System and method for management of a shared frequency band

A method for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may occur, comprising:

• monitoring radio frequency energy in a radio frequency band in which activity associated with a plurality of wireless signal types may occur to generate spectrum activity information representing activity in the frequency band;
• determining when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band;
• determining when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information;
• classifying the interfering signal based on the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering signal is a known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type;
• generating recommendation information to a user to avoid the degradation in performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein generating the recommendation information comprises generating at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type determined by said classifying;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said classifying determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal produced by operation of a microwave oven or similar appliance, said generating comprises generating a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• adjusting the location of the access point of the WLAN on which said device operates, and increasing a distance between said device and said microwave oven.

A method for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may occur, comprising:

• monitoring radio frequency energy in a radio frequency band in which activity associated with a plurality of wireless signal types may occur to generate spectrum activity information representing activity in the frequency band;
• determining when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band;
• determining when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information;
• classifying the interfering signal based on the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering signal is a known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type;
• generating recommendation information to a user to avoid the degradation in performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein generating the recommendation information comprises generating at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type determined by said classifying;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said classifying determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal produced by a short-range frequency hopping device, further comprising notifying a user of said device that interference is being caused by a short-range frequency hopping device, and said generating comprises generating a recommended action comprising increasing a distance between said device and the short-range frequency hopping device.

A method for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may occur, comprising:

• monitoring radio frequency energy in a radio frequency band in which activity associated with a plurality of wireless signal types may occur to generate spectrum activity information representing activity in the frequency band;
• determining when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band;
• determining when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information;
• classifying the interfering signal based on the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering signal is a known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type;
• generating recommendation information to a user to avoid the degradation in performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein generating the recommendation information comprises generating at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type determined by said classifying;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said classifying determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal produced by a cordless phone, further comprising notifying a user of said device that a cordless phone causes interference to said WLAN and that the cordless phone be positioned at least a certain distance from said device or from an access point of said WLAN, and wherein generating comprises generating a recommended action comprising increasing distance between a base unit of the cordless phone and said device.

A method for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may occur, comprising:

• monitoring radio frequency energy in a radio frequency band in which activity associated with a plurality of wireless signal types may occur to generate spectrum activity information representing activity in the frequency band;
• determining when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band;
• determining when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information;
• classifying the interfering signal based on the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering signal is a known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type;
• generating recommendation information to a user to avoid the degradation in performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein generating the recommendation information comprises generating at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type determined by said classifying;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said classifying determines that the interfering signal is an unknown type, said generating recommendation information comprises generating a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• instructions to the user to check for recently acquired wireless equipment, increase the distance between the WLAN and any other incompatible wireless network, and an advisory to the user concerning potential wireless network incompatibility.

A method for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may occur, comprising:

• monitoring radio frequency energy in a radio frequency band in which activity associated with a plurality of wireless signal types may occur to generate spectrum activity information representing activity in the frequency band;
• determining when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band;
• determining when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information;
• classifying the interfering signal based on the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering signal is a known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type;
• generating recommendation information to a user to avoid the degradation in performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein generating the recommendation information comprises generating at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type determined by said classifying;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network and further comprising determining when the degradation of performance is caused by a low signal level, and wherein generating comprises generating a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• adjusting antennas on said device, and adjusting a location of said device.

A system for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may be present, comprising:

• (a) a radio device that receives radio frequency energy in the radio frequency band to monitor activity of multiple types of wireless signals that may occur in the radio frequency band and generates spectrum activity information representative thereof;
• and
• (b) a computing device coupled to the radio device that receives the spectrum activity information and generates at least one of:
• a control for controlling a device operating in the radio frequency band, and information describing a particular type of activity determined to occur in the radio frequency band, wherein the computing device determines when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band and when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information, wherein the computing device classifies the interfering signal using the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering is known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type, and wherein the computing device generates recommendation information to instruct a user to avoid degradation in the performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said computing device determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal associated with another WLAN operating on a channel that is adjacent to a channel of the WLAN on which said device is operating, said computing device generates a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• adjusting the location of said other WLAN, and adjusting a location of the access point for the WLAN on which said device operates.

