Method and system for simplifying WiFi setup for best performance

• US 9,179,341 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Corson, Gregory A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/213,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 455/500, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/67.7, 455/550.1, 455/73, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

Performance of WiFi devices, including WiFi access points are affected by a variety of parameters, including the location of setup of device and nearby sources of interference. Optimization of WiFi setup is enabled via quality metrics observed by the WiFi device and provided to the user. The system enables a user to change conditions that affect connection performance, such as the location of the WiFi access point, while the system automatically measures performance for each set of conditions. The system can then determine for the user which set of conditions provides the system with optimized WiFi connection performance. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a WiFi connection between a first WiFi device and a second WiFi device;

measuring performance of the established WiFi connection over a period of time;

storing data in memory regarding the measured performance of the established WiFi connection;

reestablishing the WiFi connection between the first WiFi device and the second WiFi device after an environmental parameter of the first WiFi device has changed;

measuring performance of the reestablished WiFi connection over another period of time;

storing data in memory regarding the measured performance of the reestablished WiFi connection;

processing the stored data with a processor coupled to the memory; and

providing a user with the processed data,

wherein the processed data provides the user with information regarding the relative performance of the WiFi connection during each said period of time, and

wherein said steps of measuring performance of the WiFi connections are performed by the first WiFi device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sequentially repeating, one or more times, said reestablishing the WiFi connection, said measuring performance of the reestablished WiFi connection, and said storing data in memory regarding the measured performance of the reestablished WiFi connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said environmental parameter of the first WiFi device is the location of the first WiFi device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first WiFi device is a WiFi access point (AP).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first WiFi device is a client device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said changing a parameter of the first WiFi device includes powering on a nearby device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the nearby device is a household appliance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the household appliance is a microwave oven.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the household appliance is a vacuum cleaner.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said establishing a WiFi connection includes establishing a connection to the first WiFi device with more than one second WiFi device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first WiFi device includes a videogame console.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second WiFi device includes a videogame console.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring performance of a WiFi connection that is established after the user has been provided with the processed data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising notifying a user upon a change in performance of the WiFi connection beyond a preprogrammed amount.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising geolocating the first WiFi device and the second WiFi device to determine the relative locations of the first WiFi device and the second WiFi device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising suggesting to a user a change in location of the first WiFi device based on data collected from said geolocating.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of measuring includes spectral analysis of different bands.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein each said step of measuring is initialized by a user input to the first WiFi device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user input is a button press on the first WiFi device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the user inputs is a message sent to the first WiFi device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of measuring include measuring signal strength, packet loss, signal to noise ratio, or a combination thereof.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of processing the stored data includes determining which of said periods of time had the best average WiFi connection.

40. A system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a first WiFi device coupled to the processor; and

program instructions embodied in the memory for execution by the processor, the program instructions being configured to implement a WiFi setup optimization method, the WiFi setup optimization method comprising the method of claim 1.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the first WiFi device is a WiFi access point.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the first WiFi device is a client device.

43. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors of a processing system causes the one or more processors to carry out a WiFi setup optimization method, the WiFi setup optimization method comprising the method of claim 1.

23. A method comprising:

running a test on WiFi connection performance over a period of time upon an establishment of a WiFi connection between a first WiFi device and a second WiFi device;

storing results from the test in a memory;

running another test on WiFi connection performance over another period of time upon a reestablishment of the WiFi connection between the first WiFi device and the second WiFi device;

storing results from said another test in a memory;

processing the results from each said test with a processor; and

providing information regarding performance of the WiFi connection during each said test to a user,

wherein said tests are run by the first WiFi device.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising sequentially repeating, one or more times, said step of miming another test and said step of storing results from said another test before said step of processing results.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising sequentially repeating, one or more times, said step of miming another test, said step of storing results from said another test, said step of processing results from each said test, and said step of providing information regarding performance of the WiFi connection.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said step of processing results includes determining which of said tests had the best WiFi connection performance out of all of the tests.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said determining which of said tests had the best WiFi performance includes utilizing determination criteria input by a user.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the first WiFi device is a WiFi access point.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the first WiFi device is a client device.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising prompting a user to change an environmental parameter upon completion of each said test.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the environmental parameter is the location of the first WiFi device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first WiFi device is a WiFi access point.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the second WiFi device is a WiFi access point.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein said tests are initialized automatically by the first WiFi device upon establishment of a WiFi connection with the first WiFi device.

35. The method of claim 23, wherein each said test is initialized by a user input to the first WiFi device.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the user input is a button press on the first WiFi device.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the user input is a message sent to the first WiFi device.

38. The method of claim 23, wherein said tests include of measurements of signal strength, packet loss, signal to noise ratio, or a combination thereof.

39. The method of claim 23, wherein said step of processing the results includes determining which of said periods of time had the best average WiFi connection performance.

44. A system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a first WiFi device coupled to the processor; and

program instructions embodied in the memory for execution by the processor, the program instructions being configured to implement a WiFi setup optimization method, the WiFi setup optimization method comprising the method of claim 39.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the first WiFi device is a WiFi access point.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the first WiFi device is a client device.

47. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors of a processing system causes the one or more processors to carry out a WiFi setup optimization method, the WiFi setup optimization method comprising the method of claim 39.