US 9,001,680 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for providing improved detection of overlapping networks

AssigneeBroadcom Corporation

InventorsTimo K. Koskela, Anna Pantelidou, Samuli Turtinen, Sami-Jukka Hakola

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Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product provide improved detection of overlapping wireless networks. In this regard, the method, apparatus and computer program product may utilize a processor, such as a processor on a wireless access point, to determine one or more parameters for a scan of a wireless network to identify overlapping networks. Wireless stations may utilize the parameters to determine the content of a scan report generated from a scan of the wireless network. The wireless stations may further utilize the parameters to determine which values should be monitored and/or recorded during the scan of the network. The wireless stations may respond to the access point with results corresponding to the parameters requested by the access point, and the access point may use the results to determine channel access parameters for other devices on the network, such as the wireless stations.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for operating a wireless network, the method comprising:

determining one or more scan parameters for identifying a presence of at least one overlapping wireless network, the one or more scan parameters chosen from a subset of a plurality of scan parameters, wherein a number of the one or more scan parameters chosen is based at least on a power supply of a plurality of wireless stations;
causing the one or more scan parameters to be transmitted to the plurality of wireless stations;
receiving scan reports from at least some of the plurality of wireless stations, wherein content of the received scan reports comprises results corresponding to the one or more scan parameters;
based at least in part on the content of the received scan reports, identifying at least two of the plurality of wireless stations as having one or more common characteristics;
associating the identified at least two wireless stations with a group;
determining a set of common channel access parameters for the group;
and
causing at least a portion of the set of common channel access parameters to be transmitted to the at least two wireless stations to mitigate interference with the at least one overlapping wireless network.

5 more elements

An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program instructions, the at least one memory and the computer program instructions configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine one or more scan parameters for identifying a presence of an overlapping wireless network, the one or more scan parameters chosen from a subset of a plurality of scan parameters, wherein a number of the one or more scan parameters chosen is based at least on a power supply of a plurality of wireless stations;
cause the one or more scan parameters to be transmitted to the plurality of wireless stations;
receive scan reports from at least some of the plurality of wireless stations, wherein content of the received scan reports comprises results corresponding to the one or more scan parameters;
based at least in part on the content of the received scan reports, identify at least two of the plurality of wireless stations as having one or more common characteristics;
associate the identified at least two wireless stations with a group;
determine a set of common channel access parameters for the group;
and
cause at least a portion of the set of common channel access parameters to be transmitted to the at least two wireless stations to mitigate interference with the at least one overlapping wireless network.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.