Systems and methods for quality of experience measurement and wireless network recommendation

• US 9,344,908 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Channel IP BV
• Original Assignee: Devicescape Software, Inc. (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Wynn, Simon, Gordon, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US14/106,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

Systems and methods for quality of experience measurement and wireless network recommendation are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method comprises connecting to a non-cellular wireless data network, the digital device capable of communicating over a cellular network, transmitting a plurality of pings to a QoE system accessible over the non-cellular wireless data network, receiving a set of ping responses from the QoE system in response to the plurality of pings, calculating a QoE score based on the set of ping responses, and determining whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the QoE score.

Claims

1. A method performed by a digital device, the method comprising:

connecting to a non-cellular wireless data network, the digital device capable of communicating over a cellular network;

determining if the digital device has previously connected to the non-cellular wireless data network over a predetermined period of time, and if the digital device has not previously connected to the non-cellular wireless data network over the predetermined period of time, then changing a failure count threshold from an initial value to a different value;

transmitting a plurality of pings to a Quality of Experience (QoE) system accessible over the non-cellular wireless data network;

receiving a set of ping responses from the QoE system in response to the plurality of pings;

calculating a plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses;

comparing each of the plurality of QoE scores to a QoE threshold and changing a failure count for each of the plurality of QoE scores that fails to satisfy the QoE threshold based on the comparison;

comparing the failure count to the failure count threshold; and

determining whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the comparison of the failure count to the failure count threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pings is formatted using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein round trip times are calculated for each of the plurality of pings.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, based on the determination whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network, a network response to assist in terminating connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising removing a listing of the non-cellular wireless data network from a list of available networks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the comparison of the failure count to the failure count threshold comprises determining that a quality of the non-cellular wireless data network is satisfactory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses comprises calculating a ping score based, at least in part, on a standard deviation and average of round trip times associated with at least some of the set of ping responses.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein calculating the ping score comprises the standard deviation divided by the average.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the ping score is multiplied by a total number of pings received divided by a total number of pings sent.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses comprises calculating a link score based on a link speed and a maximum link between the digital device and a network device which provides the digital device access to the non-cellular wireless data network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating the at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses comprises calculating the at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on a ping score and the link score, wherein the ping score is based, at least in part, on a standard deviation and average of round trip times associated with the set of ping responses.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of QoE scores are based on a plurality of ping transmissions and a plurality of sets of ping responses, the plurality of sets of ping responses being based on the plurality of ping transmissions.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a network response to assist in terminating connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the determination whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network.

14. A digital device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to assist in connecting to a non-cellular wireless data network and a cellular wireless network;

a failure count adjustment module configured to determine if the digital device has previously connected to the non-cellular wireless data network over a predetermined period of time, and if the digital device has not previously connected to the non-cellular wireless data network over the predetermined period of time, then the failure count adjustment module is further configured to change a failure count threshold from an initial value to a different value;

a ping module configured to transmit a plurality of pings to a Quality of Experience (QoE) system accessible over the non-cellular wireless data network and receive a set of ping responses from the QoE system in response to the plurality of pings;

a QoE score module configured to calculate a plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses;

a QoE threshold module configured to compare each of the plurality of QoE scores to a QoE threshold and change a failure count for each of the plurality of QoE scores that fails to satisfy the QoE threshold based on the comparison;

a failure count module configured to compare the failure count to the failure count threshold; and

a network response module configured to determine whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the comparison of the failure count to the failure count threshold.

15. The digital device of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of pings is formatted using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

16. The digital device of claim 14, wherein round trip times are calculated for each of the plurality of pings.

17. The digital device of claim 14, wherein the network response module is further configured to provide, based on the determination whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network, a network response to assist in terminating connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network.

18. The digital device of claim 17, wherein the network response module is further configured to remove a listing of the non-cellular wireless data network from a list of available networks.

19. The digital device of claim 14, wherein the network response module configured to determine whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the comparison of the failure count to the failure count threshold comprises the network response module configured to determine that a quality of the non-cellular wireless data network is satisfactory.

20. The digital device of claim 14, wherein the QoE score module configured to calculate at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses comprises the QoE score module configured to calculate a ping score based, at least in part, on a standard deviation and average of round trip times associated with at least some of the set of ping responses.

21. The digital device of claim 20, wherein the QoE score module configured to calculate the ping score comprises the QoE score module configured to calculate the standard deviation divided by the average.

22. The digital device of claim 20, wherein the QoE score module configured to calculate the ping score comprises the QoE score module configured to multiply the ping score by a total number of pings received divided by a total number of pings sent.

23. The digital device of claim 14, wherein the QoE score module configured to calculate at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses comprises the QoE score module configured to calculate a link score based on a link speed and a maximum link between the digital device and a network device which provides the digital device access to the non-cellular wireless data network.

24. The digital device of claim 23, wherein the QoE score module configured to calculate at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses comprises the QoE score module configured to calculate the at least one of the plurality of QoE scores based on a ping score and the link score, wherein the ping score is based, at least in part, on a standard deviation and average of round trip times associated with the set of ping responses.

25. The digital device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of QoE scores are based on a plurality of ping transmissions and a plurality of sets of ping responses, the plurality of sets of ping responses being based on the plurality of ping transmissions.

26. The digital device of claim 25, wherein the network response module is further configured to provide a network response to assist in terminating connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the comparison of the failure count to the failure count threshold.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions, the instructions executable by a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

connecting a digital device to a non-cellular wireless data network, the digital device capable of communicating over a cellular network;

determining if the digital device has previously connected to the non-cellular wireless data network over a predetermined period of time, and if the digital device has not previously connected to the non-cellular wireless data network over the predetermined period of time, then changing a failure count threshold from an initial value to a different value;

transmitting a plurality of pings to a Quality of Experience (QoE) system accessible over the non-cellular wireless data network;

receiving a set of ping responses from the QoE system in response to the plurality of pings;

calculating a plurality of QoE scores based on the set of ping responses;

comparing each of the plurality of QoE scores to a QoE threshold and changing a failure count for each of the plurality of QoE scores that fails to satisfy the QoE threshold based on the comparison;

comparing the failure count to the failure count threshold; and

determining whether to maintain connectivity with the non-cellular wireless data network based on the comparison of the failure count to the failure count threshold.