the plurality of channels includes seven non-overlapping channels.

24. A mesh router comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a plurality of radios including three backhaul radios on three or more different channels, the backhaul radios used to communicate only with other routers; and

a bus coupling the processor and memory;

wherein channels are assigned to the plurality of radios, and the channels are selected from a plurality of channels to allow channel reuse throughout a plurality of cells that covers a geographic region.

25. The server of claim 24, wherein the three backhaul radios existing in a hexagonal cell having six neighboring cells, each neighboring cell has a neighboring mesh router;

and wherein the plurality of radios communicate with the neighboring mesh routers via the three or more backhaul radios.