Beacon selection in communication networks

A method comprising:

• performing, using a terminal device deployed in a communications network,
• receiving a beacon transmitted by a switch device within in the communications network;
• in response to the terminal device having had a previous connection with the switch device, determining a connection time of the previous connection;
• adding the switch device to a blacklist in response to the connection time being smaller than a first threshold value or selecting the switch device for subsequent communication in response to the connection time being greater than a second threshold value;
• determining a signal quality indicator of the beacon in response to the connection time being between the first and second threshold values;
• and
• storing an entry corresponding to the beacon in a first plurality of entries in a last portion of a preferences list in response to the signal quality indicator being smaller than a signal quality threshold value, each of the last plurality of entries in the last portion of the preferences list ordered by their respective signal quality indicators, or determining a beacon quality index for the beacon and storing an entry corresponding to the beacon in an nth plurality of entries in an nth portion of the preferences list in response to the beacon quality index being greater than or equal to an nth predetermined value, each of the n portions of the preferences list having their respective entries from the nth plurality of entries ordered by their respective signal levels, wherein n is an integer greater than 1.

A system, comprising:

• a communications device having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to cause the communications device to:
• identify a beacon associated with a switch node in a communications network;
• in response to the communications device having had a previous connection with the switch node, determine a connection time of the previous connection;
• determine a signal quality indicator of the beacon in response to the connection time being between a first threshold value and a second threshold value;
• store an entry corresponding to the beacon in a first portion of a preferences list in response to the signal quality indicator being greater than a signal quality threshold value;
• and
• store an entry corresponding to the beacon in a second portion of the preferences list in response to the signal quality indicator being smaller than the signal quality threshold value.

A non-transitory electronic storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a processor within a communications device, cause the communications device to:

• identify a beacon associated with a switch node in a communications network;
• in response to the communications device having had a previous connection with the switch node, determine a connection time of the previous connection;
• determine a signal quality indicator of the beacon in response to the connection time being between a first threshold value and a second threshold value;
• store an entry corresponding to the beacon in a plurality of entries in a last portion of a preferences list in response to the signal quality indicator being smaller than a signal quality threshold value, each of the plurality of entries in the last portion of the preferences list ordered by their respective signal quality indicators;
• and
• determine a beacon quality index for the beacon and storing an entry corresponding to the beacon in an nth portion of the preferences list in response to the beacon quality index being greater than or equal to an nth predetermined value, each of the n portions of the preferences list having their plurality of entries ordered by their respective signal levels, wherein n is an integer greater than 1.