Systems and methods of distributed self-configuration for wireless networks
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- communicating, by a first access point (AP) node, with selected ones of a plurality of nodes in a wireless network, including client nodes and other AP nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes self-configure a channel for communication among the nodes;
receiving, by the first AP node, information from a client node about an interference source detected by the client node in a current operating channel by tracking a source of packets in the operating channel;
initiating, by the first AP node, a channel-selection process;
sending, by the first AP node, a leader election message to a first neighbor node;
receiving, by the first neighbor node, the leader election message; and
deciding, by the first neighbor node, whether to accept the sending node as leader;
if so, the first neighbor node not forward the leader election message;
if not, the first neighbor picking a leader with a lowest medium access control address, and the first neighbor node forwarding the leader election message to its neighbor nodes.
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Abstract
An embodiment selects one or more radio frequency parameters that may be optimal for a wireless network of access points and clients. Various methods, systems, and/or computer-readable media may implement operational embodiments.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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communicating, by a first access point (AP) node, with selected ones of a plurality of nodes in a wireless network, including client nodes and other AP nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes self-configure a channel for communication among the nodes; receiving, by the first AP node, information from a client node about an interference source detected by the client node in a current operating channel by tracking a source of packets in the operating channel; initiating, by the first AP node, a channel-selection process; sending, by the first AP node, a leader election message to a first neighbor node; receiving, by the first neighbor node, the leader election message; and deciding, by the first neighbor node, whether to accept the sending node as leader; if so, the first neighbor node not forward the leader election message; if not, the first neighbor picking a leader with a lowest medium access control address, and the first neighbor node forwarding the leader election message to its neighbor nodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method, comprising:
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periodically scanning, by at least one access point (AP), channels to detect an interference source and to maintain a channel interference table, the at least one AP communicating with selected ones of a network of clients and other APs; detecting an interference source by the at least one AP tracking a source of packets in an operating channel, wherein, upon detection of the interference source, the at least one AP collects information from selected clients and searches for a better channel, and wherein the at least one AP initiates a channel selection process for the network when a better channel is found; the at least one AP being elected a leader AP by the network; the leader AP receiving channel interference information from other APs, wherein the channel interference information is gathered from respective clients of the other APs; selecting, by the leader AP, an optimal radio frequency parameter using the information received by the leader AP, wherein the optimal radio frequency parameter is at least a configuration parameter that is representative of an optimal configuration for the network; and disseminating, by the leader AP, the optimal radio frequency parameter to its neighbors in the network. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. Apparatus, comprising:
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a channel-scanning subsystem structured to periodically scan channels in a wireless network of nodes, wherein the network comprises a plurality of access points (APs) and clients, and wherein the apparatus is structured to communicate with the plurality of APs and clients; an interference detection subsystem structured to detect an interference source by tracking a source of packets in an operating channel, to search for a better channel, and to initiate a channel selection process for the network when a better channel is found; a timer, to be set upon initiation of the channel selection process, and to prevent initiation of a channel selection process until the timer expires; a leader election subsystem structured to elect a leader AP from the plurality of APs; an information gathering subsystem structured to gather, upon detection of an interference source, channel interference information from selected ones of the plurality of clients, and to send the channel interference information to the leader AP; a dissemination subsystem structured to receive from the leader AP an optimal configuration selected by the leader AP using the channel interference information received by the leader AP, and to disseminate the selected configuration to the plurality of APs; and wherein the channel-scanning subsystem, the interference detection subsystem, the timer, the leader election subsystem, the information gathering subsystem, and the dissemination subsystem are operatively coupled to one another. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, when executed by a digital processing device, performing the following operations:
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periodically scanning, by at least one access point (AP), channels to detect an interference source and to maintain a channel interference table, the at least one AP communicating with selected ones of a network of clients and other APs; detecting an interference source by the at least one AP tracking a source of packets in an operating channel, wherein, upon detection of the interference source, the at least one AP receives a channel interference table from each of selected clients and searches for a better channel, and wherein the at least one AP initiates a channel selection process for the network when a better channel is found; the at least one AP being elected a leader AP by the network; the leader AP receiving channel interference information from other APs, wherein the channel interference information is gathered from respective clients of the other APs; selecting, by the leader AP, an optimal radio frequency parameter using the information received by the leader AP, wherein the optimal radio frequency parameter is at least a configuration parameter that is representative of an optimal configuration for the network; and disseminating, by the leader AP, the optimal radio frequency parameter to its neighbors in the network. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification