Methods and apparatus for facilitating configuration, testing and/or deployment of a wireless system including a wireless extender

A method, the method comprising:

• operating a test server to send a command to a wireless extender at a first customer premises to perform a speed test on a first link between said wireless extender and a mobile handset, said speed test determining an achieved data rate for the first link;
• operating the test server to determine if the achieved data rate for the first link determined by the speed test on the first link between said wireless extender and said mobile handset supports a minimum expected communications data rate for a first speed tier, said first speed tier being a wireless communications speed level to be supported by said first link, said test server determining that the first link is determined to support the minimum expected communications data rate for the first speed tier;
• and
• in response to determining that the first link supports the first speed tier, the method further including:
• operating the test server to determine a first link transmit power level to be used on the first link;
• operating the test server to identify Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) channels which have a maximum permitted transmit power below the first link transmit power level;
• and
• adding DFS channels having a maximum permitted transmit power below the first link transmit power level to a first DFS channel blacklist stored in memory, said first DFS channel blacklist listing DFS channels which are not to be used by said first link.

A communications system comprising:

• a test server including a first processor, said first processor being configured to:
• operate the test server to send a command to a wireless extender at a first customer premises to perform a speed test on a first link between said wireless extender and a mobile handset, said speed test determining an achieved data rate for the first link;
• determine if the achieved data rate for the first link determined by the speed test on the first link between said wireless extender and said mobile handset supports a minimum expected communications data rate for a first speed tier, said first speed tier being a wireless communications speed level to be supported by said first link;
• and
• send, in response to said test server determining that the archived data rate for the first link does not support the minimum expected communications data rate for the first speed tier, a command to the wireless extender to remove traffic from the first link.

A communications system comprising:

• a test server including a first processor, said first processor being configured to:
• operate the test server to send a command to a wireless extender at a first customer premises to perform a speed test on a first link between said wireless extender and a mobile handset, said speed test determining an achieved data rate for the first link;
• determine if the achieved data rate for the first link determined by the speed test on the first link between said wireless extender and said mobile handset supports a minimum expected communications data rate for a first speed tier, said first speed tier being a wireless communications speed level to be supported by said first link;
• determine a transmit power level at which the first link fails to satisfy the minimum expected communications data rate for the first speed tier;
• and
• set a first link transmit power level to a power level above the determined power level at which the first link fails to satisfy the minimum first tier speed level.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including processor executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a test server control the test server to:

• send a command to a wireless extender at a first customer premises to perform a speed test on a first link between said wireless extender and a mobile handset, said speed test determining an achieved data rate for the first link;
• determine if the achieved data rate for the first link determined by the speed test on the first link between said wireless extender and said mobile handset supports a minimum expected communications data rate for a first speed tier, said first speed tier being a wireless communications speed level to be supported by said first link;
• and
• send, in response to said test server determining that the archived data rate for the first link does not support the minimum expected communications data rate for the first speed tier, a command to the wireless extender to remove traffic from the first link.