AUTOMATIC CHANNEL LAYERING IN A WI-FI COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20160112920A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Meru Networks, Inc. (Fortinet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sankaranarayanan, Srivatsan
• Granted Patent: US 9,794,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/20 for optimising the interference level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Deploying multiple access points on multiple wireless communication channels to optimize coverage area. Additional channels provide additional communication capability which multiple AP'"'"'s, and their associated stations, can collectively use. An additional set of AP'"'"'s can be disposed in the additional communication channel, with multiple communication channels possibly physically intersecting. The system control element collects information from devices in the wireless communication system, and automatically configures which AP is assigned to which communication channel. The system control element determines which AP'"'"'s are servicing which physical locations, in response to feedback from AP'"'"'s and stations in those locations. The system control element assigns, or re-assigns, AP'"'"'s in each physical location, with the effect of optimizing coverage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a controller of a wireless communication network deploying multiple access points on multiple communication channels to optimize a coverage area while minimizing interference, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting RSSI (received signal strength indicator) values for each station heard from each of a plurality of access points;

assigning a first subset of the plurality of access points to a first communication channel to include access points having an RSSI difference above a predetermined threshold;

assigning a second subset of the plurality of access points to a second communication channel to include access points having an RSSI difference below the predetermined threshold; and

sending messages to the plurality of access points with channel assignments; and

handing-off a station from a first access point on the first communication channel to a second access point on the second communication channel without requiring reconfiguration to the second access point by the station other than changing channels.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the RSSI difference for an access point by calculating the difference between a maximum RSSI value and a minimum RSSI value observed by the access point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one access point from the plurality of access points has at least two radios that operate on at least two different communication channels of the multiple communication channels, and wherein a corresponding radio to each of the at least two different communication channels is treated as a separate access point for the purposes of optimizing coverage while minimizing interference.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the at least two different communication channels operate on a different frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting RSSI values from each station heard from each of a plurality of access points includes stations not currently served by a particular access point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel uses the 2.4 GHz band and the second communication channel use the 5.0 GHz band.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method in a controller of a wireless communication network deploying multiple access points on multiple communication channels to optimize a coverage area while minimizing interference, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting RSSI (received signal strength indicator) values for each station heard from each of a plurality of access points;

assigning a first subset of the plurality of access points to a first communication channel to include access points having an RSSI difference above a predetermined threshold;

assigning a second subset of the plurality of access points to a second communication channel to include access points having an RSSI difference below the predetermined threshold; and

sending messages to the plurality of access points with channel assignments; and

handing-off a station from a first access point on the first communication channel to a second access point on the second communication channel without requiring reconfiguration to the second access point by the station other than changing channels.

9. A controller server of a wireless communication network deploying multiple access points on multiple communication channels to optimize a coverage area while minimizing interference, the controller server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, storing;

a first module to collect RSSI (received signal strength indicator) values for each station heard from each of a plurality of access points;

a second module to assign a first subset of the plurality of access points to a first communication channel to include access points having an RSSI difference above a predetermined threshold;

a third module to assign a second subset of the plurality of access points to a second communication channel to include access points having an RSSI difference below the predetermined threshold; and

a fourth module to sent messages to the plurality of access points with channel assignments; and

a fifth module to hand-off a station from a first access point on the first communication channel to a second access point on the second communication channel without requiring reconfiguration to the second access point by the station other than changing channels.