Dynamic transmit power configuration system for wireless network environments

• US 7,489,661 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Hills, Alexander H., Friday, Robert J., Dietrich, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US11/937,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 370/332, 370/330, 370/337, 370/346, 370/347, 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and systems facilitating the configuration of transmit power and coverage areas corresponding to access points in a wireless network environment. The present invention in one embodiment facilitates the dynamic configuration of coverage boundaries across a plurality of access points, improving the performance of the wireless network environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising

scanning, at respective wireless access elements, for radio frequency (RF) signals carrying respective wireless frames transmitted by one or more neighboring wireless access elements;

detecting, at the respective wireless access elements, the strength of the received RF signals relative to the wireless frames;

gathering coverage scan data characterizing the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the neighboring wireless access elements;

processing, at a coverage analyzer, coverage scan data received from the wireless access elements; and

computing a set of transmit power levels for the wireless access elements based on the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the wireless access elements.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning is implemented on a plurality of RF channels.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising

broadcasting, from the respective wireless access elements, wireless management packets for detection by other wireless access elements.

4. A method, comprising:

scanning, at respective wireless access elements, for radio frequency (RF) signals carrying respective wireless frames transmitted by one or more neighboring wireless access elements;

detecting, at the respective wireless access elements, the strength of the received RF signals relative to the wireless frames;

gathering coverage scan data characterizing the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the neighboring wireless access elements;

processing, at a coverage analyzer, coverage scan data received from the wireless access elements;

computing a set of transmit power levels for the wireless access elements based on the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the wireless access elements;

detecting, at the respective wireless access elements, wireless management packets transmitted by other access elements;

broadcasting, from the respective wireless access elements, wireless management packets for detection by other wireless access elements;

detecting, at the respective wireless access elements, the strength of the signal associated with the wireless management packets;

parsing, at the respective wireless access elements, information in the wireless management packets; and

transmitting the packet information and the associated signal strength from the respective wireless access elements to the coverage analyzer.

5. A method comprising

receiving, at a plurality of wireless access elements, radio frequency (RF) signals carrying respective wireless frames transmitted by one or more neighboring wireless access elements;

detecting the strength of the received RF signals relative to the wireless frames;

gathering, at a coverage analyzer, coverage scan data characterizing the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the neighboring access elements, and

processing, at the coverage analyzer, the coverage scan data to compute a set of transmit power levels for the access elements based on the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the access elements.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising

adjusting transmit power of one or more of the plurality of wireless access elements to implement the computed set of transmit power levels.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a plurality of wireless access elements, radio frequency (RF) signals carrying respective wireless frames transmitted by one or more neighboring wireless access elements, comprising;

receiving wireless signals transmitting wireless data packets from at least one remote client element;

detecting strength of the wireless signals;

associating the detected signal strengths with the corresponding data packets; and

transmitting the packet information and associated signal strengths to the coverage analyzer;

detecting the strength of the received RF signals relative to the wireless frames;

gathering, at a coverage analyzer, coverage scan data characterizing the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the neighboring access elements;

processing, at the coverage analyzer, the coverage scan data to compute a set of transmit power levels for the access elements based on the detected strength of the RF signals transmitted by the access elements.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transmitting step comprises

encapsulating the wireless data packets in respective encapsulating packets,

wherein the encapsulating packets each include a corresponding detected signal strength in respective headers thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the processing the coverage scan data includes processing the packet information and associated signal strengths corresponding to the at least one remote client element.

10. A method comprising

gathering coverage scan data from a plurality of access elements characterizing the strength of the signals transmitted by neighboring access elements;

receiving, from the access elements, indicators of the strength of the wireless signals associated with packets transmitted by remote wireless clients;

analyzing the indicators of the strength of the wireless signals associated with each access element to determine compliance with a minimum coverage profile;

processing coverage scan data received from the access elements; and

computing a set of transmit power levels for the plurality of access elements based on the coverage scan data and the compliance, as to each access element, with the minimum coverage profile.