Methods for operating a wireless local area network, data processing equipment, and computer-readable media

Abstract

This invention provides a method for operating a wireless local area network (WLAN), the WLAN including user equipment (UE), wireless access points (WAPs), and wireless repeaters, wherein the wireless repeaters are configured to virtualize the UE's Media Access Control (MAC) address when the UE connects to the repeater. The method includes the following steps: obtaining data including a first plurality of records, wherein each record in the first plurality of records is associated with the UE and includes a MAC address and a signal strength value; obtaining data including a second plurality of records, wherein each record in the second plurality of records includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and a signal strength value; and for each MAC address in the first plurality of records... C Address: Identifying a record with the BSSID among a second plurality of records by determining the similarity between the Organization Unique Identifier (OUI) of the BSSID that sufficiently matches the MAC address and the OUI of the MAC address; determining that the difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record among the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold; assigning a first-hop repeater identifier to each record with the MAC address among the first plurality of records based on the BSSID of the identified record among the second plurality of records; and initiating a reconfiguration in the wireless LAN based on the first-hop repeater identifier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to telecommunications networks. Background Technology

[0002] Customer premises equipment (CPE) in a telecommunications network is equipment typically located in a customer's residence or business that connects the customer to the operator's network (such as a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) network, Fiber to Premises (FTTP) network, and / or cellular network). A CPE can also provide a local area network (including a wireless LAN) to the customer to connect one or more user devices to the network operator's network.

[0003] CPEs can be remotely managed by network operators. Remote management can be achieved through an Automatic Configuration Server (ACS) using the TR-69 protocol (standardized by the Broadband Forum). The TR-69 protocol defines a dataset that is periodically collected from the CPE for ACS analysis. This dataset identifies all devices connected to the CPE. As part of the management service, the ACS analyzes this data (e.g., to identify faults). The dataset collected according to the TR-69 protocol identifies each device connected to the hub by its Media Access Control (MAC) address.

[0004] In a wireless LAN, devices can connect to a CPE via a repeater. The connection between the CPE and the device can include a single repeater or multiple repeaters. A repeater can virtualize the device's MAC address, so that the MAC address reported to the CPE by the repeater is a virtualized MAC address, not the device's actual MAC address. If a device is directly connected to the CPE for one time period and indirectly connected via a repeater for another time period, the records collected according to the TR-69 protocol in the first time period use the device's actual MAC address, while the records collected according to the TR-69 protocol in the second time period use the device's virtualized MAC address. This leads to poor analytics because the operator cannot identify all records associated with the device (instead incorrectly identifying two devices, one with the actual MAC address and the other with a virtualized MAC address).

[0005] Furthermore, dataset values ​​can be modified by the repeater so that these values ​​relate to the repeater rather than the device. For example, signal strength values ​​(such as Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)) can be modified so that they represent the RSSI of a signal transmitted by the repeater and received by the CPE, instead of representing the RSSI of a signal transmitted by the device and received by the repeater. This also leads to poorer analytics because operators cannot accurately assess the signal strength at the device's location. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a wireless local area network (WLAN) is provided, the WLAN including a user equipment (UE), a wireless access point (WAP), and a wireless repeater, wherein the wireless repeater is configured to virtualize the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the UE when the UE connects to the wireless repeater, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining data including a first plurality of records, wherein each record in the first plurality of records is associated with the UE and includes a MAC address and a signal strength value; obtaining data including a second plurality of records, wherein each record in the second plurality of records includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and a signal strength value; and, for the first plurality of records... For each MAC address: by determining the similarity between the Organization Unique Identifier (OUI) of the BSSID and the OUI of the MAC address, identify the record in the second plurality of records that has a BSSID that fully matches the MAC address; determine that the difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold; assign a first hop repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address based on the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records; and cause a reconfiguration in the wireless local area network based on the first hop repeater identifier.

[0007] The method may further include the step of: determining that the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records is the average of the signal strength values ​​of all records in the second plurality of records that have the BSSID.

[0008] The method may further include the following steps: determining the minimum difference between a signal strength value associated with an identified record in the second plurality of records and at least two of the following: a weighted signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records, a minimum signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records, a maximum signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records, and an average signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records, wherein the step of determining that the difference between the signal strength value associated with an identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold includes determining that the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with an identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within the threshold.

[0009] The step of identifying a record in the second plurality of records that has a BSSID that sufficiently matches the MAC address may include identifying a first set of BSSIDs in the second plurality of records that sufficiently match the MAC address, and the method further includes the steps of: for each record in the first set of the second plurality of records, determining a difference between a signal strength value associated with that record in the first set of the second plurality of records and a signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records; and identifying a record in the first set of the second plurality of records that has the smallest difference, wherein the step of determining that the difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold includes: determining that the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the first set of the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold, wherein the first hop repeater identifier is based on the BSSID of the identified record in the first set of the second plurality of records.

[0010] For each record in the first set of the second plurality of records, the step of determining the difference between the signal strength value associated with the record in the first set of the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records may include: for each record in the first set of the second plurality of records, determining the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with that record in the second plurality of records and at least two of the following: a weighted signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records in the first plurality of records having the MAC address, a minimum signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records in the first plurality of records having the MAC address, a maximum signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records in the first plurality of records having the MAC address, and an average signal strength value based on all signal strength values ​​of all records in the first plurality of records having the MAC address, wherein the step of identifying the record with the minimum difference in the first set of the second plurality of records includes identifying the record with the minimum difference in the first set of the second plurality of records.

[0011] Each of the first plurality of records may include a wireless local area network (WLAN) band, and each of the second plurality of records may include a WLAN band. The step of assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each of the first plurality of records having the MAC address may include assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each of the first plurality of records having the MAC address and the WLAN band. The step of identifying the record with the smallest difference in the first set of the second plurality of records may include: identifying the record in the first set of the second plurality of records that has a WLAN band that matches the WLAN band of each of the first plurality of records and has the smallest difference.

