Optimization for wireless access point management

• US 8,144,600 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomson, Allan, Johnson, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oveissi, David
• Application Number:
  US11/972,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20090182862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 455/425, 455/450
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

In one embodiment, wireless access point management is optimized. The data bandwidth and/or processing requirements for data indicating operation of the access point is baselined. For example, air quality or interference measurements are made at the access point on a regular basis. The interference measurements over one or more periods, such as one period of 24 hours, provide a baseline. Rather than transmitting and processing the subsequent measurements that are normal or within the baseline, a lack of information or data requiring less bandwidth than the measurements communicates to a controller or server that the measurements are normal or within the baseline.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring at least one operation metric for a wireless access point;

generating, at the wireless access point, a first operation value information of the at least one operation metric for the wireless access point over a time period;

baselining the at least one operation metric, the baselining providing a baseline range of operation;

generating a second operation value of the at least one operation metric for the wireless access point;

comparing the second operation value to the baseline range of operation;

recording operation of the wireless access point with the first operation value by encoding a first number of bits when the second operation value is within the baseline range of operation; and

recording operation of the wireless access point with the second operation value by encoding a second number of bits when the second operation value is outside of the baseline range of operation, wherein the first number of bits is less than the second number of bits.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first operation value and the second operation value comprises generating access point wireless usage statistics, access point wireless user statistics, rogue data information, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first operation value and the second operation value comprises generating access point management data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first operation value and the second operation value comprises generating a wireless spectrum analysis for at least one channel of the wireless access point.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first operation value and the second operation value comprises generating a wireless spectrum analysis, a duty cycle, interferer identification, interferer location, power of interference, clear channel assessment information, pulse period information, statistics derived there from, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein baselining comprises determining a first numerical representation of the first operation value as a function of time over the time period per channel of the wireless access point, the first numerical representation being the baseline range of operation, and wherein comparing comprises comparing a second numerical representation of the second operation value at a given time in a cycle to the baseline range of operation corresponding to the given time of the cycle.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting none of the second operation value when the second operation value is within a threshold of the baseline range of operation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the baseline range of operation is determined by a controller or server connected with a plurality of access points including the wireless access point;

and

further comprising;

providing at least a portion of the baseline range of operation to the wireless access point from the controller or server.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the baseline range of operation is determined by the server, the server providing the at least a portion of the baseline range of operation to the controller due to memory availability at the controller, and the controller providing the at least a portion of the baseline range of operation to the wireless access point;

further comprising;

the server providing a remaining portion near expiration of the at least a portion of the baseline range of information.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a network including the wireless access point for a change in topology; and

updating the baseline range of operation in response to the change in topology.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating a sub-set of the second operation value over a wireless mesh network to a controller of the wireless access point, the sub-set being the second operation value deviating from the baseline range of operation.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the second operation value that is outside the baseline range of operation.

13. An apparatus comprising:

an access point for routing wireless data; and

a processor operable to output an indication of an operation of the access point, the indication being a function of a baseline, the baseline having different values as a function of time, the operation being at a time period associated with one of the values of the baseline,

wherein the operation comprises interference for at least one channel of the access point, the indication being a measurement of the interference when the measurement exceeds the baseline, the measurement encoded by a first number of bits, and being a baseline reference when the measurement is within the baseline, the baseline reference encoded by a second number of bits, wherein the second number is less than the first number.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the baseline is maintained to indicate normal despite variation of the operation outside of the baseline.

15. A system comprising:

a plurality of access points;

a controller operable to communicate with the plurality of access points; and

a server operable to communicate with the controller;

wherein the controller, server, or combination thereof is operable to determine a reference performance level of each of the plurality of access points and communicate the reference performance levels to the respective access points;

wherein each of the plurality of access points are operable to compare a current performance level to the respective reference performance level and communicate a first amount of performance data to the controller, server, or combinations thereof when the current performance level is within a threshold range of the reference performance level for the access point and a second amount of performance data when the current performance level is not within the threshold range, the reference performance level maintained for at least a first period regardless of the current performance levels within the first period being outside the threshold range, wherein the first amount of performance data comprises only one bit and the second amount of performance data comprises more than one bit.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the reference performance level includes a plurality of values as a function of time, the current performance level associated with a time, the value of the performance level corresponding to the time in a previous cycle being compared with the current performance level.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the reference performance level and current performance level correspond to wireless communication interference of the respective access point.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller, the server, or combination thereof is operable to update a time stamp associated with the reference performance level in response to receiving a result or no data, and operable to store the current performance data for the performance data not within the threshold range.

19. Software encoded in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media and when executed operable to:

generate first operation information for a wireless access point over a time period;

baseline the first operation information, the baselining providing a baseline range of operation;

generate second operation information for the wireless access point;

compare the second operation information to the baseline;

record operation of the wireless access point with the first operation information using a first number of bits if the second operation information is within the baseline range of operation; and

record operation of the access point with the second operation information using a second number of bits if the second operation information is outside of the baseline range of operation, wherein the first number of bits is less than the second number of bits.