Method, apparatus and device for evaluating network quality
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510278844.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-11
Smart Images

Figure CN122741979A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus and device for evaluating network quality. Background Technology
[0002] With the development of network technology, networks have been widely used in various fields. The requirements for network quality in these fields are also increasing.
[0003] To ensure the stable, secure, and efficient operation of a network, it is necessary to regularly test and evaluate network quality in order to continuously improve network quality, ensure network stability, and optimize service efficiency. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method to evaluate network quality. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This application provides a network quality assessment method, apparatus, and network equipment, which can assess network quality, ensure that the network can meet user needs, and improve business efficiency.
[0005] Firstly, this application provides a network quality assessment method, including:
[0006] Obtain indicator information; the indicator information corresponds to the first position.
[0007] Based on the indicator information, assess the network quality of the first position;
[0008] The indicator information is used to indicate at least one of the following:
[0009] The signal quality of the uplink frame, the number of uplink frames received by the access point (AP), and the signal quality of the downlink frame.
[0010] According to this application, by obtaining the indicator information corresponding to the first location, the network quality at the first location can be evaluated. This indicator information can be at least one of the following: uplink frame signal quality, the number of uplink frames received by the AP, and downlink frame signal quality. Thus, there is no need to set up an additional protocol for network quality evaluation. Compared to existing technologies where terminals must comply with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, this application reduces the constraints on terminals. Even in scenarios where terminals do not support LTE technology, such as industrial terminals, this application can evaluate network quality using existing frame-related indicator information, ensuring that the network meets user needs and improves service efficiency.
[0011] In one possible implementation, indicator information is carried in a message, which includes first information used to indicate a first position.
[0012] In this way, by using the first information, we can accurately determine the first position corresponding to the indicator information, thereby assessing the network quality at the first position.
[0013] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the sequence number of the message, and the first position is determined based on the sequence number;
[0014] Alternatively, the first information may include the coordinates of the first location;
[0015] Alternatively, the first information may include the timestamp of the terminal at the first location.
[0016] This improves the flexibility of determining the primary location, and by evaluating the network quality at the primary location in the network deployment space, it enables the evaluation of network quality at different locations in the space, thereby improving the accuracy of network operation and maintenance.
[0017] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame, the uplink frame is a frame in response by the terminal to a beacon frame sent by the AP, and the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the uplink frame, the received power of the uplink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the uplink frame received by the AP.
[0018] In this way, network quality can be evaluated through uplink frame metrics, eliminating the need for additional network quality evaluation protocols and reducing constraints on terminals.
[0019] In one possible implementation, the network quality at the first location is evaluated based on metric information, including:
[0020] The signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame is determined based on the indicator information of multiple uplink frames;
[0021] The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the beacon frame.
[0022] Among them, the APs receiving multiple uplink frames are different, and the backoff times of multiple APs are the same.
[0023] Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a beacon frame can reflect the risk of beacon frame collisions; when network quality is poor, the risk of beacon frame collisions is higher. Through the reciprocity of uplink frames and beacon frames, and by using the uplink frame's metrics, the SNR of the beacon frame can be determined, thereby assessing the network quality at the primary location, ensuring the network can meet user needs, and improving service efficiency.
[0024] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the downlink frame, the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the downlink frame, the received power of the downlink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame received by the terminal.
[0025] In this way, by directly obtaining the signal quality of downlink frames, the network quality can be evaluated based on the signal quality of downlink frames without the need to set an additional protocol for network quality evaluation, thus reducing the constraints on the terminal.
[0026] In one possible implementation, the network quality at the first location is evaluated based on metric information, including:
[0027] The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the downlink frames.
[0028] In cases where the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication or the received power of the downlink frame, the indicator information is used to determine the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame.
[0029] In this way, by directly obtaining the indicator information of downlink frames, network quality can be assessed, ensuring that the network can meet the needs of users and improve service efficiency.
[0030] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the number of uplink frames received, the uplink frame is a probe request frame. Based on the indicator information, the network quality at the first location is evaluated, including:
[0031] The number of APs whose number of probe request frames exceeds a threshold is determined based on the number of times each AP receives probe request frames.
[0032] The network quality of the first location is evaluated based on the quantity and quantity threshold.
[0033] Therefore, when the signal strength of the beacon frames sent by the AP is weak, the network quality degrades, and the terminal will perform a roaming scan. During the roaming scan, the terminal will continuously send probe request frames to the AP. Thus, by measuring the number of probe request frames received by the AP, the degree of weakness in the signal strength of the beacon frames sent by the AP can be assessed, thereby evaluating the network quality at the primary location, ensuring that the network can meet user needs, and improving service efficiency.
[0034] In one possible implementation, the indicator information also includes the sequence number of the uplink frame, and the method further includes:
[0035] Identify multiple second positions;
[0036] If the first information is the sequence number of the message, the first position is determined from the multiple second positions based on the sequence number of the message, the sequence number of the uplink frame, and multiple second positions;
[0037] Alternatively, if the first information is a timestamp, the first position is determined from the multiple second positions based on the timestamp and multiple second positions.
[0038] Alternatively, the first position can be determined from among the multiple second positions based on the order in which the messages are obtained and the multiple second positions.
