Wireless network site survey systems and methods

• US 9,491,639 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Mahasenan, Arun Vijayakumari, Chernoguzov, Alexander, Bill, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): EBRAHIM, ANEZ C
• Application Number:
  US13/739,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20140198670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Wireless network site survey systems and methods are described herein. One system includes a plurality of wireless nodes placed at a number of locations and a computing device configured to: receive communication metrics, wherein the communication metrics include metrics of communication between the plurality of wireless nodes and between the computing device and each of the plurality of wireless nodes, and generate a node coverage map based on the received communication metrics.

Claims

1. A wireless network site survey system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes placed at a number of locations within an area where a network is to be generated; and

a computing device configured to;

receive link quality metrics for the plurality of wireless nodes when the plurality of wireless nodes were located at a first location within the area;

measure link quality metrics for the plurality of wireless nodes at a second location within the area, wherein the measured link quality metrics include a first link quality between each of the plurality of wireless nodes and a second link quality between the computing device and each of the plurality of wireless nodes;

determine link quality metrics for a projected communication path between one or more of the plurality of wireless nodes at the second location and one or more of the plurality of wireless nodes that were previously located at the first location, wherein the determined link quality metrics are based on the received link quality metrics from the plurality of wireless nodes previously located at the first location and received link quality metrics from the plurality of wireless nodes located at the second location; and

generate a node coverage map based on the link quality metrics, wherein the coverage map is utilized to generate the network within the area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless nodes includes a root access point.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the root access point is stationary at a particular location and the remaining plurality of wireless nodes are each moved to a different location, wherein the different location is within a communication threshold of the root access point.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the node coverage map is expanded to include the different locations of the plurality of wireless nodes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a remote computing device to receive a number of beacon messages from the plurality of wireless nodes at a number of locations.

6. A method for wireless network site surveying, comprising:

placing a number of wireless nodes at a first set of locations;

placing a root access point at a particular location in communication with at least one of the number of wireless nodes;

receiving link quality metrics from the number of wireless nodes at the first set of locations and the root access point;

moving the number of wireless nodes to a second set of locations that is in communication with the root access point at the particular location;

receiving link quality metrics from the number of wireless nodes at the second set of locations and the root access point, wherein the link quality metrics include a first link quality between each of the number of wireless nodes and a second link quality between the root access point and each of the number of wireless nodes;

determining projected link quality metrics for a projected communication path between the number of wireless nodes that were previously located at the first set of locations and the number of wireless nodes at the second set of locations, wherein the determined link quality metrics are based on the received link quality metrics from the plurality of wireless nodes previously located at the first location and received link quality metrics from the plurality of wireless nodes located at the second location; and

generating a node coverage map based on the link quality metrics, wherein the node coverage map includes the first and second set of locations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein moving the number of wireless nodes includes creating a leap frog over the root access point.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising determining link quality metrics between a first wireless node from the first set of locations and a second wireless node from the second set of locations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining link quality metrics includes moving a particular wireless node from a first location to a second location and determining the link quality metrics between the first location and the second location.

10. The method of claim 6 comprising selecting a number of locations for receiving the link quality metrics.

11. The method of claim 6, comprising determining a connectivity between each of the plurality of wireless nodes.

12. A wireless network site survey system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes placed at a number of locations within a designated area to send a number of beacon messages to each of the other wireless nodes within a particular area and to a computing device;

a root access node placed at a particular location within the particular area; and

the computing device configured to;

receive link quality metrics for the plurality of wireless nodes when the plurality of wireless nodes were located at a first location within the designated area;

measure link quality metrics for the plurality of wireless nodes at a second location within the designated area by analyzing received beacon messages from the plurality of wireless nodes, wherein the received beacon messages include a first link quality between each of the plurality of wireless nodes and a second link quality between the root access point and each of the plurality of wireless nodes;

determine projected link quality metrics for a projected communication path between one or more of the plurality of wireless nodes previously located at the first location and one or more of the plurality of wireless nodes at the second location when one or more of the plurality of wireless nodes are moved from the first location to the second location, wherein the determined link quality metrics are based on the received link quality metrics from the plurality of wireless nodes previously located at the first location and received link quality metrics from the plurality of wireless nodes located at the second location; and

generate a node coverage map based on the link quality metrics.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing is configured to create a virtual topology of a number of wireless nodes based on the link quality metrics and the number of locations.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the node coverage map includes a heat map of the designated area.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing device can simulate link quality metrics between two wireless nodes based on the determined link quality metrics.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein simulating link quality metrics includes simulating communication between a physical wireless node and a non-physical wireless node.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the root node is a stationary node when moving the number of wireless nodes to a second number of locations.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the node coverage map is generated prior to a wireless network installation.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the number of beacon messages are sent periodically over a fixed channel.