System and method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device

• US 8,064,391 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrill, Robert J., Coppage, Carl M., Kozisek, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHARU, MANPREET S
• Application Number:
  US11/809,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/355, 370/356, 370/328, 370/220, 370/219, 370/252
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

A system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device including a wireless router in communication with the wireless device for transmitting and receiving RF signals between the wireless router and the wireless device, the wireless router configured to determine network performance information of the wireless network; concatenate the network performance information into data packets; a packet network switch in communication with the wireless router for communicating the data packets between the wireless router and the packet network switch; and a network management device in communication with the packet network switch for instructing the packet network switch to route the data packets to the wireless router based on the network performance information to optimize the network performance to the wireless device. A method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device is also included.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device comprising:

a first wireless router in direct communication with said wireless device for transmitting and receiving RF signals between said first wireless router and said wireless device, said wireless router configured to;

determine network performance information associated with data packets communicated over said wireless router;

concatenate said network performance information into a performance information packet;

a second wireless router in direct communication range with said wireless device;

a packet network switch in network communication with said first wireless router for communicating said data packets between said first wireless router and said packet network switch, said packet network switch also in network communication with said second wireless router;

a network management device in communication with said packet network switch for instructing said packet network switch to route said performance information packet to said network management device, said network management device utilizing said network performance information from said performance information packet to identify network performance problems associated with the first wireless router;

transmit instructional data packets to the first wireless router that include instructions for optimizing network performance to said wireless device in response to identify, a network performance problem associated with the first wireless router;

wherein said wireless router includes at least one module configured to;

count the total of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router during a time period;

count said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said wireless router during said time period;

determine bandwidth of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router; and

determine bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said wireless router.

2. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 1 further comprises:

an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate with said data packets over said network;

a memory unit configured to store said network performance information indicative of bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content and total data packets communicated over said network by one of said wireless router.

3. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 1 wherein the instructions for optimizing instructs the wireless device to disconnect from the first wireless router and connect the second wireless router for communicating data packets.

4. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 1 wherein said network management device is configured to:

determine whether at least one network performance information value of said wireless router exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

communicate a switching instruction to said packet network switch to switch a flow of said data packets from a first data packet network to a second data packet network.

5. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 1 wherein said network management device is configured to communicate a request for network performance data to said wireless router located on the packet network requesting said network performance information concatenated in said data packets at said wireless router.

6. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 4 wherein said network management device is configured to communicate a request to said wireless device to switch communication from one of said first and second data packet network to the other of said first and second data packet network.

7. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 1 wherein one of said network management device includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

8. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 3, wherein instructing the wireless device to disconnect from the first wireless router and connect the second wireless router for communicating data packets is performed in spite of the wireless device receiving a better signal strength from the first wireless router as compared to a signal strength received from the second wireless router.

9. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 1 wherein said network management device is further configured to adjust one of encoding/decoding rates and adjust power amounts to optimize said network performance to said wireless device.

10. A method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device comprising:

providing a first RF signal link between a wireless router and said wireless device;

determining network performance information between said wireless router and a packet network switch;

concatenating said network performance information into data packets;

providing a connection between said wireless router and said packet network switch for communicating said data packets between said wireless router and said packet network switch;

transmitting said data packets from said packet network switch to a network management device in communication with said packet network switch;

instructing said packet network switch to adjust one of encoding/decoding rates and adjust power amounts to optimize said network performance to said wireless device;

counting the total of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router during a time period;

counting said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said wireless router during said time period;

determining bandwidth of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router; and

determining bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said wireless router.

11. The method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 10 further comprising:

storing said network performance information indicative of bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content and total data packets communicated over said network by said wireless router.

12. The method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 10 wherein said network performance information is contained in IEEE standard 802.1AG data packets.

13. The method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 10 further comprising:

determining whether at least one network performance information value of said wireless router exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

communicating a switching instruction to said packet network switch to switch a flow of said data packets from a first data packet network to a second data packet network.

14. The method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 10 further comprising:

communicating via said network management device a request for network performance data to said wireless router located on the packet network requesting said network performance information concatenated in said data packets at said wireless router.

15. The method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 10 further comprising:

communicating via said network management device a request to said wireless device to switch communication from one of said first and second data packet network to the other of said first and second data packet network.

16. The method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 10, wherein one of said network management device includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.

17. A system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device comprising:

means for providing a RF signal link between a wireless router and said wireless device;

means for determining network performance information between said wireless router and a packet network switch;

means for concatenating said network performance information into data packets;

means for providing a connection between said wireless router and said packet network switch for communicating said data packets between said wireless router and said packet network switch;

means for transmitting said data packets from said packet network switch to a network management device in communication with said packet network switch;

means instructing said packet network switch to adjust one of encoding/decoding rates and adjust power amounts to optimize said network performance to said wireless device;

means for counting the total of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router during a time period;

means for counting said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said wireless router during said time period;

means for determining bandwidth of said data packets being communicated via said wireless router, and

means for determining bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content being communicated via said wireless router.

18. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 17 further comprising:

means for storing said network performance information indicative of bandwidth of said data packets including real-time content and total data packets communicated over said network by said wireless router.

19. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 17 wherein said network performance information is contained in IEEE standard 802.1AG data packets.

20. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 17 further comprising:

means for determining whether at least one network performance information value of one of said first and second wireless router exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

means for communicating a switching instruction to said packet network switch to switch a flow of said data packets from a first data packet network to a second data packet network.

21. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device network of claim 17 further comprising:

means for communicating via said network management device a request for network performance data to said wireless router located on the packet network requesting said network performance information concatenated in said data packets at said wireless router.

22. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 20 further comprising:

means for communicating via said network management device a request to said wireless device to switch communication from one of said first and second data packet network to the other of said first and second data packet network.

23. The system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device of claim 17, wherein one of said network management device includes a ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.