[0039] In this way, multiple second locations are determined from the network deployment space, and the network quality at each second location is evaluated separately, thereby achieving fine-grained evaluation of network quality in the space.
[0040] In one possible implementation, multiple second positions are determined, including:
[0041] The first time period is the time interval at which the AP collects indicator information.
[0042] Obtain the terminal's movement speed;
[0043] Obtain the coordinates of the inspection route in space;
[0044] Based on the first time period, movement speed, and coordinates of the inspection route, multiple second locations are determined from the inspection route.
[0045] In one possible implementation, the method also includes:
[0046] The system sends the moving speed and the coordinates of the inspection route in space to the terminal, so that the terminal can move along the inspection route at the moving speed according to the coordinates of the inspection route in space.
[0047] In one possible implementation, the method also includes:
[0048] Send a first time period to the AP so that the AP can sample the uplink frames sent by the terminal based on the first time period.
[0049] In one possible implementation, the method also includes:
[0050] Visualize network quality;
[0051] The methods for visualizing network quality include at least the following:
[0052] On the electronic map of the space where the network is located, multiple indicator values at the first location are displayed;
[0053] Alternatively, on an electronic map, the relative changes between indicator values at multiple first locations can be displayed;
[0054] Alternatively, the network quality can be displayed on an electronic map;
[0055] The indicators include at least the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame, the number of probe request frames, and the signal strength of the beacon frame.
[0056] This allows for visualization of network quality at different locations within the network deployment space, improving the convenience of network operation and maintenance.
[0057] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a network quality assessment device, comprising:
[0058] The acquisition module is used to acquire indicator information, which corresponds to the first position.
[0059] The evaluation module is used to evaluate the network quality at the first location based on indicator information;
[0060] The indicator information is used to indicate at least one of the following:
[0061] The signal quality of the uplink frame, the number of uplink frames received by the access point (AP), and the signal quality of the downlink frame.
[0062] According to this application, by obtaining the indicator information corresponding to the first location, the network quality at the first location can be evaluated. This indicator information can be at least one of the following: uplink frame signal quality, the number of uplink frames received by the AP, and downlink frame signal quality. Thus, there is no need to set up an additional protocol for network quality evaluation. Compared to existing technologies where terminals must comply with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, this application reduces the constraints on terminals. Even in scenarios where terminals do not support LTE technology, such as industrial terminals, this application can evaluate network quality using existing frame-related indicator information, ensuring that the network meets user needs and improves service efficiency.
[0063] In one possible implementation, indicator information is carried in a message, which includes first information used to indicate a first position.
[0064] In this way, by using the first information, we can accurately determine the first position corresponding to the indicator information, thereby assessing the network quality at the first position.
[0065] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the sequence number of the message, and the first position is determined based on the sequence number;
[0066] Alternatively, the first information may include the coordinates of the first location;
[0067] Alternatively, the first information may include the timestamp of when the terminal traveled to the first location.
[0068] This improves the flexibility of determining the primary location, and by evaluating the network quality at the primary location in the network deployment space, it enables the evaluation of network quality at different locations in the space, thereby improving the accuracy of network operation and maintenance.
[0069] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame, the uplink frame is a frame in response by the terminal to a beacon frame sent by the AP, and the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the uplink frame, the received power of the uplink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the uplink frame received by the AP.
[0070] In this way, network quality can be evaluated through uplink frame metrics, eliminating the need for additional network quality evaluation protocols and reducing constraints on terminals.
[0071] In one possible implementation, the evaluation module is used for:
[0072] The signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame is determined based on the indicator information of multiple uplink frames;
[0073] The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the beacon frame.
[0074] Among them, the APs receiving multiple uplink frames are different, and the backoff times of multiple APs are the same.
[0075] Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a beacon frame can reflect the risk of beacon frame collisions; when network quality is poor, the risk of beacon frame collisions is higher. Through the reciprocity of uplink frames and beacon frames, and by using the uplink frame's metrics, the SNR of the beacon frame can be determined, thereby assessing the network quality at the primary location, ensuring the network can meet user needs, and improving service efficiency.
[0076] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the downlink frame, the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the downlink frame, the received power of the downlink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame received by the terminal.
[0077] In this way, by directly obtaining the signal quality of downlink frames, the network quality can be evaluated based on the signal quality of downlink frames without the need to set an additional protocol for network quality evaluation, thus reducing the constraints on the terminal.
[0078] In one possible implementation, the evaluation module is used for:
[0079] The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the downlink frames.
[0080] In cases where the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication or the received power of the downlink frame, the indicator information is used to determine the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame.
[0081] In this way, by directly obtaining the indicator information of downlink frames, network quality can be assessed, ensuring that the network can meet the needs of users and improve service efficiency.
[0082] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the number of uplink frames received, the uplink frame is a probe request frame, and the evaluation module is used to:
[0083] The number of APs whose number of probe request frames exceeds a threshold is determined based on the number of times each AP receives probe request frames.
[0084] The network quality of the first location is evaluated based on the quantity and quantity threshold.
[0085] Therefore, when the signal strength of the beacon frames sent by the AP is weak, the network quality degrades, and the terminal will perform a roaming scan. During the roaming scan, the terminal will continuously send probe request frames to the AP. Thus, by measuring the number of probe request frames received by the AP, the degree of weakness in the signal strength of the beacon frames sent by the AP can be assessed, thereby evaluating the network quality at the primary location, ensuring that the network can meet user needs, and improving service efficiency.
