Distributed multi-band wireless networking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979517-B2
Application number	US-201715464216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 10, 2016
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed is a dedicated control channel for a WLAN network. A number of access points are networked together and communicate data necessary to propagate the WLAN over a backhaul channel, however a dedicated radio on each access point is used to communicate control information between the access points. The control information is communicated over a control channel that is different from the client facing channels or bands, and the backhaul channel. In some embodiments, the control channel is sub 1 GHz.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for communication between a network of wireless Internet access points comprising:
establishing a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a first access point, the WLAN being broadcast on a client band;
provisioning one or more other wireless access points with the WLAN;
communicating control signals, between a plurality of wireless access points, over a dedicated control band, the control band having a frequency channel that is outside of the client band of the WLAN, wherein the plurality of wireless access points includes the first access point and a second access point;
communicating network repeater data, between the plurality of wireless access points over a backhaul channel that is dedicated to backhaul communications of backhaul data between wireless access points, the backhaul data not including the control signals, the backhaul channel within the client band; and
repeating the WLAN broadcast on each of the one or more other wireless access points.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signals facilitate any of:
updating a wireless bridge;
coordinating client roaming between wireless access points;
timing synchronization between access points;
channel assignments for each of the wireless access points;
provisioning a new wireless access point to the WLAN;
range measurement; or
synchronization between access points for localization.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the frequency channel is between 433 Mhz and 928 Mhz.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the control band is lower than the client band.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said communicating control signals is performed in each of the plurality of wireless access points using a dedicated radio that is not used for the WLAN broadcast.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said communicating control signals further comprises:
frequency hopping from a first control channel frequency to a second control channel frequency.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said provisioning step is conducted with communication over the control band.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the backhaul channel is transmitted and received using a chain topology, a mesh topology, or a hub-and-spoke topology between the wireless access points.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating control signals is performed using a direct connection topology between each of the plurality of wireless access points.

10. A wireless access point apparatus for use in a network of wireless access points comprising:
a first radio configured to broadcast a wireless local area network (WLAN), the WLAN being broadcast on a client band, the first radio further configured for backhaul communications of backhaul data between wireless access points via a dedicated backhaul channel; and
a second radio configured to transmit and receive control signals with other wireless access points concurrently broadcasting the WLAN, the second radio operating on a control channel frequency that is outside of the client band of the WLAN, wherein the backhaul data does not include the control signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the control signals facilitate any of:
updating a wireless bridge;
coordinating client roaming between wireless access points;
timing synchronization between access points;
channel assignments for each of the wireless access points;
provisioning a new wireless access point to the WLAN;
range measurement; or
synchronization between access points for localization.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the second radio operates the control channel frequency between 433 Mhz and 928 Mhz.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the second radio operates the control channel frequency at a lower frequency than the client band.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second radio is configured to frequency hop between a plurality of frequencies.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a third radio configured to transmit and receive packets from the Internet over a backhaul channel between the other wireless access points, the third radio configured to communicate with the other wireless access points in a chain topology, a mesh topology, or a hub-and-spoke topology.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a fourth radio configured to communicate wirelessly in a machine-to-machine protocol to a client device, the wireless communication transmitted in a frequency different than frequencies used by the second radio.

17. A method for operating a network of wireless Internet access points comprising:
networking a plurality of wireless access points in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the WLAN communicated between the plurality of wireless access points on a backhaul channel with a respective first radio on each of the wireless access points, the backhaul channel of the WLAN having either a chain topology, a mesh topology, or a hub-and-spoke topology, the backhaul channel being dedicated to backhaul communications of backhaul data between wireless access points, the backhaul data not including control signals;
broadcasting, from a respective second radio on each of the plurality of wireless access points, a client Internet signal for the WLAN, the client Internet signal using a client band and providing connected clients Internet access; and
communicating the control signals, between the plurality of wireless access points, over a control channel frequency that is lower frequency than the client band of the WLAN, the control signals transmitted and received using a direct communication topology and using a respective third radio on each of the plurality of wireless access points.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the control signals facilitate any of:
updating a wireless bridge;
coordinating client roaming between wireless access points;
timing synchronization between access points;
channel assignments for each of the wireless access points;
provisioning a new wireless access point to the WLAN;
range measurement; or
synchronization between access points for localization.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the control channel frequency is between 433 Mhz and 928 Mhz.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein said communicating control signals further comprises:
frequency hopping from a first control channel frequency to a second control frequency.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wireless access points is the first access point and the second access point.

Assignees

• Netgear Inc

Inventors

• Amini Peiman
• Emmanuel Joseph Amalan Arul

Classifications

• H04W72/543

  based on requested quality, e.g. QoS · CPC title

• H04W72/541

  using the level of interference · CPC title

• H04W72/563

  of the wireless resources · CPC title

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04B17/345

  Interference values ({signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]} H04B17/336) · CPC title