US 10,313,892 B2Granted

Optimizing placement of a wireless range extender

AssigneeBelkin International, Inc.

InventorsKannan Vardarajan, Eu Chong Son, Dan Nguyen, Aaron Schneider, Daniel Frysinger, Genevieve S. Bolton

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Abstract

Described are systems, devices, and techniques for extending wireless networks and associated systems, devices, and techniques for determination of optimal locations of a wireless range extender, such as by evaluating a quality of a wireless signal originating from a wireless gateway or access device and determining whether an alternative placement of a wireless range extender would result in improved quality. Also described are systems, devices, and techniques for automatically grouping multiple bands of a single wireless access device as well as systems, devices, and techniques that simplify connection of wireless devices to a wireless access device, such as by evaluating wireless messages transmitted on different bands to determine that the wireless messages originate from the same wireless access device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A wireless range extender comprising:

one or more processors;
a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the wireless transceiver is compatible with one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standards;
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
receiving input corresponding to determination of a network identifier for a wireless access device compatible with one or more IEEE 802.11 wireless standards;
receiving input corresponding to determination of a credential for associating with the wireless access device;
establishing a wireless association with the wireless access device using the network identifier and the credential, wherein establishing the wireless association includes:
transmitting a probe request message;
and
receiving a probe response message, wherein the probe response message corresponds to the wireless access device;
detecting a wireless signal using the wireless transceiver, wherein the wireless signal corresponds to the wireless access device;
determining a measure of a received power of the wireless signal by the wireless transceiver;
comparing the measure of the received power of the wireless signal to one or more threshold values to determine whether a quality of the wireless signal can be improved by moving the wireless range extender to a different position;
determining a current location of the wireless range extender;
generating a move notification when the measure of the received power is less than or equal to a first threshold value or greater than or equal to a second threshold value, wherein the move notification includes instructions to move the wireless range extender to a specific different location by moving the wireless range extender a specific distance value and in a specific direction with respect to the current location of the wireless range extender;
generating a keep-in-place notification when the measure of the received power is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value, wherein the keep-in-place notification includes instructions to keep the wireless range extender at a current distance from the wireless access device;
and
facilitating displaying the move notification.

14 more elements

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

receiving, at a wireless range extender compatible with one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standards, input corresponding to determination of a network identifier for a wireless access device compatible with one or more IEEE 802.11 wireless standards;
receiving input corresponding to determination of a credential for associating with the wireless access device;
establishing a wireless association with the wireless access device using the network identifier and the credential, wherein establishing the wireless association includes:
transmitting a probe request message;
and
receiving a probe response message, wherein the probe response message corresponds to the wireless access device;
detecting a wireless signal, wherein the wireless signal corresponds to the wireless access device;
determining a measure of a received power of the wireless signal;
comparing the measure of the received power of the wireless signal to one or more threshold values to determine whether a quality of the wireless signal can be improved by moving the wireless range extender to a different position;
determining a current location of the wireless range extender;
generating a move notification when the measure of the received power is less than or equal to a first threshold value or greater than or equal to a second threshold value, wherein the move notification includes instructions to move the wireless range extender to a specific different location by moving the wireless range extender a specific distance value and in a specific direction with respect to the current location of the wireless range extender;
generating a keep-in-place notification when the measure of the received power is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value, wherein the keep-in-place notification includes instructions to keep the wireless range extender at a current distance from the wireless access device;
and
facilitating displaying the move notification.

11 more elements

A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a wireless range extender compatible with one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standards, input corresponding to determination of a network identifier for a wireless access device compatible with one or more IEEE 802.11 wireless standards;
receiving input corresponding to determination of a credential for associating with the wireless access device;
establishing a wireless association with the wireless access device using the network identifier and the credential, wherein establishing the wireless association includes:
transmitting a probe request message;
and
receiving a probe response message, wherein the probe response message corresponds to the wireless access device;
detecting a wireless signal, wherein the wireless signal corresponds to the wireless access device;
determining a measure of a received power of the wireless signal;
comparing the measure of the received power of the wireless signal to one or more threshold values to determine whether a quality of the wireless signal can be improved by moving the wireless range extender to a different position;
determining a current location of the wireless range extender;
generating a move notification when the measure of the received power is less than or equal to a first threshold value or greater than or equal to a second threshold value, wherein the move notification includes instructions to move the wireless range extender to a specific different location by moving the wireless range extender a specific distance value and in a specific direction with respect to the current location of the wireless range extender;
generating a keep-in-place notification when the measure of the received power is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value, wherein the keep-in-place notification includes instructions to keep the wireless range extender at a current distance from the wireless access device;
and
facilitating displaying the move notification.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/972,480Filed 17 Dec 2015
Published: US 2017/0181006 A122 Jun 2017
Granted: 4 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04W 16/20
Network planning tools: for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
H04B 7/15507
Ground-based stations: relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area,
H04W 16/26
Cell structures: cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
H04W 84/12
Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks: wLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]