[0012] Each of the first plurality of records may include a wireless local area network (WLAN) band, and each of the second plurality of records may include a WLAN band. The step of assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each of the first plurality of records having the MAC address may include assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each of the first plurality of records having the MAC address and the WLAN band. The step of identifying the record with the smallest difference in the first set of the second plurality of records may include: determining that no record in the first group of the second plurality of records has a WLAN band that matches the WLAN band of each of the first plurality of records; and identifying the record in the first set of the second plurality of records that has a WLAN band that does not match the WLAN band of each of the first plurality of records and has the smallest difference.

[0013] Each of the first plurality of records may further include a timestamp, and the weighted signal strength value may be determined as the sum of each signal strength value multiplied by a weight factor of all records in the first plurality of records that have the MAC address, wherein the weight factor may be determined as the count of unique timestamp values ​​in a first group of records in the first plurality of records that have the MAC address and signal strength value divided by the count of unique timestamp values ​​in a second group of records in the first plurality of records that have the MAC address.

[0014] The method may further include the step of assigning a root repeater identifier to each of the first plurality of records having the MAC address based on the SSID associated with the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records.

[0015] The method may further include the following steps: determining that a single SSID in the second plurality of records is associated with the BSSID of an identified record in the second plurality of records, wherein assigning the root repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records having the MAC address is based on the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records.

[0016] The method may further include the following steps: determining that each of the second set of the second plurality of records includes an SSID associated with the BSSID of a record identified in the second plurality of records; identifying a record in the second set of the second plurality of records that has the maximum signal strength value, wherein assigning the root repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address is based on the BSSID of the record identified in the second set of the second plurality of records.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the invention, a computer program comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the first aspect of the invention.

[0018] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a data processing apparatus is provided, the data processing apparatus comprising a processor adapted to perform the steps of the method of the first aspect of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To better understand the present invention, embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a telecommunications network according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the first process of the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the second process of the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This shows the generation process in more detail. Figure 3 A flowchart of the device identifier steps in the second process;

[0024] Figure 5 To show in more detail Figure 3 The flowchart shows the steps of generating the identifier for the first hop repeater and the identifier for the root repeater in the second process;

[0025] Figure 6 It provides Figure 3A flowchart further illustrating the second process of generating the device identifier; and

[0026] Figure 7 It provides Figure 3 The flowchart further illustrates the second process for generating identifiers for the first-hop repeater and identifiers for the root repeater. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Now refer to Figure 1 A first embodiment of a telecommunications network 100 is described. The telecommunications network 100 includes an operator's network 200 and a customer's network 300. The operator's network 200 and the customer's network 300 are connected via an access connection 400, which in this embodiment is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). The customer's network 300 includes a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) 310, multiple repeaters 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d (collectively referred to as 330), and multiple subscriber equipment 320a, 320b, 320c, and 320d (collectively referred to as 320).

[0028] CPE 310 includes an access network communication interface 311, a processor 313, a memory 315, a wired communication interface 317, and a wireless communication interface 319. The access network communication interface 311 enables CPE 310 to communicate with the operator's network 200 via access connection 400. The wired communication interface 317 and the wireless communication interface 319 enable CPE 310 to provide a wired local area network (LAN) and a wireless local area network (WLAN), respectively.

[0029] In this embodiment, each of the multiple user equipment 320 includes wireless communication interfaces 321a, 321b, 321c, and 321d (collectively referred to as 321) for communicating with the wireless local area network of the CPE 310.

[0030] Multiple repeaters 330 include a first group of repeaters ( Figure 1 The first repeater 330a) and the second group of repeaters ( Figure 1 The second repeater 330b, the third repeater 330c, and the fourth repeater 330d are mentioned. The differences between the first group of repeaters and the second group of repeaters in the multiple repeaters 330 are discussed below. Each repeater includes wireless communication interfaces 331a, 331b, 331c, and 331d (collectively referred to as 331) for communicating with the wireless local area network of the CPE 310.

[0031] CPE 310 can be identified by the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the Network Interface Controller (NIC) associated with its access network communication interface 311. Each of the multiple user equipments 320 can be identified by the MAC address of the NIC associated with its corresponding communication interface 321. Each of the multiple repeaters 330 can be identified by the MAC address of the NIC associated with its corresponding communication interface 331.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, a first user equipment 320a is directly connected to CPE 310 (i.e., the connection does not pass through one or more of the multiple repeaters 330), a second user equipment 320b is indirectly connected to CPE 310 via a first repeater 330a in a first group of multiple repeaters 330 (i.e., it has a single-hop connection to CPE 310), a third user equipment 320c is indirectly connected to CPE 310 via a second repeater 330b in a second group of multiple repeaters 330 (similarly, it has a single-hop connection to CPE 310), and a fourth user equipment 320d is indirectly connected to CPE 310 via a third repeater 330c in a second group of multiple repeaters 330 and a fourth repeater 330d in a second group of multiple repeaters 330 (i.e., it has a multi-hop connection to CPE 310).

[0033] In the following description, the term "first-hop repeater" is used to identify the repeater between the CPE and the user equipment directly connected to the user equipment. In the single-hop connection scenario of the second user equipment 320b, the first repeater 330a is the first-hop repeater. Similarly, in the single-hop connection scenario of the third user equipment 320c, the second repeater 330b is the first-hop repeater. In the multi-hop connection scenario of the fourth user equipment 320d, the fourth repeater 330d is the first-hop repeater (i.e., the third repeater 330c is not the first-hop repeater).

[0034] Furthermore, in the following description, the term "root repeater" is used to identify the repeater between CPE 310 and user equipment 320 directly connected to CPE 310. In the single-hop connection scenario of the second user equipment 320b, the first repeater 330a is the root repeater. Similarly, in the single-hop connection scenario of the third user equipment 320c, the second repeater 330b is the root repeater. In the multi-hop connection scenario of the fourth user equipment 320d, the third repeater 330c is the root repeater (i.e., the fourth repeater 330d is not the root repeater).

[0035] In this embodiment, as a member of the second group of repeaters and as the first hop repeater (i.e., Figure 1Each of the second repeater 330b and the fourth repeater 330d is configured to virtualize the MAC address of the user equipment. A MAC address consists of six octets; the first three octets are called the Organization Unique Identifier (OUI), and the last three octets are dedicated to the Network Interface Controller (NIC) and are therefore called the NIC. The second least significant bit of the most significant octet of the MAC address can use a value of 0 to indicate that it is a globally unique (i.e., "global") MAC address, or a value of 1 to indicate that it is a locally managed (i.e., "local") MAC address. When a repeater virtualizes the MAC address of a user equipment, the repeater replaces the OUI of the MAC address (i.e., the company identifier of the repeater's manufacturer) with its own OUI (i.e., the company identifier of the repeater's manufacturer). The second least significant bit of the most significant octet of its own OUI is set to 1, such that the second character of the first octet is 2, 6, A, or E (e.g., x2:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, x6:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, xA:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, xE:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx).

[0036] Note that some user equipment may already be using local MAC addresses, for example, when those user equipment use MAC randomization. In this case, the repeater can still virtualize the MAC address by replacing the OUI portion of the MAC address with its own OUI, where the second least significant bit of the most significant octet is set to 1, such that the second character of the first octet is 2, 6, A, or E.

[0037] Furthermore, each repeater that is a member of a first set of multiple repeaters (e.g., first repeater 330a) and / or a member of a second set of multiple repeaters but is not a first-hop repeater (e.g., Figure 1 The third repeater (330c) in the set is not configured to virtualize the MAC address of the user equipment. In other words, the repeaters in the second set of multiple repeaters are configured to virtualize the MAC address of directly connected user equipment, but are not configured to virtualize the MAC address of directly connected access points (e.g., another repeater).

[0038] Carrier network 200 includes an access network communication node 210 and a network management system (NMS) 220. Access network communication node 210 enables NMS 220 (and any other node in the carrier network, or any node in an external network connected to the carrier network) to communicate with CPE 310 via access connection 400. NMS 220 includes a communication interface 221, a processor 223, and a memory 225.

[0039] Now refer to Figures 2 to 5The first embodiment of the method of the present invention is described. Figure 2 The steps performed by the processing and storage modules 313 and 315 of the CPE 310 are shown, and Figures 3 to 5 The steps performed by the processing and storage modules 223 and 225 of the NMS220 are shown.

[0040] In the first step (S101) of the first process, the CPE processor 313 implements a first diagnostic function to collect data from each of the multiple devices 320. This data is collected periodically, and the periodicity can be remotely configured by the network operator (the periodicity can range from one hundred milliseconds to every ten seconds). Each record in the data includes the MAC address of the user equipment, a timestamp indicating the time when the CPE 310 collected the data, the host name of the user equipment, the wireless local area network (WLAN) channel identifier of the channel used by the user equipment, and parameters of the user equipment. These parameters include Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), downlink physical layer (PHY) rate, uplink PHY rate, downlink packet counter value, uplink packet counter value, and retransmission counter value.

[0041] The data collected in the first process will be referred to as detailed diagnostic data in the following text. The detailed diagnostic data is stored in the memory 315 of the CPE.

[0042] In step S103, the CPE's processor 313 performs a compression function to convert detailed diagnostic data into summary diagnostic data. The detailed diagnostic data is periodically converted into summary diagnostic data, and this periodicity can be remotely configured by the network operator (the periodicity can be in the range of 1 minute to 10 minutes). This conversion can be achieved by applying one or more statistical functions to the detailed diagnostic data, such as the sum, average, maximum, or minimum value of each parameter of the user equipment. The summary diagnostic data is also stored in the CPE's memory 315.

[0043] In step S105, the CPE processor 313 performs a second diagnostic function to collect data on neighboring CPEs (i.e., any other CPE from which CPE 310 receives communication signals). This second diagnostic function also collects data on each repeater in the customer's network 300. Each record in the data includes a timestamp indicating the time when CPE 310 collected data from neighboring CPEs / repeaters, the MAC address of the neighboring CPE / repeater (i.e., Basic Service Set Identifier BSSID), the advertised Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the neighboring CPE / repeater, the WLAN channel identifier of the channel used when CPE 310 detected the neighboring CPE / repeater, and the RSSI of the signal transmitted by the neighboring CPE / repeater and received at CPE 310.

[0044] The data collected in the second process is referred to below as neighbor scan data.

[0045] In step S107, the CPE sends the summarized diagnostic data and neighbor scan data to the NMS (i.e., via access connection 400). This data can then be deleted from the memory 315 in the CPE 310. Proceed to... Figure 3 In step S201, NMS220 receives the summary diagnostic data and neighbor scan data and stores them in memory 225. Steps S101 to S105 and step S201 are executed periodically, causing NMS220 to collect additional records and add them to the summary diagnostic data and neighbor scan data already stored in memory 225. The summary diagnostic data and neighbor scan data may include data from multiple days.

[0046] The NMS220 can receive aggregated diagnostic data and neighbor scan data from multiple CPEs. This data can be stored in the same database by adding an additional identifier for the CPE (such as its serial number) to each record associated with that CPE.

[0047] exist Figure 3 In step S203, the NMS processor 223 processes the summary diagnostic data for a specific CPE to generate a device identifier for each record in the summary diagnostic data. This device identifier uniquely identifies the user equipment associated with the data. (See below for reference.) Figure 4 Please describe this step in detail.

[0048] exist Figure 3 In step S205, the NMS processor 223 processes the summary diagnostic data for a specific CPE and the neighbor scan data for a specific CPE to generate an identifier for the first-hop repeater (i.e., the unique repeater in a single-hop repeater scenario or the repeater to which the user equipment is directly connected in a multi-hop repeater scenario) and an identifier for the root repeater (i.e., the unique repeater in a single-hop repeater scenario or the repeater to which the CPE is directly connected in a multi-hop repeater scenario). See below for reference. Figure 5 Please describe this step in detail.

[0049] Figure 4 The process of generating the device identifier is illustrated in more detail. In step S301, the NMS processor 223 filters the summary diagnostic data using the serial number for the CPE 310 and processes the summary diagnostic data by retrieving the serial number, timestamp, MAC address, and hostname fields to create a first "data" table for the CPE 310. The timestamp field indicates the time when the CPE 310 collected the data. Table 1 below shows exemplary data for the data table.