[0086] In one possible implementation, the indicator information also includes the sequence number of the uplink frame, and the device further includes:
[0087] The first determining module is used to determine multiple second positions;
[0088] The second determining module is used to determine the first position from multiple second positions based on the sequence number of the message, the sequence number of the uplink frame, and multiple second positions when the first information is the sequence number of the message.
[0089] Alternatively, if the first information is a timestamp, the first position is determined from the multiple second positions based on the timestamp and multiple second positions.
[0090] Alternatively, the first position can be determined from among the multiple second positions based on the order in which the messages are obtained and the multiple second positions.
[0091] In this way, multiple second locations are determined from the network deployment space, and the network quality at each second location is evaluated separately, thereby achieving fine-grained evaluation of network quality in the space.
[0092] In one possible implementation, the first determining module is used for:
[0093] The first time period is the time interval at which the AP collects indicator information.
[0094] Obtain the terminal's movement speed;
[0095] Obtain the coordinates of the inspection route in space;
[0096] Based on the first time period, movement speed, and coordinates of the inspection route, the coordinates of multiple second locations are determined from the inspection route.
[0097] In one possible implementation, the device further includes:
[0098] The sending module is used to send the moving speed and the coordinates of the inspection route in space to the terminal, so that the terminal can move along the inspection route at the moving speed according to the coordinates of the inspection route in space.
[0099] In one possible implementation, the device further includes:
[0100] The sending module is used to send a first time period to the AP so that the AP can sample the uplink frames sent by the terminal based on the first time period.
[0101] In one possible implementation, the device further includes:
[0102] The visualization module is used to visualize network quality.
[0103] The methods for visualizing network quality include at least the following:
[0104] On the electronic map of the space where the network is located, multiple indicator values at the first location are displayed;
[0105] Alternatively, on an electronic map, the relative changes between indicator values at multiple first locations can be displayed;
[0106] Alternatively, the network quality can be displayed on an electronic map;
[0107] The indicators include at least the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame, the number of probe request frames, and the signal strength of the beacon frame.
[0108] This allows for visualization of network quality at different locations within the network deployment space, improving the convenience of network operation and maintenance.
[0109] Thirdly, this application provides a network quality assessment device, comprising: at least one memory for storing a program; and at least one processor for executing the program stored in the memory, wherein when the program stored in the memory is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect.
[0110] Fourthly, this application provides a network quality assessment apparatus that executes computer program instructions to perform the method provided in the first aspect. For example, the apparatus may be a chip or a processor.
[0111] In one example, the device may include a processor that can be coupled to memory, read instructions from the memory, and execute the methods provided in the first aspect according to those instructions. The memory may be integrated into the chip or processor, or it may be independent of the chip or processor.
[0112] Fifthly, this application provides a computer storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method provided in the first aspect.
[0113] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method provided in the first aspect. Attached Figure Description
[0114] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a co-frequency networking method provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0115] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a campus network provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0116] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a network quality assessment system provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0117] Figure 4 This is an architecture diagram of another network quality assessment system provided in the embodiments of this application;
[0118] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of a network quality assessment method provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0119] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the distribution of APs in an office space, as provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0120] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining multiple second positions provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0121] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an inspection route provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0122] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the first position corresponding to indicator information provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0123] Figure 10 This is an exemplary schematic diagram of a network quality assessment provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0124] Figure 11 This is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a network quality visualization provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0125] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network quality assessment device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0126] Figure 13This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network quality assessment device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0127] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0128] First, the technical terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained in detail.
[0129] Access Controller (AC): The core device of a wireless network, used for centralized control and management of access points (APs) within a wireless local area network (WLAN). By centrally managing APs, the AC achieves balanced allocation and effective isolation of wireless network resources, improving the performance and manageability of the entire wireless network.
[0130] Basic Service Set (BSS): A logical entity in a wireless network, consisting of an access point (e.g., AP) and several associated stations (STAs). These stations can communicate wirelessly within the BSS or connect to other networks via the AP.
[0131] Service Set Identifier (SSID): The name of a wireless network (such as Wi-Fi). The SSID is used to distinguish different wireless networks and allows wireless devices (such as mobile phones, laptops, etc.) to identify and connect to the correct network. Each wireless network has a unique SSID, which is typically set by the network administrator when configuring access points (APs) or wireless routers.
[0132] Workstation (STA): A STA is a fundamental component of a WLAN, referring to a wireless terminal device equipped with a wireless network card. These devices support the 802.11 standard, enabling them to communicate with other devices or networks via wireless network signals. They serve as the direct interaction point between the user and the WLAN. Common STA devices include mobile phones, laptops, and tablets. In some scenarios, such as industrial settings, STA devices include RFID readers, wireless sensors, actuators, machine tools, and conveyor equipment. In the medical field, STA devices include handheld terminals.
[0133] Single Frequency Network (SFN): In a SFN, multiple access points (APs) operate on the same channel. For example, in one deployment, each AP has the same Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID). When a STA switches between different APs, the BSSID remains unchanged. Therefore, the STA does not experience roaming during movement, achieving a "zero roaming" effect.