A system for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may be present, comprising:

• (a) a radio device that receives radio frequency energy in the radio frequency band to monitor activity of multiple types of wireless signals that may occur in the radio frequency band and generates spectrum activity information representative thereof;
• and
• (b) a computing device coupled to the radio device that receives the spectrum activity information and generates at least one of:
• a control for controlling a device operating in the radio frequency band, and information describing a particular type of activity determined to occur in the radio frequency band, wherein the computing device determines when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band and when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information, wherein the computing device classifies the interfering signal using the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering is known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type, and wherein the computing device generates recommendation information to instruct a user to avoid degradation in the performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said computing device determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal produced by operation of a microwave oven or similar appliance, said computing device generates a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• adjusting the location of the access point of the WLAN on which said device operates, and increasing a distance between said device and said microwave oven.

A system for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may be present, comprising:

• (a) a radio device that receives radio frequency energy in the radio frequency band to monitor activity of multiple types of wireless signals that may occur in the radio frequency band and generates spectrum activity information representative thereof;
• and
• (b) a computing device coupled to the radio device that receives the spectrum activity information and generates at least one of:
• a control for controlling a device operating in the radio frequency band, and information describing a particular type of activity determined to occur in the radio frequency band, wherein the computing device determines when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band and when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information, wherein the computing device classifies the interfering signal using the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering is known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type, and wherein the computing device generates recommendation information to instruct a user to avoid degradation in the performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said computing device determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal produced by a short-range frequency hopping device, said computing device notifies a user of said device that interference is being caused by a short-range frequency hopping device, and said computing device generates a recommended action comprising increasing a distance between said device and the short-range frequency hopping device.

A system for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may be present, comprising:

• (a) a radio device that receives radio frequency energy in the radio frequency band to monitor activity of multiple types of wireless signals that may occur in the radio frequency band and generates spectrum activity information representative thereof;
• and
• (b) a computing device coupled to the radio device that receives the spectrum activity information and generates at least one of:
• a control for controlling a device operating in the radio frequency band, and information describing a particular type of activity determined to occur in the radio frequency band, wherein the computing device determines when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band and when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information, wherein the computing device classifies the interfering signal using the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering is known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type, and wherein the computing device generates recommendation information to instruct a user to avoid degradation in the performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said computing device determines that the interfering signal is a known signal type and is a signal produced by a cordless phone, said computing device notifies a user of said device that a cordless phone causes interference to said WLAN and that the cordless phone be positioned at least a certain distance from said device or from an access point of said WLAN, and said computing device generates a recommended action comprising increasing distance between a base unit of the cordless phone and said device.

A system for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may be present, comprising:

• (a) a radio device that receives radio frequency energy in the radio frequency band to monitor activity of multiple types of wireless signals that may occur in the radio frequency band and generates spectrum activity information representative thereof;
• and
• (b) a computing device coupled to the radio device that receives the spectrum activity information and generates at least one of:
• a control for controlling a device operating in the radio frequency band, and information describing a particular type of activity determined to occur in the radio frequency band, wherein the computing device determines when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band and when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information, wherein the computing device classifies the interfering signal using the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering is known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type, and wherein the computing device generates recommendation information to instruct a user to avoid degradation in the performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network (WLAN) and when said computing device determines that the interfering signal is an unknown type, said computing device generates a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• instructions to the user to check for recently acquired wireless equipment, increase the distance between the WLAN and any other incompatible wireless network, and an advisory to the user concerning potential wireless network incompatibility.

A system for managing use of a radio frequency band in which wireless signals of multiple types may be present, comprising:

• (a) a radio device that receives radio frequency energy in the radio frequency band to monitor activity of multiple types of wireless signals that may occur in the radio frequency band and generates spectrum activity information representative thereof;
• and
• (b) a computing device coupled to the radio device that receives the spectrum activity information and generates at least one of:
• a control for controlling a device operating in the radio frequency band, and information describing a particular type of activity determined to occur in the radio frequency band, wherein the computing device determines when there is a degradation of performance of a device operating in the radio frequency band and when the degradation of performance is caused by an interfering signal occurring in the frequency band based on the spectrum activity information, wherein the computing device classifies the interfering signal using the spectrum activity information to determine a signal type of the interfering signal if the signal type of the interfering is known and otherwise to determine that the interfering signal is an unknown type, and wherein the computing device generates recommendation information to instruct a user to avoid degradation in the performance of the device caused by the interfering signal, wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one recommended action that is presented to the user and wherein the recommended action depends on whether the interfering signal is a known signal type or is an unknown signal type;
• wherein said device is operating in the frequency band on a wireless local area network and wherein said computing device further determines when the degradation of performance is caused by a low signal level, generates a recommended action comprising one or more of:
• adjusting antennas on said device, and adjusting a location of said device.