Methods and devices for associating a mobile device to access points within a WLAN

• US 8,254,347 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2004
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Han, Seung-Jae, Golestani, S. Jamaloddin, Bejerano, Yigal, Smith, Mark Anthony Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Barry
• Application Number:
  US11/026,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,797 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/331, 370/332, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

Unique identifiers are assigned to sets of adjacent access points in a wireless, local area network (WLAN). Thereafter, a unique identifier may be forwarded to a mobile device which uses the identifier to associate itself with one of the adjacent access points. Associating a mobile device with an adjacent access point using unique identifiers allows a WLAN to meet its load balancing objectives.

Claims

1. A method for associating a mobile device to an adjacent access point (AP) in a wireless, local area network (WLAN) comprising the steps of:

configuring a first set of adjacent APs by assigning AP identifiers to the APs within the first set, wherein each AP in the first set has a signal quality indicator that exceeds a threshold that indicates the APs in the first set are adjacent, and wherein each AP identifier of the assigned AP identifiers identifies only a single one of the APs within the first set and is unique within the first set;

selecting, within a controller in the WLAN, at least one AP identifier from the assigned AP identifiers that achieves load balancing goals of the WLAN;

forwarding the at least one selected AP identifier from the controller to at least one mobile device to associate the at least one mobile device to an AP that is identified by the at least one selected AP identifier as achieving load balancing goals of the WLAN; and

assigning additional AP identifiers to additional APs within at least one additional set of adjacent APs within the WLAN, wherein the additional AP identifiers include at least one of the AP identifiers assigned to the first set of adjacent APs.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the at least one selected AP is not an AP that provides a transmission to the mobile device with a highest signal-to-noise level.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

configuring the first set of adjacent APs by identifying the first set of adjacent APs from an adjacency graph.

4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

forwarding the at least one additional AP identifier to at least one additional mobile device to associate the at least one additional mobile device to one of the additional APs within the at least one additional set of adjacent APs.

5. The method as in claim 1 wherein the at least one selected AP identifier includes a plurality of AP identifiers.

6. A method for associating a mobile device to an access point (AP) in a wireless, local area network (WLAN) comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the mobile device, at least one AP identifier from a controller within the WLAN, wherein the at least one received AP identifier is selected from AP identifiers assigned to APs within a first configured set of APs and identifies one AP within the first configured set that achieves load balancing goals of the WLAN, wherein each AP in the first configured set has a signal quality indicator that exceeds a threshold that indicates the APs in the first configured set are adjacent, and wherein each AP identifier of the AP identifiers assigned to the APs within the first configured set identifies only a single one of the APs within the first configured set and is unique within the first configured set; and

associating the mobile device with the one AP identified by the at least one received AP identifier,

wherein the one AP identified by the at least one received AP identifier is not necessarily an AP that can provide a transmission with a highest signal-to-noise level, and

wherein additional AP identifiers are assigned to additional APs within at least one additional set of adjacent APs within the WLAN, wherein the additional AP identifiers include one or more of the AP identifiers assigned to the APs within the first configured set.

7. The method as in claim 6 further comprising the step of storing the at least one received AP identifier.

8. The method as in claim 6 wherein the at least one received AP identifier includes a plurality of AP identifiers each uniquely identifying one AP among the first configured set that achieves load balancing goals of the WLAN, and wherein the method further comprises the step of:

storing the plurality of AP identifiers.

9. A controller, for associating a mobile device to an adjacent access point (AP) in a wireless, local area network (WLAN), operable to:

configure a first set of adjacent APs by assigning AP identifiers to the APs within the first set, wherein each AP in the first set has a signal quality indicator that exceeds a threshold that indicates the APs in the first set are adjacent, and wherein each AP identifier of the assigned AP identifiers identifies only a single one of the APs within the first set and is unique within the first set;

select at least one unique AP identifier from the assigned AP identifiers that achieves load balancing goals of the WLAN;

forward the at least one selected AP identifier to at least one mobile device to associate the at least one mobile device with an AP that is identified by the at least one selected AP identifier as achieving load balancing goals of the WLAN; and

assigning additional AP identifiers to additional APs within at least one additional set of adjacent APs within the WLAN, wherein the additional AP identifiers include at least one of the AP identifiers assigned to the first set of adjacent APs.

10. The controller as in claim 9 wherein the at least one selected AP is not an AP that provides a transmission to the mobile device with a highest signal-to-noise level.

11. The controller as in claim 9 further operable to:

configure the first set of adjacent APs by identifying the first set of adjacent APs from an adjacency graph.

12. The controller as in claim 9 further operable to:

forward the at least one additional AP identifier to at least one additional mobile device to associate the at least one additional mobile device to one of the additional APs within the at least one additional set of adjacent APs, achieving load balancing for the at least one additional set of adjacent APs within the WLAN.

13. The controller as in claim 9 wherein the at least one selected AP identifier includes a plurality of AP identifiers.

14. A wireless device operable to:

receive at least one access point (AP) identifier from a controller within a wireless, local area network (WLAN), the at least one received AP identifier being selected from AP identifiers assigned to APs within a first set of configured APs and identifying one AP among the first set that achieves load balancing goals of the WLAN, wherein each AP in the first set has a signal quality indicator that exceeds a threshold that indicates the APs in the first set are adjacent, and wherein each AP identifier of the AP identifiers assigned to the APs within the first set identifies only a single one of the APs within the first set and is unique within the first set; and

associate with the one AP identified by the at least one received AP identifier,

wherein the one AP identified by the at least one received AP identifier is not necessarily an AP that can provide a transmission with a highest signal-to-noise level, and

wherein additional AP identifiers are assigned to additional APs within at least one additional set of adjacent APs within the WLAN, wherein the additional AP identifiers include one or more of the AP identifiers assigned to the APs within the first set.

15. The wireless device as in claim 14 further operable to store the at least one received AP identifier.

16. The wireless device as in claim 14 wherein the at least one received AP identifier includes a plurality of AP identifiers each uniquely identifying one AP among the first set that achieves load balancing goals of the WLAN, and wherein the device is further operable to:

store the plurality of AP identifiers.

17. The wireless device as in claim 14 wherein the wireless device comprises a computer.

18. The wireless device as in claim 14 wherein the wireless device comprises a telephone.

19. The wireless device as in claim 14 wherein the wireless device comprises a personal digital assistant.

20. The wireless device as in claim 14 wherein the wireless device comprises a pager.

21. The wireless device as in claim 14 wherein the wireless device comprises a digital music player.