[0050] Record# Serial Number Timestamp Hostname MAC address 1 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:49:12 JD-abfdslgj OUI_3:NIC_Y 2 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:49:12 JD-abfdslgj OUI_2:NIC_Y 3 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:49:12 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z 4 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:53:02 NULL OUI_2:NIC_Z 5 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:53:02 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z 6 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:57:02 NULL OUI_2:NIC_Z 7 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 18:57:02 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z 8 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:01:06 NULL OUI_2:NIC_Z 9 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:01:06 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z 10 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:05:35 NULL OUI_2:NIC_Z 11 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:05:35 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z 12 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:13:17 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z 13 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:21:33 NULL OUI_2:NIC_Z 14 a_home_sn 2020-12-08 19:37:36 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z

[0051] Table 1: A table showing exemplary data from a data table.

[0052] In step S303, the NMS processor 223 generates the following fields and adds them to each record in the data table:

[0053] • The OUI of the MAC address is the first three octets of the MAC address recorded.

[0054] The NIC of the MAC address is the last three octets of the MAC address recorded in the record; and

[0055] • MAC type: If the second character of the OUI of the MAC address of the record is not equal to 2, 6, A or E, the MAC type is "Global"; if the second character of the OUI of the MAC address of the record is equal to 2, 6, A or E, the MAC type is "Local".

[0056] Table 2 below shows exemplary data from the data table after step S303.

[0057]

[0058] Table 2: A table showing the data from the data table after step S303.

[0059] In step S305, the NMS processor 223 generates a new table (“Count” table) to store multiple counts derived from the data in the data table. In step S307, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the data table to generate a first field (“GLOBAL_OUIS_PER_NIC”) and adds it to the count table. This first field represents the count of unique OUIs of the “Global” MAC type for each NIC in the second table. This is achieved by grouping all records in the count table according to the NIC field and determining the count of different OUIs for each group of records that have the “Global” MAC type value. For these record groups, the possible values ​​of the GLOBAL_OUIS_PER_NIC field are 0 or 1 (because a device has at most one Global MAC address).

[0060] Applying step S307 to the exemplary data in Table 2, the NMS processor 223 identifies two groups with the following values ​​for GLOBAL_OUIS_PER_NIC:

[0061] • Group: NIC = NIC_Y; GLOBAL_OUIS_PER_NIC: 1

[0062] • Group: NIC = NIC_Z; GLOBAL_OUIS_PER_NIC: 0.

[0063] In step S309, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the data table to generate a second new field (“NICS_PER_HOSTNAME”) and adds it to the count table. This second new field represents the count of a unique NIC for each hostname in the count table. This is achieved by grouping all records in the data table according to the hostname field and determining the count of different NICs for each group of records.

[0064] Applying step S309 to the exemplary data in Table 2, the NMS processor 223 identifies two unique hostnames (NULL hostnames are not processed) and determines the following value for NICS_PER_HOSTNAME:

[0065] • Hostname: JD-abfdslgj; NICS_PER_HOSTNAME:1

[0066] • Hostname: TL-adflf; NICS_PER_HOSTNAME: 1

[0067] In step S311, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the data table to generate a third new field (“LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS”) and adds it to the count table. This third new field represents the most recent MAC address of any record where the value of the NICS_PER_HOSTNAME field is equal to 1. This is done by grouping all records in the count table according to the NIC and NICS_PER_HOSTNAME fields, and for each group of records where the value of the NICS_PER_HOSTNAME field is equal to 1, determining the latest MAC address as follows:

[0068] • If the set of records contains at least one record with a “global” MAC type, then LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS is the MAC address of a record with a MAC type equal to “global” and the record has the most recent timestamp value.

[0069] • If the set of records does not contain any records with a MAC type of "global", then LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS is the MAC address of a record with a MAC type equal to "local" and that record has the most recent timestamp value.

[0070] In any record in the count table where NICS_PER_HOSTNAME is not equal to 1, the value of the LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS field is set to "Not Applicable".

[0071] Applying step S311 to the exemplary data in Table 2, the NMS processor 223 identifies two unique combinations of NIC and NICS_PER_HOSTNAME and determines the following value for LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS:

[0072] • Group: NIC:NIC_Y,NICS_PER_HOSTNAME:1; LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS:OUI_3:NIC_Y (i.e., the MAC address of the record with the latest timestamp value and MAC type equal to "global")

[0073] • Group: NIC:NIC_Z, NICS_PER_HOSTNAME:1; LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS:OUI_4:NIC_Z (That is, since no “global” MAC address of this NIC is used, LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS is the MAC address of a record with a recent timestamp value and a MAC type equal to “local”.)

[0074] In step S313, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the counter table to retain records with a unique combination of host name, NIC, MAC type, NICS_PER_HOSTNAME, GLOBAL_OUIS_PER_NIC, and LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS.

[0075] Table 3 below shows exemplary data for the counting table after step S313:

[0076] Table 3: A table showing exemplary data after step S313.

[0077] Then, the NMS processor 223 processes both the data table and the count table to determine the device identifier for each user device. In step S315, the data table is processed to retrain records with unique combinations of MAC address, hostname, MAC type, OUI, and NIC. Table 4 below shows exemplary data of the data table after step S315:

[0078] Record# Hostname MAC address OUI NIC MAC type 1 JD-abfdslgj OUI_3:NIC_Y OUI_3 NIC_Y Global 2 JD-abfdslgj OUI_2:NIC_Y OUI_2 NIC_Y local 3 TL-adflf OUI_4:NIC_Z OUI_4 NIC_Z local 4 NULL OUI_2:NIC_Z OUI_2 NIC_Z local

[0079] Table 4: A table showing exemplary data after step S315

[0080] Then, each record in the data table is processed iteratively to generate a device identifier for that record and add it to the data table. Starting with the first record in the data table, in step S317, the NMS processor 223 processes the first record to determine whether the MAC type of the first record is equal to "Global". If so, the device identifier of the first record is set to the value of the MAC address field of the first record. If not, the NMS processor 223 proceeds to step S319.

[0081] In step S319, the NMS processor 223 processes the counter table to identify records in the counter table that have both the value of the NIC field of the first record in the data table and the value of the MAC type field equal to "global". If a record is found in the counter table, the device identifier of the first record in the data table is set to the value of LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS associated with the record identified in the counter table. If no record is found in the counter table, the NMS processor 223 proceeds to step S321.

