Distributed sensor network for measuring and optimizing wireless networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10360335-B2
Application number	US-201715688099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2017
Priority date	Aug 29, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

Methods of planning network provisioning that incorporate real-world measurements of signal quality into simulations of signal quality under alternative configurations. In one embodiment, the disclosure includes a method of determining placements for access points in a wireless network, comprising ingesting a floor plan for a deployment site, determining initial placements for the access points, determining placements for sensors, each sensor configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one access point, measuring a signal metric for each sensor, based at least in part on the measured signal metric for each of the sensors, simulating a projected coverage map for a plurality of alternate placements for the access points, determining an placement of the access points, and presenting, to a user, the placement of the plurality of access points.

First claim

Having thus described various embodiments, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

1. A method of determining placements for a plurality of access points in a wireless network, comprising:
ingesting a floor plan for a deployment site;
determining a plurality of initial placements for the plurality of access points in the deployment site;
determining a plurality of placements for a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor is configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one access point of the plurality of access points;
measuring at least one signal metric for each sensor of the plurality of sensors while said plurality of sensors are in communications with the plurality of access points at the initial placements;
based at least in part on the at least one measured signal metric for each of the plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors being in communication with the plurality of access points while positioned at the initial placements, simulating a projected coverage map for each of a plurality of alternate placements for each of the plurality of access points;
determining a new placement for each of the plurality of alternate placements for the plurality of access points; and
presenting, to a user, the new placement of the plurality of access points.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of initial placements for the plurality of access points are based at least in part on a current deployment of existing access points at the deployment site.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of placements for the plurality of sensors is based at least in part on current locations of a plurality of existing wireless devices connecting to the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an optimal channel assignment for each of the plurality of access points; and
presenting, to the user, the optimal channel assignment for each of the plurality of access points.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the placement of the plurality of access points includes a heatmap indicating a projected value for the at least one signal metric across the deployment site.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the placement of the plurality of access points is determined using Monte Carlo simulation.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal metric is one of: (i) network throughput to each sensor; (ii) signal strength; and (iii) signal-to-noise ratio.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wireless devices are configured to emulate an existing wireless device existing in the deployment site, the existing wireless device being intended to remain in the wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the simulating, determining, and presenting steps are repeated a plurality of times until each of the plurality of access points are at final locations, the final locations resulting in an acceptable overall wireless coverage result for a network intended for the deployment site.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal metric comprises a plurality of signal metrics, and the plurality includes all of: (i) network throughput; (ii) signal strength; and (iii) signal-to-noise ratio.

11. One or more non-transitory computer storage media storing program instructions that, when performed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:
ingesting a floor plan for a deployment site;
determining a plurality of initial placements for the plurality of access points in the deployment site,
wherein determining the plurality of initial placements includes determining an estimated signal metric throughout the deployment site based at least in part on the plurality of initial placements for the plurality of access points;
determining a plurality of placements for a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor is configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one access point of the plurality of access points;
measuring a signal metric for each sensor of the plurality of sensors while said plurality of sensors are in communications with the plurality of access points at the initial placements;
based at least in part on the measured signal metric for each of the plurality of sensors and the estimated signal metric at each of the plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors being in communication with the plurality of access points while positioned at the initial placements, simulating a projected coverage map for each of a plurality of alternate placements for each of the plurality of access points;
determining a new placement for each of the plurality of alternate placements for the plurality of access points; and
causing presentation, to a user, of the new placement of the plurality of access points.

12. The media of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of initial placements is determined by repeatedly simulating a projected coverage map until the simulated projected coverage is above a minimum threshold.

13. The media of claim 11 , wherein the floor plan includes information indicative of the electromagnetic propagation properties of at least one component of the floor plan.

14. The media of claim 13 , wherein the component of the floor plan is a wall and the information indicative of the electromagnetic propagation properties is a building material used to construct the wall.

15. A system for determining placements for a plurality of access points in a wireless network, comprising:
a plurality of sensors, each sensor of the plurality of sensors configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one access point of the plurality of access points; and
one or more computer storage media storing program instructions that, when performed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method of determining placements for each of the plurality of access points in the wireless network, the method comprising:
ingesting a floor plan for a deployment site;
determining, via a simulation of a signal metric, a plurality of initial placements for the plurality of access points in the floor plan;
determining a plurality of placements for the plurality of sensors;
measuring the signal metric for each sensor of the plurality of sensors using the plurality of access points simultaneously, the measuring being based at least in part on the measured signal metric for each of the plurality of sensors, simulating a projected coverage map for each of a plurality of alternate placements for the plurality of access points;
determining a placement of the plurality of alternate placements for the plurality of access points; and
presenting, to a user, the placement of the plurality of access points.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the placement of the plurality of access points ensures that the signal metric at each sensor of the plurality of sensors is above a predetermined threshold.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the signal metric is received signal strength at the respective sensor.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the signal metric is throughput at the respective sensor.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the signal metric is a minimum video quality at the respective sensor.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining a optimal channel assignment for each of the plurality of access points; and
causing presentation, to the user, of the optimal channel assignment for each of the plural

Assignees

• Greenlee Textron Inc
• Tempo Communications Inc

Inventors

• Kasch William Thomas Morgan
• Barmettler Mark G

Classifications

• G06F30/392 Primary

  Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement · CPC title

• G01D15/06

  Electric recording elements, e.g. electrolytic · CPC title

• H04W24/06

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using simulated traffic · CPC title

• H04W24/02

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04W16/18 Primary

  Network planning tools · CPC title