Method and system for improving performance in discovery stage of fast roaming

• US 9,143,883 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Han, Jianpo, Ran, Guangzhi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, HONG SOL
• Application Number:
  US13/665,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method and digital device for improving performance in discovery stage of fast roaming. A disclosed digital device switches from a first wireless communication channel to a second wireless communication channel; transmits, on the second wireless communication channel, a request message comprising a designated field; and switches from the second wireless communication channel to the first wireless communication channel prior to receiving a response message corresponding to the request message on the second wireless communication channel. A network device receives the request message from a client device on the second wireless communication channel. The request message is associated with a first signal strength level. The network device determines that the request message includes a designated field; and transmits a response message to the client device via a different communication interface, such as a wired or wireless distribution system, or the client device'"'"'s data transmission channel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client device by a first network device, a wireless signal corresponding to a request message on a first wireless communication channel, wherein the request message includes a first signal strength level;

deriving, by the first network device, a second signal strength level based at least on the first signal strength level, a transmit power level associated with the client device, and a transmit power level associated with the first network device; and

transmitting, by the first network device, a response message corresponding to the request message and addressed to the client device via a second network device on a second wireless communication channel or a wired communication channel, the response message comprising the second signal strength level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message further comprises the first signal strength level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message is received via one or more of:

a wired interface to a distribution system;

a first wireless interface to a distribution system; and

a second wireless interface associated with a data transmission channel of the client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message includes a designated field indicating that the first network device supports a particular channel scanning protocol.

5. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a digital device, a request message on a first communication channel, the request message being received by at least a first network device;

switching, by the digital device, from the first communication channel to a second communication channel prior to receiving a response message corresponding to the request message;

receiving, from a second network device by the digital device, the response message corresponding to the request message via one of the second communication channel and a third communication channel; and

in response to the response message indicating support for a particular channel scanning protocol;

retrieving, by the digital device, a first signal strength level from content of the response message; and

deriving, by the digital device, a second signal strength level based at least on the first signal strength level, a transmit power level associated with the digital device, and a transmit power level associated with the second network device transmitting the response message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to the response message not indicating support for the particular channel scanning protocol, determining, by the digital device, a third signal strength level from a fourth signal strength level associated with the received response message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first communication channel is a first wireless communication channel, the second communication channel is a second wireless communication channel used by the digital device for data frame transmissions.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the response message is received via one or more of:

a wired interface to a distribution system;

a first wireless interface to a distribution system; and

a second wireless interface associated with a data transmission channel of the digital device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the request message includes a designated field indicating that the digital device supports a channel scanning protocol.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying the first communication channel based on a location of the digital device.

11. A network device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a receiving mechanism operating with the processor, the receiving mechanism receives a wireless signal corresponding to a request message from a client device on a first wireless communication channel, wherein the request message includes a first signal strength level;

a signal deriving mechanism operating with the processor, the signal deriving mechanism derives a second signal strength level based at least on the first signal strength level, a transmit power level associated with the client device, and a transmit power level associated with the first network device; and

a transmitting mechanism operating with the processor, the transmitting mechanism transmits a response message corresponding to the request message and addressed to the client device via a second network device on a second wireless communication channel or a wired communication channel, the response message comprising the second signal strength level.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the response message further comprises the first signal strength level.

13. The network device of claim 11, wherein the response message is received via one or more of:

a wired interface to a distribution system;

a first wireless interface to a distribution system; and

a second wireless interface associated with a working wireless communication channel of the client device.

14. The network device of claim 11, wherein the response message includes a designated field indicating that the network device supports a channel scanning protocol.

15. A digital device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a transmitting mechanism operating with the processor, the transmitting mechanism to transmit a request message on a first wireless communication channel, the request message being received by at least a first network device;

a switching mechanism operating with the processor, the switching mechanism to switch from the first wireless communication channel to a second wireless communication channel prior to receiving a response message corresponding to the request message;

a receiving mechanism operating with the processor, the receiving mechanism to receive from a second network device the response message corresponding to the request message via the second wireless communication channel or a wired communication channel;

a signal deriving mechanism operating with the processor, the signal deriving mechanism to retrieve a first signal strength level from content of the response message, wherein the signal deriving mechanism further to derive a second signal strength level based at least on the first signal strength level, a transmit power level associated with the digital device, and a s transmit power level associated with the second network device transmitting the response message in response to the response message indicating support for a particular channel scanning protocol.

16. The digital device of claim 15, wherein the signal deriving mechanism determines a third signal strength level from a fourth signal strength level associated with the response message in response to the response message not indicating support for the particular channel scanning protocol.

17. The digital device of claim 15, wherein the second wireless communication channel is used by the digital device for data frame transmissions.

18. The digital device of claim 15, wherein the response message is received via one or more of:

a wired interface to a distribution system;

a first wireless interface to a distribution system; and

a second wireless interface associated with a data transmission channel of the digital device.

19. The digital device of claim 15, wherein the response message includes a designated field indicating that the digital device supports a channel scanning protocol.

20. The digital device of claim 15, wherein the switching mechanism further identifies the first communication channel based on a location of the digital device.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing embedded instructions that are executed by one or more mechanisms implemented within a network device to perform a plurality of operations comprising:

receiving, from a client device, a wireless signal corresponding to a request message on a first wireless communication channel, wherein the request message includes a first signal strength level;

deriving a second signal strength level based at least on the first signal strength level, a transmit power level associated with the client device, and a transmit power level associated with the first network device; and

transmitting a response message corresponding to the request message and addressed to the client device via a second network device on a second wireless communication channel or a wired communication channel, the response message comprising the second signal strength level.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the response message further comprises the first signal strength level.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the response message is received via one or more of:

a wired interface to a distribution system;

a first wireless interface to a distribution system; and

a second wireless interface associated with a data transmission channel of the client device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the response message includes a designated field indicating that the first network device supports a particular channel scanning protocol.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing embedded instructions that are executed by one or more mechanisms implemented within a digital device to perform a plurality of operations comprising:

transmitting a request message on a first communication channel, the request message being received by at least a first network device;

switching from the first communication channel to a second communication channel prior to receiving a response message corresponding to the request message;

receiving, from a second network device, the response message corresponding to the request message via one of the second communication channel and a third communication channel; and

in response to the response message indicating support for a particular channel scanning protocol;

retrieving a first signal strength level from content of the response message; and

deriving a second signal strength level based at least on the first signal strength level, a transmit power level associated with the digital device, and a transmit power level associated with the second network device transmitting the response message.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising:

in response to the response message not indicating support for the particular channel scanning protocol, determining, by the digital device, a third signal strength level from a fourth signal strength level associated with the received response message.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the first communication channel is a first wireless communication channel, the second communication channel is a second wireless communication channel used by the digital device for data frame transmissions.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the response message is received via one or more of:

a wired interface to a distribution system;

a first wireless interface to a distribution system; and

a second wireless interface associated with a data transmission channel of the digital device.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the request message includes a designated field indicating that the digital device supports a channel scanning protocol.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, further comprising:

identifying the first communication channel based on a location of the digital device.