INITIATING DATA COLLECTION BASED ON WIFI NETWORK CONNECTIVITY METRICS

• US 20150222507A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Choy, Bo, Kok, Choh Mun, Chan, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 9,407,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method and network device for initiating data collection based on WiFi network connectivity metrics. Specifically, detects that a value for a WiFi network connectivity metric for a WiFi connection between a client device and a WiFi network meets a particular criteria. Responsive to determining that the value meets the particular criteria, the disclosed system initiates a data collection process for collecting data associated with one or more devices while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria. The determining operation may be performed by a network device in response to receiving a request from a user of the client device. Also, the disclosed system stores the data collected while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:

detecting that a value for a WiFi network connectivity metric for a WiFi connection between a client device and a WiFi network meets a particular criteria;

responsive to determining that the value meets the particular criteria, initiating a data collection process for collecting data associated with one or more devices while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria;

storing the data collected while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the initiating operation is performed by the client device.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the initiating operation is performed by a network device monitoring the WiFi network connectivity metric for the WiFi connection between the client device and the WiFi network.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the determining operation is performed by a network device in response to receiving a request from a user of the client device.

5. The medium of claim 1 wherein detecting that the value for the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria comprises one or more of:

determining that a packet drop rate for packets transmitted to the client device or transmitted by the client device is above a threshold packet drop rate value;

determining that a signal level for wireless signals associated with the client device is below a threshold signal level value;

determining that a latency value for wireless signals associated with the client device is greater than a threshold latency value;

determining that a number of retries for wireless signals associated with the client device is greater than a threshold retry value;

determining that a Round Trip Time (RTT) for data transmitted to and received from the client device is above a threshold RTT value;

determining that a packet error rate for the packets transmitted to the client device or transmitted by the client device is above a threshold error rate value.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the data associated with one or more devices comprises data collected by the client device.

7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the one or more devices comprises data collected by an access point with which the client device is associated while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the one or more devices comprises data collected by a controller configuring an access point with which the client device is associated while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the one or more devices comprises data collected by client devices other than said client device, the other client devices being selected based on a physical proximity or network proximity with said client device.

10. The medium of claim 1, wherein initiating the data collection process is further based on determining that (a) a request for initiating the data collection process is received from the client device and (b) the client device is authorized to initiate the data collection process.

11. The medium of claim 1, wherein the data is used to debug one or more connectivity issues resulting in the value for the WiFi network connectivity metric meeting the particular criteria.

12. The medium of claim 1, wherein the WiFi connection between the client device and the WiFi network comprises a WiFi connection between the client device and any access point corresponding to the WiFi network.

13. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise collecting the data associated with the one or more devices while the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria.

14. The medium of claim 1, wherein collecting data comprises the client device collecting data that is specified by a network device.

15. The medium of claim 1, wherein the client device is configured to transmit the data to a network device identified by one or more devices associated with the WiFi network.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:

monitoring, by a client device, a value for a WiFi network connectivity metric for a WiFi connection between the client device and a WiFi network;

detecting, by a client device, that the value meets a particular criteria;

responsive to determining that the value meets the particular criteria;

transmitting, by the client device to one or more network devices corresponding to the WiFi network, via a mobile network a notification associated with the value meeting the particular criteria.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the notification comprises an indication that the client device has lost connectivity with the WiFi network.

18. The medium of claim 16, wherein a data collection process is initiated based on the notification.

19. The medium of claim 16, wherein detecting that the value for the WiFi network connectivity metric meets the particular criteria comprises one or more of:

determining that a packet drop rate is above a threshold packet drop rate value;

determining that a signal level for wireless signals associated with the client device is below a threshold signal level value;

determining that a latency value for wireless signals associated with the client device is greater than a threshold latency value;

determining that a number of retries for wireless signals associated with the client device is greater than a threshold retry value;

determining that a Round Trip Time (RTT) for data transmitted to and received from the client device is above a threshold RTT value.

20. The medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise stopping the data collection process responsive to determining that the value no longer meets the particular criteria.