Minimizing handoffs and handoff times in wireless local area networks
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsPraphul Chandra, Manoj Sindhwani, David Lide
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing the number of channels that are scanned during a handoff situation for a wireless endpoint station in a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as an IEEE 802.11 network, by tracking past user movements within the WLAN. A suitable sequence of channels to be scanned is generated so that reduce the number of handoffs are reduced and the average time during a handoff is reduced. To reduce handoffs and handoff latencies, the principle of locality (user movement patterns tend to be repetitive) is used. By tracking the past handoffs, future handoffs are predicted.
Claims14
A method for reducing handoff times in an enterprise wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:
- scanning for a plurality of identifying signals from one or more access points in said enterprise wireless local area network (WLAN) with which said wireless station can connect;
- memorizing said identifying signals as historical site data;
- recording a weighted value for each said access point with said historical site data, wherein each said weighted value represents a successful handoff procedure from a prior access point to a posterior access point;
- transmitting, in anticipation of a handoff, a probing signal from a wireless station to a most probable access point to which said wireless station will connect based on said weighted historical site data.
A method to reduce the number of handoffs that occurs for a wireless station in a wireless network (WLAN), comprising:
- using a weighted-RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) from prior-associated access points with a wireless station give preference for a handoff procedure to one of said access points having a most significant weighted-RSS;
- recording time spent by a wireless station in prior association with access points in a wireless local area network;
- and
- calculating a weighted-RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) from each said prior-associated access points, wherein a prior-associated access point with greater time spent in association with said station receives a more significant weighted-RSSI.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.