Aggregated beacons for per station control of multiple stations across multiple access points in a wireless communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10327186-B2
Application number	US-201715586961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2017
Priority date	Dec 5, 2005
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A technique for providing per station control of multiple stations in a wireless network across multiple access points. A look-up table that assigns a station connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers) is stored. An access point responds to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignores messages addressed to other BSSIDs. Persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each station after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points. A frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each connected station aggregated into the frame is generated. The frame is transmitted to the plurality of stations. Responsive to a station of the plurality of stations being handed-off to a different access point, a uniquely-assigned BSSID corresponding to the station is deleted from the look-up table.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-implemented method in an access point of a plurality of access points managed by a controller of a wireless communication network, the method for providing seamless mobility to the plurality of stations in a while maintaining per-station control each station in the plurality of stations, the method comprising:
storing a look-up table that assigns one or more station connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers), the access point responding to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignoring messages addressed to other BSSIDs, wherein uniqueness of the BSSID allows individual control over each of the one or more stations and persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each of the one or more stations after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points;
generating a frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each of the one or more connected stations aggregated into the frame;
transmitting the frame to the one or more connected stations;
responsive to a station of the one or more of stations being handed-off to a different access point, deleting a uniquely-assigned BSSID corresponding to the station from the look-up table; and
toggling the access point from a first mode to a second mode responsive to surpassing a threshold number of connected stations, wherein the first mode enables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated and the second mode disables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises a beacon broadcast to the plurality of stations.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises a probe response transmitted to a station that sent a probe.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frame is compliant with one or more of the IEEE 802.11k protocol, the IEEE 802.11v protocol, and the IEEE 802.11r protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the frame comprises:
generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are persistent and uniquely-assigned, and BSSIDs that are not persistent and uniquely-assigned.

6. The method of claim 1 , generating the frame comprises:
generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are serviced by a different access point.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the frame comprises:
generating the frame to include at least one communication parameter corresponding to each BSSID for each connected station.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
toggling the access point from a first mode to a second mode, wherein the first mode enables virtual port functionality and the second mode disables virtual port functionality.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uniquely-assigned BSSID from a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs to associate with the mobile station based on one or more communication parameters of the uniquely-assigned BSSID selected from the group of:
access control parameters, backoff or retry parameters, channel selection parameters, QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, and transit power parameters.

10. A computer-implemented method in a controller managing a plurality of access points of a wireless communication network, the method for providing seamless mobility to the plurality of stations in a while maintaining per-station control each station in the plurality of stations, the method comprising:
storing a look-up table that assigns one or more station connected to the plurality of access points and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers), the plurality of access points responding to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignoring messages addressed to other BSSIDs, wherein uniqueness of the BSSID allows individual control over each of the one or more stations and persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each of the one or more stations after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points;
transmitting at least a portion of the look-up table to one of the plurality of access points to allow generation of a frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each of the one or more connected stations aggregated into the frame; and
toggling the access point from a first mode to a second mode responsive to surpassing a threshold number of connected stations, wherein the first mode enables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated and the second mode disables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the frame comprises a beacon broadcast to the plurality of stations.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the frame comprises a probe response transmitted to a station that sent a probe.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the frame is compliant with one or more of the IEEE 802.11k protocol, the IEEE 802.11v protocol, and the IEEE 802.11r protocol.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein generation of the frame comprises:
generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are persistent and uniquely-assigned, and BSSIDs that are not persistent and uniquely-assigned.

15. The method of claim 10 , generation of the frame comprises:
generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are serviced by a different access point.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating the frame comprises:
generating the frame to include at least one communication parameter corresponding to each BSSID for each connected station.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving updated information from various points around the wireless communication network;
compiling an updated global condition from the updated information; and
updating a parameter for at least one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs of one or the plurality of stations responsive to the updated global condition, wherein the global condition concerns updated information at an access point other than the access point serving the one of the plurality of stations.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the uniquely-assigned BSSID from a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs to associate with the mobile station based on one or more communication parameters of the uniquely-assigned BSSID selected from the group of:
access control parameters, backoff or retry parameters, channel selection parameters, QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, and transit power parameters.

19. An access point of a plurality of access points managed by a controller of a wireless communication network, to provide seamless mobility to the plurality of stations in a while maintaining per-station control each station in the plurality of stations, the access point comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, comprising a first module, a second module, a third module, a fourth module, and a fifth module:
the first module to store a look-up table that assigns one or more stations connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers), the access point responding to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignoring messages addressed to other BSSIDs, wherein uniqueness of the BSSID allows

Assignees

• Fortinet Inc

Inventors

• Kaushik Anil
• Sankaranarayanan Sirivatsan
• Bharghavan Vaduvur
• Han Sung-Wook
• Epstein Joseph
• Dunsbergen Berend
• Balasubramaniyan Saravanan

Classifications

• H04W8/26

  Network addressing or numbering for mobility support · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W48/12

  using downlink control channel · CPC title

• H04W36/18 Primary

  for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection · CPC title

• H04W4/06 Primary

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title