Multi-radio wireless mesh network solutions

• US 8,121,053 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arrowspan Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Arrowspan Incorporated
• Inventors: Lu, Wenchen
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US12/470,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20090232026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 370254-310, 370331-354, 370389-409, 455453-556, 455/447
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/16 based on interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

Techniques for providing multi-radio wireless mesh network solutions are described herein. According to one embodiment, routing information of neighboring mesh APs is monitored via a dedicated monitoring antenna of a current mesh access point (AP). The current mesh AP is one of mesh APs of a wireless mesh network, each having an uplink antenna, a downlink antenna, a local link antenna, and a monitoring antenna. Traffic of an uplink antenna of the wireless mesh AP is dynamically reconfigured and rerouted from a first routing path coupled to a first uplink mesh AP to a second routing path coupled to a second uplink mesh AP, if the second routing path has a better routing condition than the first routing path based on the monitored routing information associated with the first uplink mesh AP and the second uplink mesh AP. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for configuring wireless mesh access points of a wireless mesh network, the method comprising:

monitoring by monitoring logic, via a dedicated monitoring antenna of a current mesh access point (AP), routing information of a plurality of neighboring mesh APs, the current mesh AP being one of a plurality mesh APs of a wireless mesh network, wherein each of the mesh APs includes an uplink antenna to communicate with an uplink mesh AP, a downlink antenna to communicate with a downlink mesh AP, a local link antenna to communicate with a local client of each mesh AP, and a monitoring antenna for monitoring neighboring mesh APs;

dynamically reconfiguring and rerouting traffic of an uplink antenna of the wireless mesh AP from a first routing path coupled to a first uplink mesh AP to a second routing path coupled to a second uplink mesh AP, if the second routing path has a better routing condition than the first routing path based on the monitored routing information associated with the first uplink mesh AP and the second uplink mesh AP obtained via the dedicated monitoring antenna of the mesh AP;

monitoring, via the dedicated monitoring antenna, traffic conditions of channels used by neighboring mesh APs, including an existing channel used by a downlink antenna and a local link antenna of the current mesh AP; and

dynamically assigning a new channel to a downlink interface associated with the downlink antenna of the current mesh AP if congestion of the existing channel used by the downlink interface of the current mesh AP reaches a predetermined threshold based on the monitored traffic conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored routing information of an AP comprises a hop count to reach a destined node via the AP and signal strength of the AP.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically assigning a new channel to a local link interface associated with the local link antenna of the current mesh AP if congestion of the existing channel used by the local link interface of the current mesh AP reaches a predetermined threshold based on the monitored traffic conditions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the traffic condition of a channel is determined based on a number of downlink mesh APs currently associated with the channel and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the channel.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting via the dedicated monitoring antenna a query message to a specific neighboring mesh AP to request the specific neighboring mesh AP to identify itself;

in response to receiving a response from the specific neighboring mesh AP, examining the response to determine whether the response contains a predetermined signature associated with the mesh network; and

alerting a management system of the mesh network if the response does not contain a predetermined signature associated with the mesh network.

6. A machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the process to perform a method for configuring wireless mesh access points of a wireless mesh network, the method comprising:

monitoring by monitoring logic, via a dedicated monitoring antenna of a current mesh access point (AP), routing information of a plurality of neighboring mesh APs, the current mesh AP being one of a plurality mesh APs of a wireless mesh network, wherein each of the mesh APs includes an uplink antenna to communicate with an uplink mesh AP, a downlink antenna to communicate with a downlink mesh AP, a local link antenna to communicate with a local client of each mesh AP, and a monitoring antenna for monitoring neighboring mesh APs;

dynamically reconfiguring and rerouting traffic of an uplink antenna of the wireless mesh AP from a first routing path coupled to a first uplink mesh AP to a second routing path coupled to a second uplink mesh AP, if the second routing path has a better routing condition than the first routing path based on the monitored routing information associated with the first uplink mesh AP and the second uplink mesh AP obtained via the dedicated monitoring antenna of the mesh AP;

monitoring, via the dedicated monitoring antenna, traffic conditions of channels used by neighboring mesh APs, including an existing channel used by a downlink antenna and a local link antenna of the current mesh AP; and

dynamically assigning a new channel to a downlink interface associated with the downlink antenna of the current mesh AP if congestion of the existing channel used by the downlink interface of the current mesh AP reaches a predetermined threshold based on the monitored traffic conditions.

7. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the monitored routing information of an AP comprises a hop count to reach a destined node via the AP and signal strength of the AP.

8. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises dynamically assigning a new channel to a local link interface associated with the local link antenna of the current mesh AP if congestion of the existing channel used by the local link interface of the current mesh AP reaches a predetermined threshold based on the monitored traffic conditions.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the traffic condition of a channel is determined based on a number of downlink mesh APs currently associated with the channel and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the channel.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting via the dedicated monitoring antenna a query message to a specific neighboring mesh AP to request the specific neighboring mesh AP to identify itself;

in response to receiving a response from the specific neighboring mesh AP, examining the response to determine whether the response contains a predetermined signature associated with the mesh network; and

alerting a management system of the mesh network if the response does not contain a predetermined signature associated with the mesh network.

11. A wireless mesh access point (AP), comprising:

an uplink interface to wirelessly communicate with an uplink mesh AP;

a downlink interface to wirelessly communicate with one or more downlink mesh AP;

a local link interface to wirelessly communicate with one or more local clients;

a monitoring interface;

a monitoring logic configured to, via a monitoring interface, routing information of a plurality of neighboring mesh APs associated with a wireless mesh network, wherein each of the mesh APs includes an uplink antenna to communicate with an uplink mesh AP, a downlink antenna to communicate with a downlink mesh AP, a local link antenna to communicate with a local client of each mesh AP, and a monitoring antenna for monitoring neighboring mesh APs;

a routing logic configured to dynamically reconfigure and reroute traffic of the uplink interface of the wireless mesh AP from a first routing path coupled to a first uplink mesh AP to a second routing path coupled to a second uplink mesh AP, if the second routing path has a better routing condition than the first routing path based on the monitored routing information associated with the first uplink mesh AP and the second uplink mesh AP obtained via the monitoring interface of the mesh AP, wherein the monitored routing information of an AP comprises a hop count to reach a destined node via the AP and signal strength of the AP, and

wherein the monitoring logic, via the monitoring interface, is configured to monitor traffic conditions of channels used by neighboring mesh APs, including an existing channel used by the downlink interface and the local link interface of the mesh AP, and wherein the routing logic is configured to dynamically assign a new channel to the downlink interface of the mesh AP if congestion of the existing channel used by the downlink interface reaches a predetermined threshold based on the monitored traffic conditions.

12. The wireless mesh AP of claim 11, wherein the monitored routing information of an AP comprises a hop count to reach a destined node via the AP and signal strength of the AP.

13. The wireless mesh AP of claim 11, wherein the routing logic further dynamically assigns a new channel to the local link interface of the mesh AP if congestion of the existing channel used by the local link interface reaches a predetermined threshold based on the monitored traffic conditions.

14. The wireless mesh AP of claim 13, wherein the traffic condition of a channel is determined based on a number of downlink mesh APs currently associated with the channel and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the channel.

15. The wireless mesh AP claim 14, wherein the monitoring logic is further configured to

transmit via the monitoring interface a query message to a specific neighboring mesh AP to request the specific neighboring mesh AP to identify itself,

in response to receiving a response from the specific neighboring mesh AP, examine the response to determine whether the response contains a predetermined signature associated with the mesh network, and

alert a management system of the mesh network if the response does not contain a predetermined signature associated with the mesh network.