[0134] For example, such as Figure 1 The illustrated co-frequency network includes an AC, AP1, and AP2. The AC centrally handles security, control, and management functions. AP1 and AP2 perform wireless radio frequency access functions, such as wireless signal transmission and detection response, data encryption and decryption, and network quality assessment. AP1, AP2, and the AC communicate using the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points Protocol Specification (CAPWAP), and communication between APs and the AC can span Layer 2 or Layer 3 networks. AP1 and AP2 share the same BSSID, BSSID1. STAs accessing the network through AP1 include STA1, STA2, and STA3, while those accessing through AP2 include STA4, STA5, and STA6. When STA2 moves from the coverage area of AP1 to the coverage area of AP2, there is no roaming awareness on STA2's side because AP1 and AP2 share the same BSSID.
[0135] For example, in another deployment method, each AP has multiple BSSIDs, but each STA is associated with a unique BSSID. That is, multiple APs use the same BSSID to provide services to the same STA. Therefore, when a STA switches between different APs, the BSSID associated with the STA remains unchanged. For the STA, no roaming occurs during the movement, thus achieving the effect of "zero roaming".
[0136] Beacon frames: A type of management frame that is periodically sent in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs. Beacon frames are primarily used to announce the existence of a network; the periodically sent beacon frames inform STAs of the network's existence, allowing them to choose whether to connect.
[0137] Probe Request Frame: A frame initiated by the STA to scan for IEEE 802.11 compliant networks within its area.
[0138] WLANs have been widely adopted due to their high mobility, ease of deployment, and scalability, for example, in industrial and medical fields. To ensure stable, secure, and efficient network operation, regular network quality testing and evaluation are necessary to continuously improve network quality, ensure network stability, and optimize service efficiency.
[0139] For example, such as Figure 1 In the co-frequency network shown, because multiple APs have the same BSSID or multiple APs assign the same BSSID to the same STA, the STA can receive beacon frames sent by multiple APs, and the BSSID indicated by each beacon frame sent by each AP is the same. Therefore, in co-frequency networking, when multiple APs send beacon frames simultaneously, signal superposition interference may occur between the multiple beacon frames, ultimately causing the STA to be unable to identify the existence of any AP, or the beacon frame signal strength to be weak. In both cases, the network will experience many problems, such as frequent beacon frame loss or weak beacon frame signal strength, making the network difficult to discover or connect to. Furthermore, because the STA cannot receive the AP's beacon frames in time or the beacon frame signal strength is weak, the STA may frequently switch or reconnect to APs in the network, which increases the network load and reduces overall stability. In application scenarios requiring high stability, such as online games and real-time video transmission, this may cause even more serious network problems. Moreover, APs will also increase the frequency of sending beacon frames to attempt to establish connections with the STA, increasing the wireless channel occupancy rate and reducing the network's effective bandwidth. In situations with limited channel resources, this may cause network congestion. In addition, the loss of beacon frames or the weak signal strength of beacon frames can also increase potential security risks to the network.
[0140] For example, in heterogeneous frequency networking, when network quality issues occur, the number of times terminals roam increases.
[0141] Therefore, after the network is deployed, it is necessary to conduct network inspections to determine the network quality, and then perform network maintenance based on the network quality.
[0142] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and device for evaluating network quality. In this method, uplink frame indicator information is acquired, which indicates the signal quality of the uplink frame. Since the uplink frame is transmitted by the terminal at a first location, the network quality at the first location can be evaluated based on the uplink frame indicator information. Thus, network quality evaluation can be achieved based on uplink frames, ensuring that the network meets user needs and improving service efficiency.
[0143] First, we will introduce the application scenarios of the embodiments of this application.
[0144] This application provides a campus network, which can be a co-frequency network or a hetero-frequency network, etc. Taking a co-frequency network as an example, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the campus network comprises a three-layer network consisting of multiple interconnected network devices, including a core switch, aggregation switches, and access switches. The Access Control Unit (AC) uses this three-layer network to control and manage multiple Access Points (APs) within the campus network. Figure 2 In the illustrated campus network topology, the AC is deployed in a side-mounted configuration, meaning it's mounted next to the core switch. In one scenario, the AC can be deployed directly between the APs and the aggregation / core switch. The AC manages and controls the APs. Each AP can wirelessly communicate with multiple STAs, enabling them to access the network. The campus network may also include a network management system for managing the network. The campus network connects to the internet via a gateway.
[0145] In some embodiments, the AP can also be connected to computing devices, such as computers or servers, so that the STA can communicate with the computing devices through the AP, such as the STA uploading data to the computer or server.
