CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT FOR WIRELESS ACCESS NETWORKS

• US 20110051677A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FireTide Incorporated (UNICOM Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FireTide Incorporated (UNICOM Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prakash, Ravi, Natarajan, Mohan, Gupta, Vinay, Jetcheva, Jorjeta, Kanodia, Sachin
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/29 between an access point and the access point controlling device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Channel assignment for wireless access networks is directed toward improved overall communication capability of the networks. A network is formed of wireless access points (APs) coupled via wired (and/or wireless) links and enabled to communicate with clients via radio channels of each of the APs. Local information is collected at each of the APs and processed to determine channel assignments according to a Neighbor Impact Metric (NIM) that accounts for one-hop and two-hop neighbors as well as neighbors not part of the network. Optionally, the NIM accounts for traffic load on the APs. The channel assignments are determined either on a centralized resource (such as a server or one of the APs) or via a distributed scheme across the APs. The local information includes how busy a channel is and local operating conditions such as error rate and interference levels.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory readable by the processor;

wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor enable the processor to perform functions comprising

receiving communication condition information from each of a plurality of access points enabled to participate in a network, and

determining assignments of channels to each of the access points based at least in part on the communication condition information; and

wherein the assignments of channels are in accordance with optimizing overall communication performance of the network at a higher priority than optimizing communication performance of any one of the access points individually.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining is preferential to a particular one of the access points experiencing relatively higher communication load than other ones of the access points.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the access points comprises the processor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a server accessible to the access points comprises the processor.

5. A computer readable medium having a set of instructions stored therein that when executed by a processing element causes the processing element to perform functions comprising:

receiving communication condition information from each of a plurality of access points enabled to participate in a network;

determining assignments of channels to each of the access points based at least in part on the communication condition information; and

wherein the assignments of channels are in accordance with optimizing overall communication performance of the network at a higher priority than optimizing communication performance of any one of the access points individually.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the determining is in response to an event.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the event comprises one or more of

a change in an aspect of the communication condition information,

one of the access points becoming no longer enabled to participate in the network, and

a new access point becoming enabled to participate in the network.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein one of the access points comprises the processing element.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein a server accessible to the access points comprises the processing element.

10. A method comprising:

receiving communication condition information from each of a plurality of access points enabled to participate in a network;

determining assignments of channels to each of the access points based at least in part on the communication condition information; and

wherein the assignments of channels are in accordance with optimizing overall communication performance of the network at a higher priority than optimizing communication performance of any one of the access points individually.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication condition information from a particular one of the access points comprises availability of channels with respect to the particular access point.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication condition information from a particular one of the access points comprises a count of neighbor access points the particular access point is able to communicate with in a single wireless hop.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication condition information from a particular one of the access points comprises a communication load of the particular access point.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication condition information from a particular one of the access points comprises a count of clients served by the particular access point.

15. A system comprising:

means for receiving communication condition information from each of a plurality of access points enabled to participate in a network;

means for determining assignments of channels to each of the access points based at least in part on the communication condition information; and

wherein the assignments of channels are in accordance with optimizing overall communication performance of the network at a higher priority than optimizing communication performance of any one of the access points individually.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for determining is preferential to a particular one of the access points experiencing relatively higher communication load than other ones of the access points.

17. A method comprising:

evaluating communication conditions local to an access point enabled to participate in a network;

operating the access point in accordance with a channel assignment that is a function of the evaluating; and

wherein the channel assignment is in accordance with optimizing overall communication performance of the network at a higher priority than optimizing communication performance of the access point.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the access point is enabled to communicate via one or more channels, and the evaluating comprises computing availability of the channels with respect to the access point.

19-20. -20. (canceled)