[0082] In step S321, the NMS processor 223 processes the counter table to identify records in the counter table that have the values ​​of the NIC field (equal to "local"), the MAC type field (equal to "local"), and the NICS_PER_HOSTNAME field (equal to 1) of the first record in the data table. If a record is found in the counter table, the device identifier of the first record in the data table is set to the value of LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS associated with the record identified in the counter table. If no record is found in the counter table, the device identifier of the first record in the data table is set to NULL.

[0083] Then, the NMS processor 223 loops back to step S317 to process the second row of the data table. This iterative process continues until all records in the data table have been processed, generating a device identifier for each record in the data table.

[0084] Applying the iterative loop of steps S317 to S321 to the data in Table 4, the NMS processor 223 determines that the first record of the data table satisfies the condition of step S317 (i.e., the MAC type of the first record is equal to "Global"), and the device identifier of the first record is therefore set to the value OUI_3:NIC_Y of the MAC address field of the first record. Then, the NMS processor 223 processes the second record of the data table and determines that the second record does not satisfy the condition of step S317, but satisfies the condition of step S319 (i.e., record 1 of the counter table shown in Table 3 has a matching NIC value and has MAC type = "Global"), and therefore sets the device identifier to the value OUI_3:NIC_Y of the LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS field of record 1 of the counter table. Then, the NMS processor 223 processes the third record of the data table and determines that the third record does not satisfy the conditions of steps S317 and S319, but satisfies the condition of step S321 (i.e., record 3 of the counter table shown in Table 3 has a matching NIC value, has MAC type = "local", and the value of NICS_PER_HOSTNAME is equal to 1), and the device identifier is therefore set to the value of LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS of record 3 of the counter table, OUI_4:NIC_Z. Then, the NMS processor 223 processes the fourth record of the data table and determines that the fourth record does not satisfy the conditions of steps S317 and S319, but satisfies the condition of step S321 (i.e., record 3 of the counter table shown in Table 3 has a matching NIC value, has MAC type = "local", and the value of NICS_PER_HOSTNAME is equal to 1), and the device identifier is therefore set to the value of LATEST_MAC_ADDRESS of record 3 of the counter table, OUI_4:NIC_Z.

[0085] Table 5 below shows exemplary data following these iterative steps:

[0086] Table 5: A table showing exemplary data after iterative steps S317 to S321.

[0087] Then, these device identifiers can be used by the NMS processor 223 to identify all records in the summary diagnostic data related to the same device by performing a lookup on the MAC address of each record in the summary diagnostic data to retrieve the corresponding device identifier associated with that MAC address from the data table. The summary diagnostic data can then be grouped by device identifier to identify all records related to the same device. Therefore, the first process of the present invention enables the identification of all records related to the same user equipment in the summary diagnostic data even when the MAC addresses of these records are different due to the virtualization of MAC addresses by the repeater 330. For example, all records using OUI_3:NIC_Y or OUI_2:NIC_Y as their MAC address can be grouped together by the unique device identifier OUI_3:NIC_Y (following the lookups in rows 1 and 2 of Table 5), and all records using OUI_4:NIC_Z or OUI_2:NIC_Z as their MAC address can be grouped together by the unique device identifier OUI_4:NIC_Z (following the lookups in rows 3 and 4 of Table 5).

[0088] The NMS processor 223 can then process these records with common device identifiers to determine one or more key performance indicators, such as the total time spent by a user equipment (UE) using a WLAN connection. In cases where a UE is directly connected to CPE 310 during a first time period and indirectly connected to CPE 310 via a second repeater 330b during a second time period, the NMS processor 223 identifies the records for both time periods as having common device identifiers and therefore calculates the total time spent as the sum of the durations of the first and second time periods. Conversely, if the UE's original MAC address is used to calculate the total time spent (and the second repeater 220b virtualizes the MAC address during the second time period), the NMS processor 223 will incorrectly identify a first UE with a total time spent equal to the duration of the first time period and a second UE with a total time spent equal to the duration of the second time period. By correctly evaluating the total time spent connecting via the WLAN connection, UEs can be given higher priority when performing troubleshooting or diagnostics on the WLAN.

[0089] In step S323, the NMS processor 223 identifies one or more network configurations by analyzing records in a data table grouped by unique device identifiers. These reconfigurations may, for example, update the Quality of Service (QoS) parameters of the most active device group (i.e., those with the largest "Total Active Time" value) and / or update the manipulation policy of the most active device group.

[0090] In the first process described above, the NMS processor 223 identifies each user device's unique device identifier by determining whether a) the MAC address is a "global" MAC address, b) the MAC address is a "local" MAC address but a "global" MAC address with the same NIC value exists, or c) the MAC address is a "local" MAC address but its NIC value is a unique NIC value associated with a specific non-empty hostname.

[0091] The first condition (i.e., the MAC address is a "global" MAC address) enables the user equipment to be uniquely identified because it indicates that the user equipment's MAC address is globally unique and has not yet been virtualized. This first condition also indicates that the user equipment is directly connected to the CPE 310, or indirectly connected only via one or more repeaters in a first set of repeaters 330 (which are not configured to modify the user equipment's MAC address), and therefore not connected via one or more repeaters in a second set of repeaters 330. The second condition (the MAC address is a "local" MAC address but a "global" MAC address with the same NIC value exists) allows the user equipment to be uniquely identified when the NIC value does not change during the virtualization process. This means the user equipment uses a "global" MAC address when directly connected to or indirectly connected to the CPE 310 via one or more repeaters of a first set of repeaters 330, but uses a "local" MAC address when indirectly connected to the CPE 310 via one or more repeaters of a second set of repeaters 330. The OUI portions of these "global" and "local" MAC addresses are different, but their NIC portions are the same. Therefore, if a matching "global" MAC address with the same NIC value exists, this can be used to uniquely identify the user equipment. The third condition (the MAC address is a "local" MAC address but its NIC value is a unique NIC value associated with a specific hostname) allows the user equipment to be uniquely identified because the hostname is sufficiently unique and there is a unique association between the NIC value and that hostname.

[0092] Those skilled in the art will understand that the NMS processor 223 can implement the above three conditions in any combination and in any order, including at least one of the second and third conditions (including one of the three conditions, two of the three conditions, or all three conditions). Applying all three conditions provides the greatest chance of uniquely identifying the user equipment.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will understand that the first process can be applied when the user equipment is identified by another form of persistent device tag (such as a server name or a fully qualified domain name).

