Reconfiguration of a communication system

• US 7,515,557 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bims, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Application Number:
  US10/133,804
• Time in Patent Office: 2,539 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370/352
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system and method are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises a switch receiving information from at least one repeater for each packet received without errors by the at least one repeater, the switch, in response to the information, determining an amount of wireless communication activity each of the at least one repeater is experiencing, the switch determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status regarding wireless reception and transmission of packets from other devices in the network based on repeater location and repeater density and the information received from the at least one repeater, and the switch causing a change in the status for at least one of the one or more repeaters by signaling to the at least one of the one or more repeaters.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a wireless communication network of devices, comprising:

(A) receiving from a first repeater data packets received without errors and information associated with the data packets;

(B) determining an amount of wireless communication activity the first repeater is experiencing based on the data packets received without errors and the information associated with the data packets;

(C) determining whether to cause at least one of the first repeater and a second repeater to change status regarding wireless reception and transmission of data packets from other devices in the network based on the amount of wireless communication activity, wherein determining whether to cause the change in status includes determining whether to cause a change in a repeater transmitter power level and in a repeater receiver sensitivity; and

(D) causing the change the status by signaling a command to cause an adjustment in the repeater transmitter power level and in the repeater receiver sensitivity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) receiving from the first repeater the data packets received without errors and received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with the data packets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of step (A), (B), and (C) is performed periodically.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of step (A), (B), and (C) is performed in response to an event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the event comprises a the first repeater receiving a predetermined number of data packets from the other devices in the network in a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the event comprises a change in a rate at which the first repeater receives data packets being above a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (D) comprises:

(D)(i) causing the change in the status by sending the command to the at least one of the first repeater and the second repeater to cause the adjustment in the repeater transmitter power level and the repeater receiver sensitivity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (A) comprises:

(A)(i) receiving from the first repeater 802.11 data packets.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (A) further comprises:

(A)(ii) embedding the 802.11 data packets and information associated with the 802.11 data packets in one or more other packets.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (A)(ii) comprises:

(A)(ii)(a) embedding the 802.11 data packets and the information associated with the 802.11 data packets with received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) for the 802.11 data packets.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (A)(ii) comprises:

(A)(ii)(a) embedding the 802.11 data packets and the information associated with the 802.11 data packets in one or more Ethernet packets.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the switch accessing a location tracking database to maintain a number of mobile stations for which the at least one of the first repeater and the second repeater is receiving packets.

13. An apparatus for configuring a wireless communication network of devices, comprising:

a switch receiving from at least one repeater data packets received without errors and received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with each of the data packets;

the switch, in response to receiving the data packets and information, determining an amount of wireless communication activity each of the at least one repeater is experiencing based on the data packets and the information received from each of the at least one repeater;

the switch determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status regarding wireless reception and transmission of data packets from other devices in the network based on the amount of wireless communication activity experienced by each of the at least one repeater and the information received from the at least one repeater, wherein determining whether to cause the change in status includes determining whether to cause a change in repeater transmitter power levels and repeater receiver sensitivity for the one or more repeaters; and

the switch causing a change in the status for at least one of the one or more repeaters by sending a command to the at least one of the one or more repeaters to cause an adjustment in the repeater transmitter power levels and the repeater receiver sensitivity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the operations of the switch determining an amount of wireless communication activity, determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status, and causing a change in the status are performed periodically.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the operations of the switch determining an amount of wireless communication activity, determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status, and causing a change in the status are performed in response to an event.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the event comprises a repeater of the at least one repeaters receiving a predetermined number of data packets from devices in the network in a predetermined period to time.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the event comprises a change in a rate at which a repeater of the at least one repeaters receives data packets being above a predetermined threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the each data packet comprises an 802.11 packet.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the each data packet comprises an 802.11 packet, and further comprising embedding the 802.11 packet and the information in another packet.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the another packet comprises an Ethernet packet.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

the switch accessing a location tracking database to maintain an amount of wireless communication activity each of the at least one repeater is experiencing.

22. An apparatus for configuring a wireless communication network of devices, comprising:

means for receiving from a first repeater data packets received without errors by and information associated with the data packets;

means for determining an amount of wireless communication activity the first repeater is experiencing based on the data packets received without errors and the information associated with the data packets;

means for determining whether to cause at least one of the first repeater and a second repeater to change status regarding wireless reception and transmission of data packets from other devices in the network based on the amount of wireless communication activity, wherein determining whether to cause the change in status includes determining whether to cause a change in a repeater transmitter power level and in a repeater receiver sensitivity; and

means for causing the change the status by signaling a command to cause an adjustment in the repeater transmitter power level and in the repeater receiver sensitivity.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the information associated with the data packets comprises received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with the data packets.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the means for determining an amount of wireless communication activity, means for determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status, and means for causing a change in the status operate periodically.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the means for determining an amount of wireless communication activity, means for determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status, and means for causing a change in the status operate in response to an event.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the event comprises the first repeater receiving a predetermined number of data packets from the other devices in the network in a predetermined period of time.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the event comprises a change in a rate at which the first repeater receives the data packets being above a predetermined threshold.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for sending the command to the at least one of the first repeater and the second repeater to cause the adjustment in the repeater transmitter power level and the repeater receiver sensitivity.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the data packets comprise 802.11 data packets.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for embedding the 802.11 data packets and information associated with the 802.11 data packets in one or more other packets.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the information associated with the 802.11 data packets comprises received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ration (SNR) for the 802.11 data packets in the one or more other packets.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the one or more other packets comprises one or more Ethernet packets.

33. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for accessing a location tracking database to maintain a number of mobile stations for which the at least one of the first repeater and the second repeater is receiving data packets.

34. An apparatus for configuring a wireless communication network of devices comprising:

means for receiving from at least one repeater data packets received without errors and received signal strength information and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) associated with the data packets;

means for, in response to receiving the data packets and information, determining an amount of wireless communication activity each of the at least one repeater is experiencing based on the data packets and the information received from each of the at least one repeater;

means for determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status regarding wireless reception and transmission of data packets from other devices in the network based on the amount of wireless communication activity experienced by each of the at least one repeater and the information received from the at least one repeater, wherein determining whether to cause the change in status includes determining whether to cause a change in repeater transmitter power levels and repeater receiver sensitivity for the one or more repeaters; and

means for causing a change in the status for at least one of the one or more repeaters by sending a command to the at least one of the one or more repeaters to cause an adjustment in the repeater transmitter power levels and the repeater receiver sensitivity.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for determining an amount of wireless communication activity, means for determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status, and means for causing a change in the status operate periodically.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for determining an amount of wireless communication activity, means for determining whether to cause one or more repeaters to change status, and means for causing a change in the status operate in response to an event.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the event comprises a repeater of the at least one repeaters receiving a predetermined number of data packets from devices in the network in a predetermined period of time.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the event comprises a change in a rate at which a repeater of the at least one repeaters receives data packets being above a predetermined threshold.

39. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the each data packet comprises an 802.11 packet.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said each data packet comprises an 802.11 packet, and further comprising means for embedding the 802.11 packet and the information in another packet.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the another packet comprises an Ethernet packet.

42. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

means for accessing a location tracking database to maintain a number of mobile stations for which at least one repeater is receiving data packets.