Packet sniffer node and system including the same to assess wireless communication performance

• US 7,697,495 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Das, Sujit R., Rentel, Carlos H., Pereira, Luis R., Armstrong, Brian S. R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): BIBBEE, CHAYCE R
• Application Number:
  US11/613,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20080151762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/241.1, 370242-253, 455/423, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/115.1, 455/115.2, 455/226.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A wireless system includes a plurality of wireless nodes structured to participate in a system test of the wireless nodes. The system test includes a plurality of test packets. A packet sniffer node includes a wireless receiver, a memory storing a schedule defining transmission and reception of the test packets by the wireless nodes, and a processor cooperating with the wireless receiver and the memory to receive at least some of the test packets responsive to the schedule, and to output data corresponding to the received test packets of the system test. A monitoring computer receives the output data from the processor of the packet sniffer node. Operation of the packet sniffer node, which does not transmit, does interfere with or alter execution of the system test.

Claims

1. A wireless system comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes structured to participate in a system test of said wireless nodes, said system test including a plurality of test packets;

a packet sniffer node comprising;

a wireless receiver;

a memory storing a schedule defining transmission and reception of said test packets by said wireless nodes;

a processor cooperating with said wireless receiver and said memory to receive at least some of said test packets responsive to said schedule, and to output data corresponding to said received at least some of said test packets of said system test;

a monitoring mechanism structured to receive the output data from the processor of said packet sniffer node;

wherein operation of said packet sniffer node does interfere with or alter execution of said system test;

wherein each of said wireless nodes comprises a corresponding schedule defining transmission and reception of said test packets by said each of said wireless nodes;

wherein one of said wireless nodes cooperates with the other ones of said wireless nodes to synchronize each of said other ones of said wireless nodes to the corresponding schedule; and

wherein said packet sniffer node is structured to monitor whether said other ones of said wireless nodes are synchronized; and

wherein each of said wireless nodes comprises a Sync Rank value indicating whether a corresponding one of said other ones of said wireless nodes was directly synchronized by said one of said wireless nodes or by another one of said other ones of said wireless nodes; and

wherein said monitoring mechanism comprises a status display screen including at least one of;

the Sync Rank value of each of said wireless nodes, and a history indicating whether each of said wireless nodes has received one of the test packets from each of the other ones of said wireless nodes in a predetermined interval.