[0094] Figure 5 The steps for generating identifiers for the first-hop repeater (i.e., the unique repeater in a single-hop repeater scenario or the repeater to which the user equipment is directly connected in a multi-hop repeater scenario) and for the root repeater (i.e., the unique repeater in a single-hop repeater scenario or the repeater to which the CPE is directly connected in a multi-hop repeater scenario) are shown in more detail.

[0095] In step S401, the NMS processor 223 processes the summarized diagnostic data by filtering the serial number for the CPE 310 and retrieving the MAC address, channel, timestamp, and RSSI fields to create a first "data" table for the CPE 310. The channel field is an identifier for the WLAN channel used by the user equipment, and the timestamp field indicates the time the CPE 310 collected the data. Based on the channel field value, the channel field is converted to the frequency band field "User Equipment Band," which is either "2.4 GHz" or "5 GHz." The term "User Equipment Band" is used to distinguish it from the frequency band field obtained from neighbor scan data. However, as mentioned above, when the repeater is one of a second set of multiple repeaters, the summarized diagnostic data can actually be related to the repeater.

[0096] In step S403, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the data table to generate and add a first new field (the final weighted RSSI), representing the weighted RSSI for each unique combination of the MAC address and the user equipment frequency band. This is achieved as follows:

[0097] 1. Group the records by MAC address, user equipment frequency band, and RSSI, and determine a count for different timestamp field values ​​for each group;

[0098] 2. Group the records according to MAC address and user equipment frequency band, and determine a different timestamp field value count for each group;

[0099] 3. By dividing the count from step 1 of the group by the count from step 2 of the group, determine the weighted RSSI for each combination of MAC address and user equipment frequency band, and

[0100] 4. Group the records according to MAC address and user equipment frequency band, and determine the final weighted RSSI for each unique combination of MAC address and user equipment frequency band as the sum of the weighted RSSI value determined in step 3 and the corresponding RSSI value of the group.

[0101] In step S405, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the data table to generate and add three new fields (minimum RSSI, maximum RSSI, and average RSSI). These are generated by grouping the records in the data table by MAC address and user equipment frequency band and applying appropriate minimum, maximum, and average functions to the RSSI field values ​​in each group (although any form of average function can be applied instead of the median function).

[0102] In step S407, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the data table to generate and add another new field, MAC type. If the second character of the OUI of the MAC address of the record is not equal to 2, 6, A, or E, the MAC type is "Global". If the second character of the OUI of the MAC address of the record is equal to 2, 6, A, or E, the MAC type is "Local".

[0103] In step S409, the NMS processor 223 generates another table, the All Clients Table, based on the data table processed in step S407. The All Clients Table includes a list of all unique combinations of MAC addresses, user equipment frequency bands, and MAC types from the data table. The All Clients Table is used later in this second process.

[0104] In step S411, the NMS processor 223 filters the data table according to the MAC type field to retain records with the "local" MAC type.

[0105] Table 6 below shows an example of the data table after step S411:

[0106]

[0107] Table 6: A table showing example data after step S411.

[0108] In step S413, the NMS processor 223 processes the neighbor scan data by retrieving the neighbor BSSID, neighbor SSID, neighbor channel, and neighbor RSSI fields to create a "neighbor scan data" table. Based on the neighbor channel field value, the neighbor channel field is converted into a neighbor band field of either "2.4 GHz" or "5 GHz". The NMS processor 223 then processes the neighbor scan data table, generating and adding a new field, the average neighbor RSSI, for each combination of neighbor BSSID and neighbor band. This is achieved by grouping all records in the neighbor scan data table by neighbor BSSID and neighbor band and applying an averaging function to all RSSI values ​​in that group (although any form of averaging function can be used alternatively).

[0109] In step S415, the NMS processor 223 processes both the data table and the neighbor scan data table to create a new table, namely, a matching neighbor BSSID table, which associates each unique MAC address in the data table with zero, one, or more neighbor BSSIDs in the neighbor scan data table that sufficiently match that unique MAC address. This is achieved by identifying each unique MAC address in the data table and, for each unique MAC address, determining the bit difference between the OUI of that MAC address and the OUI of each neighbor BSSID. The bit difference is determined by converting the OUI of the MAC address to a 24-bit binary value, converting the OUI of the neighbor BSSID to a 24-bit binary value, and applying an appropriate bit difference calculation function (e.g., an XOR gate operator) to the converted OUI values. If the bit difference is less than or equal to a threshold, the MAC address and the neighbor BSSID are considered to be a sufficient match. In this embodiment, the bit difference threshold is set to 5 (although a threshold of 6 is also possible).

[0110] Table 7 shows examples of matching neighbor BSSIDs, where MAC13 matches MAC16, MAC17, MAC18, MAC19, and MAC20:

[0111]

[0112] Table 7: A table showing the data of the matching neighbor BSSID table after step S415.

[0113] Once a list of matching neighbor SSIDs has been identified for each unique MAC address, in step S417, the NMS processor 223 joins the matching neighbor BSSID table and the data table for the MAC address and user equipment band fields. In other words, for each combination of MAC address and user equipment band, the final weighted RSSI, minimum RSSI, maximum RSSI, average RSSI, and MAC type fields from the data table are added to the matching neighbor BSSID table.

[0114] In step S419, the NMS processor 223 processes the records in the matching neighbor BSSID table to generate and add four new fields: distance to the final weighted RSSI, distance to the minimum RSSI, distance to the maximum RSSI, and distance to the average RSSI. These are generated by subtracting the average neighbor RSSI field value of each record from the final weighted RSSI, minimum RSSI, maximum RSSI, and average RSSI field values ​​of each record.

[0115] In step S421, the NMS processor 223 generates a new field (minimum distance) and adds it to the matching neighbor BSSID table. The value of this new field is equal to the minimum value of the four fields generated in step S419 (i.e., the distance to the final weighted RSSI, the distance to the minimum RSSI, the distance to the maximum RSSI, and the distance to the average RSSI field).

[0116] Table 8 below shows exemplary data after step S421:

[0117]

[0118] Table 8: A table showing the matching neighbor BSSIDs after step S421.

