SYSTEM AND NETWORK FOR WIRELESS NETWORK MONITORING

• US 20120140705A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Matta, Sudheer Poorna Chandra, Tiwari, Manish
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

A technique for wireless network monitoring involves scanning channels using clients instead of access points. An example of a method according to the technique may include, for example, receiving from a wireless access point a command to perform a channel scanning function, listening on a channel associated with the channel scanning function, and sending RF data found on the channel to the wireless access point. Another example of a method according to the technique may include, for example, scanning a first channel, switching from the first channel to a second channel, sending data on the second channel to an access point, switching from the second channel to the first channel, and resuming scanning on the first channel. A system according to the technique may include one or more scanning clients, proxy clients, multi-channel clients, or other clients that are capable of scanning channels in lieu of an access point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a command from an access point on a first channel to a proxy client;

switching the proxy client to a second channel;

forwarding the command from the proxy client to a client on the second channel;

generating a report that is responsive to the command;

switching the proxy client to the first channel;

forwarding the report from the proxy client to the access point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the report includes generating the report at the client, further comprising transmitting the report from the client to the proxy client.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after forwarding the command from the proxy client to the client, swapping the roles of the client and the proxy client such that the proxy client becomes the client, and the client becomes the proxy client, wherein, after the swapping of roles, the generating a report includes generating the report at the proxy client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes a frame report frame.