[0146] Optionally, the campus network can be an industrial network, which also includes multiple industrial devices. These industrial devices access the network via APs, thereby communicating with the multiple network devices. The industrial devices can be industrial controllers or industrial actuators. The industrial controller can be a programmable logic controller (PLC), a distributed control system (DCS), or an industrial personal computer (IPC), or a computer or server with industrial control software installed. The industrial controller is sometimes also referred to as the master station. The industrial actuator can be an actuator, sensor, machine tool, conveyor, input / output (I / O) station, servo drive, frequency converter, etc. The industrial actuator can perform industrial operations under the control of the industrial controller, and can also acquire data and report data to the industrial controller. Compared to the industrial controller, the industrial actuator is sometimes also referred to as a slave station. In this application, the multiple industrial devices include an industrial controller and industrial actuators. The industrial controller can be used to control the industrial actuators, and the industrial actuators can be used to perform industrial operations under the control of the industrial controller. These industrial operations include, but are not limited to, information acquisition, material conveying, motor rotation, etc. For example, this industrial network encompasses scenarios such as industrial automation, process automation, discrete automation, and motion control. The industrial controller controls sensors to collect information, executes algorithms based on the sensor data to obtain instructions to be executed, and then sends these instructions to the actuators. The actuators then perform industrial operations (such as controlling motor rotation) according to these instructions. Communication between the industrial controller and the industrial actuator is also known as C2D (controller-to-device) communication. Furthermore, industrial controllers can also communicate with each other; this communication is also known as C2C (controller-to-controller) communication or M2M (machine-to-machine) communication.
[0147] The above is an introduction to the application scenarios of this application. The following is a description of the system implementation of this application.
[0148] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a network quality assessment system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3As shown, the network quality assessment system includes AP301, STA302, and device 303. The network quality assessment system comprises multiple APs 301. Each AP301 can communicate with at least one STA302, enabling the STA302 to access the network. Device 303 can be a device with at least computing and storage resources, such as a server, industrial controller, or computer.
[0149] Specifically, as STA302 moves within a site (such as a business park, hospital, or industrial park), it can send uplink frames to AP301 from different locations, enabling AP301 to obtain the corresponding indicator information. This indicator information reflects the signal quality of the uplink frame. Since the uplink frame is sent by STA302 from a specific location, after AP301 sends the corresponding indicator information to device 303, device 303 can determine the network quality at that location based on the indicator information.
[0150] In this embodiment, device 303 can be a network device, computing device, or network management system capable of communicating with multiple APs 301. For example, the network device can be an AP, AC, or other similar device. The computing device can be a server, computer, or other similar device. Device 303 can communicate with multiple APs 301 through the campus network, thereby receiving the indicator information corresponding to the uplink frames sent by the APs 301.
[0151] In this embodiment, STA301 can move under the control of device 303. For example, device 303 can send the coordinates of the moving speed and the moving route to STA301, so that STA301 can move along the moving route according to the moving speed based on the coordinates of the moving route. Alternatively, a user can carry STA301 for movement. STA301 can be an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch. STA301 can also be an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV), intelligent robot, handheld terminal, or mobile payment terminal. The specific STA can be selected according to actual needs, and this embodiment does not impose specific limitations on it.
[0152] The above is the architecture of the network quality assessment system provided in the embodiments of this application, based on Figure 3 The architecture of the network quality assessment system shown can be divided into multiple modules at the software level in some embodiments. For example... Figure 4As shown, at the software level, the network quality assessment system provided in this application embodiment includes a route sampling point generation module 401, a data reporting module 402, and an assessment module 403. The route sampling point generation module 401 is deployed in device 303 and is used to sample the route of STA 302 as it moves through the site to obtain multiple sampling points. The data reporting module 402 is deployed in AP 301 and is used to determine the uplink frame index information of STA 302 based on the data sent by STA 302 during its movement through the site and report it to the assessment module 403. The assessment module 403 is used to assess network quality based on the received index information.
[0153] In some embodiments, the network quality assessment system further includes a visualization module and an alarm module at the software level. The visualization module and alarm module can be deployed in device 303. The visualization module is used to mark the performance corresponding to each sampling point on a digital map of the site, thereby making the network inspection results visible. The alarm module is used to issue alarms for sampling points with abnormal results and prompt users to maintain the network, thereby preventing network quality degradation and its impact on the site.
[0154] The following describes in detail the network quality assessment method provided in this application based on the network quality assessment system provided in the embodiments of this application.
[0155] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a network quality assessment method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the network quality assessment method provided in this application includes the following steps S501 to S502.
[0156] S501, obtain indicator information, the indicator information corresponds to the first position.
[0157] The indicator information is determined by the AP. After determining the indicator information, the AP sends the indicator information to the computing device.
[0158] In some embodiments, the indicator information is the indicator information of the uplink frame. The uplink frame is the frame sent by the terminal to the AP.
[0159] As one possible implementation, uplink frame metrics are used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame. In one possible implementation, the AP sends downlink frames to the terminal, and the terminal sends uplink frames to the AP based on the received downlink frames. Uplink frames can be data frames. For example, data frames can be NULL frames (Quality of Service, QoS) empty frames, No Data frames, etc.
[0160] The uplink frame is sent by the terminal to the access point (AP) at the first location. The indicator information corresponding to the uplink frame can be information about relevant indicators of the uplink frame when the AP receives it, such as the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), the received power of the AP when receiving the uplink frame, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the received uplink frame. When the AP receives the uplink frame, it can determine the indicator information. As one possible implementation, the AP carries the uplink frame indicator information in a message and then sends the message to the computing device. After parsing the message, the computing device can obtain the uplink frame indicator information.