[0119] In step S423, the NMS processor 223 generates a first-hop repeater identifier field for each MAC address and adds it to the matching neighbor BSSID table. This is achieved by grouping all records in the matching neighbor BSSID table by MAC address, and:

[0120] • Identify one or more records in the group where the neighbor band field value of that record is equal to the user equipment band field value of that record. For the record among these one or more records that has the minimum value of the minimum distance field that satisfies the minimum distance threshold, the value of the first-hop repeater identifier field is set to the value of the neighbor BSSID field. If there are no records in the group (i.e., there is no record whose neighbor band field value is equal to the user equipment band field value of that record; or there are one or more such records but the minimum distance field value of these one or more records does not satisfy the minimum distance threshold), then

[0121] • Identify one or more records in the group where the neighbor band field value is not equal to the user equipment band field value. For the record among the one or more records that has the minimum value of the minimum distance field that satisfies the minimum distance threshold, the value of the first-hop repeater identifier field is set to the value of the neighbor BSSID field. If no record exists in the matching neighbor BSSID table (i.e., there is no record where the neighbor band field value is not equal to the user equipment band field value; or there are one or more such records but the minimum distance field value of the one or more records does not satisfy the minimum distance threshold), then

[0122] • The first-hop repeater identifier is set to NULL.

[0123] In this implementation, the minimum distance threshold is set to 10 (although the threshold can be in the range of 8 to 12).

[0124] Applying step S421 to the example above, the NMS processor 223 identifies a group of records where the MAC address field value is MAC13, and determines that there are five records in this group, wherein for each record, the neighbor band field value is equal to the user equipment band field value (i.e., record 5 in Table 8, where the user equipment band field value is 2.4 GHz and the neighbor band field value is 2.4 GHz, and records 6 to 9 in Table 8, where the user equipment band field value is 5 GHz and the neighbor band field value is 5 GHz), and the neighbor BSSID field value of the record with the minimum minimum distance that satisfies the minimum distance threshold among these five records (i.e., record 6 in Table 8) is MAC16. For each record in this group, the first-hop repeater identifier is set to MAC16.

[0125] Table 9 below shows exemplary data from the matching neighbor BSSID table after step S421.

[0126]

[0127] Table 9: A table showing exemplary data of the matching neighbor BSSID table after step S421.

[0128] In step S423, the NMS processor 223 joins all client tables (generated in step S409 above) and the matching neighbor BSSID table according to the MAC address and user equipment frequency band field. This is performed as an outer join, so all records from all client tables are retained and joined with the field of the matching neighbor BSSID table.

[0129] In step S425, for all records in all client tables where the value of the MAC type field is "global", the NMS processor 223 sets the first-hop repeater identifier to NULL.

[0130] Steps S401 to S425 above enable the NMS to identify the first-hop repeater associated with each user equipment (UE) in the network. This is achieved by analyzing a summary diagnostic data table (in which the UE's MAC address is virtualized to include the repeater's OUI) and neighbor scan data (which identifies each repeater's BSSID). First, a set of candidate repeaters is identified by matching the OUI of the MAC address (virtualized to include the repeater's OUI) from the summary diagnostic data with the OUI of the BSSID from the neighbor scan data. Next, leveraging another characteristic of the repeater (which substitutes the UE's RSSI value for its own RSSI value), one of these candidates is identified as the first-hop repeater by identifying the BSSID whose RSSI has the smallest difference from the RSSI value of the corresponding MAC address in the summary diagnostic data.

[0131] In the above implementation, a single RSSI (mean RSSI) value is generated for the neighbor scan data, while multiple RSSI (minimum RSSI, maximum RSSI, and mean RSSI) values ​​are generated for the summary diagnostic data. This is because the summary diagnostic data has relatively more records than the neighbor scan data, making it more accurate to compare the single value of the neighbor scan RSSI with the range of values ​​for the summary diagnostic data RSSI.

[0132] In step S427, the NMS processor 223 determines a root repeater identifier for each record in all client tables. This is determined as:

[0133] • If the first-hop repeater identifier is NULL and the value of the MAC type field is "global", then the root repeater identifier is set to the MAC address of CPE 310;

[0134] • If the first-hop repeater identifier is NULL and the value of the MAC type field is "local", then set the root repeater identifier to NULL;

[0135] • If the first-hop repeater identifier is not NULL, then the root repeater identifier is determined by the following:

[0136] Group all records according to the value of the neighbor's SSID field.

[0137] For each group, identify the record with the highest value in the Average Neighbor RSSI field, and

[0138] Set the root repeater identifier to the value of the first-hop repeater identifier field of the identified record.

[0139] In the above implementation, the Neighbor SSID field is used to group records because in most home networks that use multiple repeaters (such as when using a mesh WLAN), the repeaters will use the same SSID but different BSSIDs.

[0140] In step S429, the NMS processor 223 filters all client tables to retain all unique combinations of MAC address, user equipment band, first-hop repeater identifier, and root repeater identifier. The NMS processor 223 can then process these records in all client tables as part of a diagnostic process, such as:

[0141] • Improved CPE / repeater coverage mapping for user networks. That is, without the first-hop repeater identifier and root repeater identifier, it would be impossible to identify coverage holes and bandwidth bottlenecks caused by repeaters in the user network. By correlating summarized diagnostic data with all client tables, any repeaters causing such coverage holes and bandwidth bottlenecks can be identified; and

[0142] • Improved accuracy of the estimate of bandwidth reduction for user equipment when it is connected by one or more repeaters.

[0143] In response, the operator can initiate a new configuration in the network. This could include replacing one or more repeaters in a second set of multiple repeaters (modifying the MAC address of the user equipment) with repeaters from a first set of repeaters (without modifying the MAC address of the user equipment).

[0144] In the second process, a matching BSSID is determined by evaluating the bit difference between the OUI of the MAC address and the OUI of the BSSID. However, the similarity between the OUI of the MAC address and the OUI of the BSSID can be determined in other ways, such as by summing the digital differences between the three octets of the OUI.

