System and Method For Mapping Wireless Access Points

• US 20090042557A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WEFI Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WeFi, Inc.
• Inventors: Vardi, Yosef, Margalit, Avital, Lifchuk, Yariv, Scherzer, Shimon, Scherzer, Tamir, Blaier, Ronnie
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An improved connectivity to radio access point is enabled by a server that includes a database storing data about various radio access points, and an evaluation module evaluating the quality of connection to each of the access points. Clients receive updates about relevant access points from the server and use the information to connect to the preferred access point. The clients also check connectivity to other access points in the vicinity, and report the findings to the server. The server uses the reports to update its database, and send corresponding updates to the clients. The database can include information about the location of the access points. The information about the location of the access points can be manually input or determined using GPS information. The location of an access points can be determined as a function of available information about other access points detected at the same location. An access point can be presumed to be located in approximately the same location as another access point detected in the same location by the same user terminal. Where more than one access point having a known location is detected in the same location as an unmapped access point (having an unknown location), the location of the unmapped access point can be determined as function of a weighted average of the known locations of the other access points and signal strength of the signal received from each access point.

Claims

1. A system for mapping locations of wireless network access points, the wireless access points providing access to a network, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network and adapted to receive one or more sets of access point connection data from a first wireless user terminal connected to the network, each set of access point connection data including information about one or more wireless access points within range of the first wireless user terminal;

a data storage device connected to the server and adapted to store information about one or more access points wherein the information stored includes an access point identifier and location information for the access point and at least the access point identifier is determined from a first set of access point connection data received from the first wireless user terminal, and

wherein, the server is adapted to receive a second set of wireless access point connection data, said second set of wireless access point connection data including an access point identifier and location information for the access point, and the stored information about the access point associated with the access point identifier is updated as a function of the location information for the access point from the second set of wireless access point connection data.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the second set of access point connection data includes location information input by a user of a wireless user terminal connected to the network.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the second set of access point connection data includes location information determined by a global position system connected to a wireless user terminal that is connected to the network.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the location information for the access point in the stored information includes global positioning system coordinates.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the location information for the access point in the stored information includes a street address.

6. A system for mapping locations of wireless network access points, the wireless access points providing access to a network, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network and adapted to receive one or more sets of access point connection data from a first wireless user terminal connected to the network, said first set of access point connection data including information about one or more wireless access points within range of the first wireless user terminal;

a data storage device connected to the server and adapted to store information about a first access point wherein the information stored includes an access point identifier and location information for the first access point, and

wherein, the server receives wireless access point connection data that includes information about the first wireless access point and a second wireless access point from the same wireless user terminal at substantially the same time and the server is adapted to store information about the second access point, the information about the second access point including an access point identifier for the second access point and location information determined as a function the location information for the first access point.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein the location information for the second access point in the stored information is the same as the location information for the first access point in the stored information.

8. A system according to claim 6 wherein the wireless access point connection data received by the server includes an indication of signal strength of the signal received from the first access point by the wireless user terminal and the location information for the second wireless access point in the stored information is determined as a function of the signal strength of the signal received from the first access point.

9. A system according to claim 6 wherein the data storage device stores information about a second wireless access point and the information stored includes an access point identifier and location information for the second wireless access point, and

the wireless access point connection data received by the server includes a first indication of signal strength of the signal received from the first wireless access point by the wireless user terminal, a second indication of signal strength of the signal received from the second wireless access point by the wireless user terminal and a third indication of signal strength of the signal received from a third wireless access point by the wireless user terminal;

and

wherein location information for the third wireless access point is determined as a function of the first indication of signal strength, the second indication of signal strength and the third indication of signal strength and the location information for at least one of the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the location information for the third wireless access point is determined as a function of the first indication of signal strength, the second indication of signal strength and the third indication of signal strength and the location information for at least one of the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point.

11. A system according to claim 9 wherein the location information for the third wireless access point is determined as a function of a weighted average of the first indication of signal strength, the second indication of signal strength and the third indication of signal strength and the location information for at least one of the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point.