[0161] As another possible implementation, the uplink frame's indicator information is used to indicate the number of probe request frames received by the AP. A probe request frame is an uplink frame sent by a terminal to the AP. By sending a probe request frame to the AP, the terminal can actively discover the AP. The AP can count the number of probe request frames received within a certain period. For example, the AP carries the number of probe request frames in a message and then sends the message to the computing device. The computing device parses the message to obtain the number of probe request frames.
[0162] In other embodiments, the indicator information is the indicator information of the beacon frame, which is used to indicate the signal quality of the beacon frame. For example, the indicator information may include the RSSI of the beacon frame, the received power when the terminal receives the beacon frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame. The indicator information of the beacon frame is carried in the uplink frame. For example, when the AP sends a beacon frame to the terminal, the terminal carries the indicator information of the beacon frame in the uplink frame and sends the uplink frame back to the AP. The uplink frame can be a data frame or a management frame. For example, a data frame can be a Quality of Service (QoS) null frame, a No Data frame, etc.
[0163] When the access point (AP) receives an uplink frame, it parses the uplink frame to obtain the beacon frame's indicator information. One possible implementation is that the AP includes the uplink frame's indicator information in a message and then sends the message to the computing device. The computing device then parses the message to obtain the beacon frame's indicator information.
[0164] S502 assesses the network quality at the first location based on the indicator information.
[0165] There are many phenomena that reflect network quality, such as the probability of beacon frame collisions, the probability of weak beacon frame signal strength, and roaming by terminals. Different indicators reflect different phenomena.
[0166] In some embodiments, when the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame, the computing device determines the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the uplink frame based on the indicator information. Based on the reciprocity between the SNR of the beacon frame and the SNR of the uplink frame, the computing device can determine the SNR of the beacon frame at the first location based on the SNR of the uplink frame. The computing device evaluates the network quality at the first location based on the SNR of the beacon frame at the first location and an SNR threshold. For example, when the SNR of the beacon frame at the first location is less than the SNR threshold, it indicates that the network quality at the first location is poor and requires maintenance. For example, adjusting the power of relevant APs around the first location. The SNR threshold can be set according to actual conditions, and this embodiment does not specifically limit it.
[0167] In other embodiments, when the indicator information is the indicator information of a beacon frame, the computing device can determine the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the beacon frame at the first location based on the beacon frame's indicator information. The computing device then evaluates the network quality at the first location based on the SNR of the beacon frame at the first location and an SNR threshold.
[0168] In some other embodiments, when the indicator information is the number of probe request frames, the computing device evaluates the network quality at the first location based on the number of probe request frames and a threshold number. For example, if the number of probe request frames received by the AP from the first location exceeds the threshold number, it is considered that among the multiple beacon frames sent by the AP, there are more beacon frames with weak signal strength, indicating low network quality and requiring network maintenance.
[0169] In the above embodiments, it is necessary to determine the first position, that is, to determine the position of the terminal when the AP determines the indicator information. The implementation method for determining the first position will be described in detail below.
[0170] In some embodiments, the AP sends indicator information to the computing device via a message. The message carries first information indicating a first location corresponding to the indicator information. Based on the first information, the computing device can determine the first location corresponding to the indicator information.
[0171] As one possible implementation, the first information could be the coordinates of a first location. For example, while the terminal is moving, it can collect the coordinates of the first location and include them in an uplink frame, which is then sent to the access point (AP). The AP then sends the coordinates of the first location corresponding to the uplink frame to the computing device. In this way, the computing device can determine the first location corresponding to the indicator information.
[0172] For example, such as Figure 6The image shows a digital map of part of the company's office space. AP001 to AP017 are deployed in the space. Specifically, AP001 to AP004 are deployed in office area 1, AP005 in meeting room 1, AP006 in the lounge, AP007 in the stairwell, AP008 in restroom 1, AP009 in restroom 2, AP010 in office area 2, AP011 in the corridor outside the stairwell, AP012 to AP014 in laboratory equipment room 2, AP015 in meeting room 2, and AP016 and AP017 in laboratory equipment room 1.
[0173] During the user's handheld terminal movement from the lounge to meeting room 1, AP005 receives uplink frame 011, AP006 receives uplink frame 021, and AP007 receives uplink frame 031. Uplink frames 011, 021, and 031 are the same uplink frame sent by the terminal. The coordinates carried in uplink frames 011 to 031 are (x1, y1). AP005 sends the indicator information and first position coordinates of uplink frame 011 to the computing device; AP006 sends the indicator information and first position coordinates of uplink frame 021 to the computing device; and AP007 sends the indicator information and first position coordinates of uplink frame 031 to the computing device.
[0174] As another possible implementation, the first information could be a timestamp, such as the timestamp of the terminal at its first location. For example, this timestamp could be the timestamp when the terminal sent an uplink frame. The timestamp can be carried within the uplink frame. The AP determines the timestamp when the terminal sent the uplink frame by parsing it. Yet another example is that the timestamp is the timestamp when the AP received the uplink frame. In this way, the AP sends the timestamp to the computing device, which determines the first location based on the timestamp and the terminal's moving speed.
[0175] As another possible implementation, the first information could be the sequence number of the message and the sequence number of the uplink frame. In this case, the computing device can pre-determine the terminal's movement route and determine the coordinates of multiple first positions along the movement route. The computing device can determine the coordinates of the first position corresponding to the uplink frame based on the message sequence number, the uplink frame sequence number, and the coordinates of the multiple first positions pre-determined along the movement route, thereby determining the first position corresponding to the uplink frame.