[0145] Figure 6 This is a flowchart further illustrating a first process of a first embodiment of the present invention, the first process comprising the following steps: obtaining (S501) data comprising a plurality of records, wherein each of the plurality of records relates to the user equipment and includes a MAC address; analyzing (S503) each of the plurality of records by: determining that the MAC address of the analyzed record is a local MAC address; identifying another record among the plurality of records uniquely associated with the user equipment based on the MAC address of the analyzed record; assigning a unique identifier to the user equipment based on the MAC address of the identified other record among the plurality of records; and initiating (S505) reconfiguration in the wireless local area network based on the unique device identifier.

[0146] Figure 7This is a flowchart further illustrating a second process of a first embodiment of the present invention, the second process comprising the following steps: obtaining (S601) data comprising a first plurality of records, wherein each of the first plurality of records is associated with a user equipment and includes a MAC address and a signal strength value; obtaining (S603) data comprising a second plurality of records, wherein each of the second plurality of records includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and a signal strength value; for each MAC address in the first plurality of records: identifying (S605) a record in the second plurality of records having a BSSID that sufficiently matches the MAC address, determining that the difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold, assigning a first hop repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records having the MAC address based on the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records; and inducing (S607) reconfiguration in the wireless local area network based on the first hop repeater identifier.

[0147] Those skilled in the art will understand that the implementation of the above methods is not necessary in an NMS. These implementations can be implemented in any other network node, including nodes in a network operator's network, network nodes in an external network, or in a local network (including at a CPE).

[0148] Those skilled in the art will understand that any combination of features is possible within the scope of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless local area network (WLAN), the WLAN comprising user equipment, wireless access points, and wireless repeaters, wherein, The wireless repeater is configured to virtualize the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the user equipment when the user equipment connects to the wireless repeater, the method comprising the following steps: Obtain data including a first plurality of records, wherein each of the first plurality of records is associated with the user equipment and includes a MAC address and a signal strength value; Obtain data including a second plurality of records, wherein each of the second plurality of records includes a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) and a signal strength value; For each MAC address in the first plurality of records: By determining the similarity between the Organization Unique Identifier (OUI) of the BSSID and the OUI of the MAC address, records in the second plurality of records that have a BSSID matching the MAC address are identified. The difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is determined to be within a threshold. Based on the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records, the first-hop repeater identifier is assigned to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address; and A reconfiguration is triggered in the wireless LAN based on the first-hop repeater identifier.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The similarity between the OUI of the BSSID and the OUI of the MAC address is based on the bit difference between the binary value of the OUI of the BSSID and the binary value of the OUI of the MAC address.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: The signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records is determined as the average of the signal strength values ​​of all records in the second plurality of records that have that BSSID.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: Determine the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and at least two items from the group consisting of: The weighted signal strength value is based on the sum of the signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records. Based on the minimum signal strength value among all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records. Based on the maximum signal strength value of all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records, and The average signal strength value is based on all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records. The step of determining that the difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold includes: determining that the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within the threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of identifying records in the second plurality of records that have a BSSID matching the MAC address includes: identifying a first set of BSSIDs in the second plurality of records that match the MAC address, and the method further includes the following steps: For each record in the first set of the second plurality of records, determine the difference between the signal strength value associated with that record in the first set of the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records; and Identify the record with the smallest difference in the first set of the second plurality of records. The step of determining that the difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within a threshold includes: determining that the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with the identified record in the first set of the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records is within the threshold. The first hop repeater identifier is based on the BSSID of the record identified in the first set of the second plurality of records.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, For each record in the first set of the second plurality of records, the step of determining the difference between the signal strength value associated with that record in the first set of the second plurality of records and the signal strength value associated with the MAC address of the first plurality of records includes: For each record in the first set of the second plurality of records, determine the minimum difference between the signal strength value associated with that record and at least two items from a group including: The weighted signal strength value is based on the sum of the signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records. Based on the minimum signal strength value among all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records. Based on the maximum signal strength value of all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records, and The average signal strength value is based on all signal strength values ​​of all records with the MAC address in the first plurality of records. The step of identifying the record with the minimum difference in the first set of the second plurality of records includes: identifying the record with the minimum difference in the first set of the second plurality of records.

7. The method according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein, Each record in the first plurality of records includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) band, and each record in the second plurality of records includes a WLAN band. The step of assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address includes: assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address and the WLAN band, and the step of identifying the record with the minimum difference in the first set of the second plurality of records includes: Identify records in the first set of the second plurality of records that have a wireless local area network frequency band that matches the wireless local area network frequency band of each of the first plurality of records and have the minimum difference.

8. The method according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein, Each record in the first plurality of records includes a wireless LAN frequency band, and each record in the second plurality of records includes a wireless LAN frequency band. The step of assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address includes: assigning the first hop repeater identifier to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address and the wireless LAN frequency band, and the step of identifying the record with the minimum difference in the first set of the second plurality of records includes: It is determined that no record in the first set of the second plurality of records has a wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency band that matches the WLAN frequency band of each of the first plurality of records, and Identify records in the first set of the second plurality of records that have a wireless LAN frequency band that does not match the wireless LAN frequency band of each of the first plurality of records and have the minimum difference.

9. The method according to claim 4 or claim 6, wherein, Each of the first plurality of records further includes a timestamp, and the weighted signal strength value is determined as the sum of each signal strength value multiplied by the weight factor of all records in the first plurality of records that have the MAC address, wherein the weight factor is determined as the count of unique timestamp values ​​in the first group of records in the first plurality of records that have the MAC address and signal strength value divided by the count of unique timestamp values ​​in the second group of records in the first plurality of records that have the MAC address.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following step: Based on the SSID associated with the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records, the root repeater identifier is assigned to each record in the first plurality of records that has the MAC address.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of: Determine the association between a single SSID in the second plurality of records and the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records. The assignment of the root repeater identifier to each record with the MAC address in the first plurality of records is based on the BSSID of the identified record in the second plurality of records.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of: The second set of the second plurality of records is determined to each include an SSID associated with the BSSID of the record identified in the second plurality of records; Identify the record with the largest signal strength value in the second set of the second plurality of records. The assignment of the root repeater identifier to each record with the MAC address in the first plurality of records is based on the BSSID of the record identified in the second set of the second plurality of records.

13. A computer-readable carrier medium comprising a computer program containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A data processing apparatus comprising a processor adapted to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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