12. A method of mapping locations of wireless network access points, the wireless access points providing access to a network, the method comprising:

Receiving one or more sets of access point connection data from a wireless user terminal, the access point connection data including information about one or more wireless access points within range of each wireless user terminal;

storing in a data store, access point connectivity information about one or more wireless access points, wherein the information that can be stored in the data store includes an access point identifier and location information for the access point and at least the access point identifier is determined from a first set of access point connection data received from a wireless user terminal;

receiving a second set of wireless access point connection data, said second set of wireless access point connection data including an access point identifier and location information for the access point, and

updating the stored information about an access point associated with the access point identifier as a function of the location information for the access point from the second set of wireless access point connection data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the location information for the access point from the second set of wireless access point connection data is input by a user from a user terminal connected to the network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the location information for the access point from the second set of wireless access point connection data is determined by a global positioning system connected to a wireless user terminal connected to the network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the location information for the access point stored in the data store includes global positioning system coordinates.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the location information for the access point stored in the data store includes a street address. further including providing a server, wherein the server

17. A method of mapping locations of wireless network access points, the wireless access points providing access to a network, the method comprising:

detecting one or more wireless access points;

determining a first set of access point connectivity information about a first detected wireless access point;

storing in a data store, access point connectivity information about the first detected wireless access point, wherein the information stored in the data store includes an access point identifier and location information for the first detected wireless access point;

determining a second set of access point connectivity information about a second detected wireless access point, said second set of wireless access point connection data including an access point identifier but no location information for the access point, and

storing in the data store, access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point, wherein the information stored in the data store includes an access point identifier for the second detected wireless access point and location information derived from the location information determined for the first detected wireless access point.

18. The method according to claim 17 further including sending the access point connectivity information about the first detected wireless access point and the access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point over a network to a server.

19. The method according to claim 17 further including determining a third set of access point connectivity information about a third detected wireless access point, said third set of wireless access point connection data including an access point identifier and location information for the third detected wireless access point, and

storing in the data store, access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point, wherein the information stored in the data store includes an access point identifier for the second detected wireless access point and location information determined as a function of the location information determined for the first detected wireless access point and location information for the third detected wireless access point.

20. The method according to claim 17 wherein

the access point connectivity information about the first detected wireless access point includes information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the first detected wireless access point;

the access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point includes information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the second detected wireless access point;

the access point connectivity information about the third detected wireless access point includes information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the third detected wireless access point; and

wherein the location information for the second detected access point is determined as a function of the location information determined for the first detected wireless access point, location information for the third detected wireless access point, the information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the first detected wireless access point, the information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the second detected wireless access point and the information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the third detected wireless access point.

21. A computer readable medium including computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, are configured to cause the computer to perform the following:

detecting one or more wireless access points;

determining a first set of access point connectivity information about a first detected wireless access point;

storing in a data store, access point connectivity information about the first detected wireless access point, wherein the information stored in the data store includes an access point identifier and location information for the first detected wireless access point;

determining a second set of access point connectivity information about a second detected wireless access point, said second set of wireless access point connection data including an access point identifier but no location information for the access point, and

storing in the data store, access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point, wherein the information stored in the data store includes an access point identifier for the second detected wireless access point and location information derived from the location information determined for the first detected wireless access point.

22. A computer readable medium according to claim 21 further including computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, are configured to cause the computer to send the access point connectivity information about the first detected wireless access point and the access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point over a network to a server.

23. A computer readable medium according to claim 21 further including computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, are configured to cause the computer to determine a third set of access point connectivity information about a third detected wireless access point, said third set of wireless access point connection data including an access point identifier and location information for the third detected wireless access point, and

store in the data store, access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point, wherein the information stored in the data store includes an access point identifier for the second detected wireless access point and location information determined as a function of the location information determined for the first detected wireless access point and location information for the third detected wireless access point.

24. A computer readable medium according to claim 21 wherein

the access point connectivity information about the first detected wireless access point includes information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the first detected wireless access point;

the access point connectivity information about the second detected wireless access point includes information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the second detected wireless access point;

the access point connectivity information about the third detected wireless access point includes information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the third detected wireless access point; and

wherein the location information for the second detected access point is determined as a function of the location information determined for the first detected wireless access point, location information for the third detected wireless access point, the information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the first detected wireless access point, the information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the second detected wireless access point and the information about the received signal strength of the signal received from the third detected wireless access point.