[0176] In this implementation, prior to S501, the computing device can predetermine multiple second locations. For example, as shown... Figure 7 As shown, the method for determining multiple second positions provided in the embodiments of this application includes the following steps S701 to S705.
[0177] S701, the computing device acquires a digital map of the site that needs to be inspected.
[0178] The digital map of the site can be pre-configured in the computing device or uploaded by the user to the computing device.
[0179] S702, the computing device determines the location information of the movement route, wherein the location information includes the starting point, ending point and turning point of the movement route.
[0180] Users can specify the terminal's movement route within the site through the computing device, thereby enabling the computing device to determine the location information of the movement route.
[0181] For example, with Figure 6 For example, the digital map shown below, such as Figure 8 As shown, the starting point of the user-specified movement route is (x1, y1), the ending point is (x2, y2), and the turning point is (x3, y3).
[0182] S703, the computing device determines the terminal's driving speed and the first time period for AP data collection.
[0183] The AP is equipped with a data acquisition timer, which collects data according to the first time period of the timer. In other words, the AP collects data once the data acquisition timer is triggered. The user can specify the terminal's driving speed and the first time period through the computing device. It should be noted that the terminal's driving speed and the first time period can be set according to actual conditions, and this application embodiment does not impose specific limitations.
[0184] S704, the computing device determines the spacing between sampling points based on the terminal's driving speed and the first time period.
[0185] The product of the terminal's speed and the first time period is the distance between sampling points.
[0186] S705, the computing device determines the sampling points on the moving route based on the spacing between sampling points.
[0187] One possible implementation is to divide the movement route into several segments based on the location information of the movement route, and determine the sampling points on each segment according to the spacing between sampling points. During the sampling process, the coordinates of the route segment on one coordinate axis remain unchanged, while sampling points are determined along the other coordinate axis.
[0188] For example, such as Figure 8The shown movement route can be divided into two segments: route segment 1 and route segment 2. Route segment 1 starts at (x1, y1) and ends at (x3, y3); route segment 2 starts at (x3, y3) and ends at (x2, y2). For route segment 1, the x-coordinates of multiple sampling points remain unchanged, and sampling is performed along the y-coordinate to obtain sampling points 1 to 3. For route segment 2, the y-coordinates of multiple sampling points remain unchanged, and sampling is performed along the x-coordinate to obtain sampling points 4 to 15. Here, the sampling points mentioned in the above implementation are the second positions, and the coordinates of the sampling points are the coordinates of the second positions.
[0189] The computing device can store multiple sampling points in chronological order based on the starting position of the movement route.
[0190] It should be noted that, Figure 7 The implementation methods described in the corresponding embodiments are merely illustrative examples. In practical applications, other means can also be used to achieve the same result, and this application does not specifically limit the implementation methods in this regard.
[0191] After determining the coordinates of multiple second locations, the computing device can send control signals to the terminal, instructing the terminal to move according to the designated route, thereby determining the network quality at each second location. In this process, the computing device needs to determine the first location corresponding to the indicator information from among the multiple second locations. The following section details the implementation method of the computing device determining the first location corresponding to the indicator information.
[0192] like Figure 9 As shown, the method by which the computing device determines the first position corresponding to the indicator information includes the following steps S901 to S906.
[0193] S901, the computing device sends a control signal to the terminal.
[0194] S902, the terminal travels along the moving route and at the driving speed according to the control signal.
[0195] For example, a user sends a control signal to the terminal via a computing device, causing the terminal to travel along a designated route. The control signal includes the terminal's speed and the location information of the route. In this way, the terminal can travel along the route and at the specified speed.
[0196] S903, AP determines indicator information based on the first time period.
[0197] In some embodiments, when the indicator information is the indicator information of an uplink frame, the terminal can send an uplink frame to the AP while moving.
[0198] As one possible implementation, the AP can send beacon frames to the terminal while the terminal is moving. Upon receiving the beacon frames, the terminal can then send uplink frames to the AP. The AP can then store the uplink frame's information.
[0199] During operation, the terminal continuously sends uplink frames to the access point (AP). The AP samples these uplink frames from multiple received frames according to a first time period. To ensure that the uplink frames collected by the AP are those sent by the terminal at the first location, a data acquisition timer is deployed in the AP. When the data acquisition timer is triggered, the AP collects the uplink frame closest to the trigger time from multiple uplink frames and then determines the metric information of the collected uplink frame. The period for triggering the data acquisition timer is the first time period. Since the distance between sampling points and the terminal's speed are determined by the first time period, the AP collects uplink frames according to the first time period, ensuring a one-to-one correspondence between uplink frames and sampling points.
[0200] As another possible implementation, when the uplink frame is a probe request frame, the terminal can send a probe request frame to the AP during its movement. The AP can count the number of probe request frames received. When the data acquisition timer is triggered, the AP determines the number of probe request frames received within the first time period. Since the distance between sampling points and the terminal's speed are determined by the first time period, counting the number of probe request frames received by the AP according to the first time period ensures that the indicator information corresponds to the first position. For example, the AP can deploy a counter, which increments by 1 for each probe request frame received. When the data acquisition timer is triggered, the AP determines the number indicated by the counter, which is the number of probe request frames received by the AP within the first time period. At the same time, the counter is reset to zero and starts counting again.
