DISTRIBUTED CHANNEL SELECTION FOR WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20120058728A1
• Filed: 09/07/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aerohive Networks Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Huizhao, Liu, Changming, Scheers, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/53 based on regulatory allocation policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Wireless networking devices scan for available channels and gather data about the channels and the RF environment. Using this information, each wireless networking device determines a cost value for each available channel and a quality value for its overall RF neighborhood. Each wireless networking device select the channel with the best cost value as a candidate channel for use. The wireless networking devices may submit channel requests to the arbiter for approval. If two or more wireless networking devices are requesting the same channel, the arbiter assigns the channel to the wireless networking device with the worst RF neighborhood quality. The arbiter informs the wireless networking devices if their channel requests are approved. If a wireless networking device'"'"'s channel request is not approved, the wireless networking device will rescan the remaining available channels to select a different candidate channel to be approved.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a wireless network channel for a wireless networking device, the method comprising:

identifying available wireless network channels;

determining a cost value for each one of the available network channels based on a cost function of at least one attribute of at least the one of the available network channels;

selecting one of the available wireless network channels as a candidate channel based on the cost values; and

assigning the candidate channel as the wireless network channel for use by the wireless networking device based on an evaluation by an arbiter device of an attribute value of wireless networking device as compared with additional attribute values additional wireless networking devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the candidate channel comprises:

sending a channel request message to the arbiter device, wherein the arbiter device includes the attribute value of the wireless networking device; and

in response to receiving a channel approval message from the arbiter device, selecting the candidate channel as the wireless network channel for use by the wireless networking device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute value of the wireless networking device includes a quality value of a RF neighborhood of the wireless networking device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the quality value of the RF neighborhood of the wireless networking device is based on an average received signal strength from the additional wireless networking devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the quality value of the RF neighborhood of the wireless networking device is based on a lowest received signal strength from the additional wireless networking devices.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein assigning the candidate channel comprises:

comparing the quality value of the RF neighborhood for the wireless networking device with at least one additional quality value of the additional RF neighborhoods of the additional wireless networking devices; and

selecting the candidate channel as the wireless network channel for use by the wireless networking device in response to the quality value of the RF neighborhood for the wireless networking device being worse than additional quality value of the additional RF neighborhoods of the additional wireless networking devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute value of the wireless networking device includes the cost value of the candidate channel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein assigning the candidate channel comprises:

comparing the cost value determined by the wireless networking device for the candidate channel with at least one additional cost value determined by the additional wireless networking devices; and

selecting the candidate channel as the wireless network channel for use by the wireless networking device in response to the cost value determined by the wireless networking device being worse than the additional cost value determined by the additional wireless networking devices.

9. The method of claim 2, comprising:

in response to receiving a channel denial message from the arbiter device, repeating the steps of identifying, determining, selecting, and assigning to select and assign a second candidate channel.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

storing the selected candidate channel in response to receiving the channel denial message; and

identifying comprises monitoring a set of wireless network channels excluding the selected candidate channel to identify the available network channels.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising:

storing the selected candidate channel in response to receiving the channel denial message; and

identifying comprises monitoring a set of wireless network channels including the selected candidate channel to identify the available network channels.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising:

monitoring a set of wireless network channels to identify the available network channels.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the set of wireless network channels is performed sequentially.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the set of wireless network channels is performed randomly.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising:

monitoring the assigned wireless network channel for interference;

in response to interference with the assigned wireless network channel, repeating the steps of identifying, determining, selecting, and assigning to select and assign a second candidate channel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein monitoring the assigned wireless network channel comprises:

monitoring a RF environment associated with the assigned wireless network channel.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein monitoring the assigned wireless network channel comprises:

monitoring a channel utilization associated with the assigned wireless network channel.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein monitoring the assigned wireless network channel comprises:

monitoring a CRC error rate associated with the assigned wireless network channel.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein monitoring the assigned wireless network channel comprises:

monitoring a channel noise level associated with the assigned wireless network channel.

20. The method of claim 15, comprising:

wherein repeating the steps of identifying, determining, selecting, and assigning to select and assign a second candidate channel is performed immediately in response to detection of the interference.

21. The method of claim 15, comprising:

wherein repeating the steps of identifying, determining, selecting, and assigning to select and assign a second candidate channel is performed during a scheduled downtime period following detection of the interference.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

storing the attributes of at least the one of the available network channels at the time of detection of the interference; and

repeating the steps of identifying, determining, selecting, and assigning to select and assign a second candidate channel during the scheduled downtime period using the stored attributes from the time of detection of the interference.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the cost function is received via a management interface.

24. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing the cost value of the assigned wireless network channel to a management interface.