Distributed seamless roaming in wireless networks

• US 8,761,142 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ubiquiti Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. (Ubiquiti Inc.)
• Inventors: Dayanandan, Sriram, Yang, Bo-chieh, Luoh, Keh-Ming, Pera, Robert J., Lee, Yuan-Hsiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US13/763,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/329, 370/338, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0044 of quality context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for configuring an access point in a wireless network. During operation, the access point discovers one or more existing access points associated with the wireless network. The access point then obtains a set of configuration information from one existing access point, and synchronizes a local timestamp counter to a selected existing access point, thereby allowing the access point to be configured without using a centralized management station.

Claims

1. A method for configuring an access point in a wireless network, comprising:

discovering one or more existing access points associated with the wireless network;

obtaining a set of configuration information from one existing access point; and

synchronizing a local timestamp counter to a selected existing access point, thereby allowing the access point to be configured without using a centralized management station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of configuration information comprises a group or broadcast/multicast encryption key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of configuration information comprises an association ID (AID) usage indication which indicates one or more AIDs currently in use by the one or more existing access points.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the AID usage indication is an AID usage bitmap;

and

wherein a respective bit of the AID usage bitmap corresponds to an AID and indicates whether the AID is used by any access point in the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the local timestamp counter to the selected existing access point comprises selecting the existing access point based on timestamp hierarchy associated with the one or more existing access points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein discovering the one or more existing access points comprises transmitting a broadcast discovery message on a wired network.

7. A wireless access point, comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method for configuring the access point, the method comprising:

discovering one or more existing access points associated with the wireless network;

obtaining a set of configuration information from one existing access point; and

synchronizing a local timestamp counter to a selected existing access point, thereby allowing the access point to be configured without using a centralized management station.

8. The wireless access point of claim 7, wherein the set of configuration information comprises a group or broadcast/multicast encryption key.

9. The wireless access point of claim 7, wherein the set of configuration information comprises an association ID (AID) usage indication which indicates one or more AIDs currently in use by the one or more existing access points.

10. The wireless access point of claim 9, wherein the AID usage indication is an AID usage bitmap;

and

wherein a respective bit of the AID usage bitmap corresponds to an AID and indicates whether the AID is used by any access point in the wireless network.

11. The wireless access point of claim 7, wherein synchronizing the local timestamp counter to the selected existing access point comprises selecting the existing access point based on timestamp hierarchy associated with the one or more existing access points.

12. The wireless access point of claim 7, wherein discovering the one or more existing access points comprises transmitting a broadcast discovery message on a wired network.