System and Method for Wireless Access Point Layout and Network Operation

• US 20140071846A1
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPOT On Networks, LLC
• Original Assignee: SPOT On Networks, LLC
• Inventors: Hintersteiner, Jason, Sherwin, Richard, Doyle, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 9,641,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for creating and/or deploying access points for a wireless network in a multi-unit building or for a private residential neighborhood. Additionally, described herein are methods for operating a wireless network in a multi-unit building that was either deployed according to the concepts described herein or was pre-existing.

Claims

1. A method for creating a wireless network in a multi-unit building in a manner to minimize interference between access points, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) disposing in a first unit a first access point operating on a first channel of a predetermined set of channels to thereby create a first wireless cell, wherein the first wireless cell provides wireless coverage to the first unit and to a unit adjacent to the first unit;

(b) disposing in a second unit a second access point operating on a second channel of the predetermined set of channels to thereby create a second wireless cell, wherein the second wireless cell provides wireless coverage to the second unit and to a unit adjacent to the second unit, and wherein the second channel does not interfere with the first channel, and wherein the second unit is not adjacent to said first unit;

(c) disposing in a third unit a third access point operating on a third channel of the predetermined set of channels to thereby create a third wireless cell, wherein the third wireless cell provides wireless coverage to the third unit and to a unit adjacent to the third unit, and wherein the third channel does not interfere with the first or second channel, and wherein the third unit is not adjacent to either of said first or second unit; and

(d) disposing in a fourth unit a fourth access point operating on the first channel of the predetermined set of channels to thereby create a fourth wireless cell, wherein the fourth wireless cell provides wireless coverage to the fourth unit and to a unit adjacent to the fourth unit, and wherein the fourth unit is not adjacent to either of said first, second, or third unit, and wherein the first wireless cell does not provide wireless coverage to either said fourth unit or to said unit adjacent to the fourth unit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first access point operates at a first predetermined power level.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said second access point operates at a second power level wherein the second power level is determined based on an interference measurement in said second unit due to said first wireless cell.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said third access point operates at a third power level wherein the third power level is determined based on an interference measurement in said third unit due to said first and second wireless cells.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first access point uses a first predetermined antenna pattern.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said second access point uses a second antenna pattern wherein the second antenna pattern is determined based on an interference measurement in said second unit due to said first wireless cell.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said third access point uses a third antenna pattern wherein the third antenna pattern is determined based on an interference measurement in said third unit due to said first and second wireless cells.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second units are on a same level of the multi-unit building.

9. The method of claim 1 where at least one of said first, second, third, and fourth units are on a first floor of the multi-unit building and the other units are on a second floor of the multi-unit building.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second wireless cells provide wireless coverage to said second unit.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said first, second, and third wireless cells provide coverage to said first unit.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(e) operating the wireless communication network comprising said first, second, third, and fourth access points.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

(f) measuring an interference level for said first access point; and

(g) manipulating, based on the measured interference level for said first access point, at least one parameter of said first access point wherein said parameter is selected from the list consisting of;

an antenna beam pattern, a communication channel selection, and an output power level.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said first access point is disposed in said first unit.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said first access point is disposed in a hallway adjacent to said first unit.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting for a first access point a first communication channel from a predetermined set of communication channels;

(b) selecting for a second access point a second communication channel from the predetermined set of communication channels, wherein said second communication channel is different from said first communication channel;

(c) selecting for a third access point a third communication channel from the predetermined set of communication channels, wherein said third communication channel is different from said first and said second communication channels;

(d) disposing said first, second, and third access points in a first, second, and third unit, respectively, in a multi-unit building wherein each of said first, second, and third units is not adjacent to either of the other two said units; and

(e) determining for each of said first, second, and third access points a respective operational power level such that a receiver disposed in said first unit can receive communication signals from at least two of said first, second, and third access points.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein step (e) further comprises manipulating an antenna beam pattern for at least one of said first, second, and third access points.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

(f) operating a wireless communication network comprising said first, second, and third access points.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

(g) measuring an interference level for said first access point; and

(h) manipulating, based on the measured interference level for said first access point, at least one parameter of said first access point wherein said parameter is selected from the list consisting of;

an antenna beam pattern, a communication channel selection, and an output power level.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the steps of selecting said first, second, and third communication channels are accomplished prior to operating said wireless communication network.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said multi-unit building is multi-story.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein each of said first, second, and third units is not adjacent to either of the other two said units, either horizontally or vertically.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of disposing said first, second, and third access points occurs after said selection of said first, second, and third communication channels.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein said first access point is disposed in a hallway adjacent to said first unit.

25. In a method for operating a wireless network in a multi-unit building where the wireless network includes plural access points, and

where each of the plural access points is initially configured to operate on a preselected communication channel from a predetermined set of communication channels, where at least two of the plural access points are initially configured to operate on different communication channels, and where each of the plural access points has an adjustable antenna beam pattern and an adjustable output power level,

the improvement comprising optimizing the performance of the wireless network by manipulating at least three of the four parameters of:

(a) a deployment pattern of the plural access points in the multi-unit building,

(b) a selection of a communication channel from the predetermined set of communication channels for each of the plural access points individually,

(c) a selection of an output power level for each of the plural access points individually, and

(d) a selection of an antenna beam pattern for each of the plural access points individually.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein one of the three parameters manipulated includes the deployment pattern of the plural access points in the multi-unit building.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising the steps of:

measuring an interference level for one of said plural access points; and

manipulating, based on the measured interference level for said first access point, at least one parameter of said first access point wherein said parameter is selected from the list consisting of;

an antenna beam pattern, a communication channel selection, and an output power level.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said multi-unit building is multi-story.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein one of said plural access points is disposed in a unit of the multi-unit building.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein one of said plural access points is disposed in a hallway of the multi-unit building.