[0201] Optionally, in some scenarios, such as when a user needs to evaluate network quality through their terminal, multiple terminals exist in the network. To enable the computing device to identify which of these terminals will be used in the network evaluation system, the terminal designated for network quality evaluation sends a notification message to the computing device. The computing device then sends this notification message to the access point (AP), allowing the AP to determine that the terminal is used for network quality evaluation. For example, the notification message may carry the terminal's identifier, such as its MAC address. Thus, the AP can identify the terminal used for network quality evaluation from among the multiple terminals using its MAC address, thereby counting the number of probe request frames sent by that terminal to the AP.
[0202] As another possible implementation, the AP can implement both of the above methods in parallel. When the AP receives an uplink frame, it parses the frame to determine if it is a probe request frame. If so, a counter in the AP is incremented to count the number of probe request frames received. If not, the AP stores the uplink frame's metrics. When the data acquisition timer is triggered, the AP determines the number of probe request frames received and the signal quality of the uplink frame, and the AP determines the uplink frame's metrics according to a first time period.
[0203] In some embodiments, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal strength of uplink frames, the AP can also determine the sequence number of the uplink frames, thereby determining the order in which multiple uplink frames are sent to the AP by the terminal. The AP stores the indicator information and the sequence number of the uplink frames in correspondence. When the data reporting timer is triggered, the AP sends the indicator information and the sequence number of the uplink frames to the computing device, thereby improving the accuracy of network inspection.
[0204] For example, the terminal is an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV). As the AGV moves along the designated path, AP005 to AP008 collect uplink frames uploaded by the AGV. Taking, for example, an uplink frame that is the AGV's response to a beacon frame. Figure 8 As shown, when the AGV moves to sampling point 1, AP005 receives uplink frame 011, AP006 receives uplink frame 021, AP007 receives uplink frame 031, and AP008 receives uplink frame 041. Thus, the index information of the uplink frames stored by AP005 to AP008 is shown in Table 1.
[0205] Table 1
[0206]
[0207] When the AGV reaches sampling point 2, AP005 receives uplink frame 012, AP006 receives uplink frame 022, AP007 receives uplink frame 032, and AP008 receives uplink frame 042. When the AGV reaches sampling point 3, AP005 receives uplink frame 013, AP006 receives uplink frame 023, AP007 receives uplink frame 033, and AP008 receives uplink frame 043. When the AGV reaches sampling point 4, AP005 receives uplink frame 014, AP006 receives uplink frame 024, AP007 receives uplink frame 034, and AP008 receives uplink frame 044. Thus, the index information of the uplink frames stored by AP005 to AP008 is shown in Table 2.
[0208] Table 2
[0209]
[0210] For example, taking Table 1 as an example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the AGV travels from the starting point to sampling point 1. AP005 receives 80 probe request frames, AP006 receives 69, AP007 receives 73, and AP008 receives 76. Based on this, the uplink frame index information stored by AP005 to AP008 is shown in Table 3.
[0211] Table 3
[0212]
[0213] In other embodiments, the AP can store the uplink frame index information in the order in which the AP receives the uplink frames. Thus, when the AP sends the uplink frame index information to the computing device in the order in which the AP receives the uplink frames, the computing device can determine the first position corresponding to the uplink frame.
[0214] S904, the AP sends uplink frame indicator information to the computing device.
[0215] After determining the indicator information, the AP sends the indicator information to the computing device. The AP can include the indicator information in a message, which it then forwards to the computing device.
[0216] Optionally, the AP may also send its identity identifier to the computing device. For example, the AP may include its identity identifier in the message. In some embodiments, the AP's identity identifier may be represented by its Media Access Control (MAC) address or IP address. Optionally, the AP may not send its identity identifier, and the computing device may determine the AP's identity identifier based on the message's source address.
[0217] To reduce the data reporting frequency, the AP is equipped with a data reporting timer. When the timer is triggered, the AP sends uplink frame indicator information to the computing device. The trigger period of the data reporting timer is a second time period. As one possible implementation, the second time period can be the same as the first time period. Alternatively, to further reduce the data reporting frequency, the second time period can be N times the first time period, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. In this way, the AP can report indicator information from uplink frames sampled at multiple sampling points. It is understood that in this embodiment, multiple APs have the same first time period and the same second time period.
[0218] In some embodiments, the AP sends uplink frame indicator information to the computing device in the form of messages. For example, the messages can be User Datagram Protocol (UDP) messages, Internet Protocol (IP) messages, Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) messages, or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) messages. The messages may also carry a sequence number, allowing the computing device to distinguish the order in which multiple messages were sent by the AP. Alternatively, the computing device can distinguish the order in which multiple messages were sent by the AP based on the order in which they were received.
[0219] As one possible implementation, when the first time period and the second time period are the same, the message can carry one indicator information. For example, taking the AP's ability to simultaneously send the uplink frame signal quality and the number of probe request frames to the computing device as an example, the uplink frame indicator information stored by AP005 to AP008 is shown in Table 3. In Table 3, each AP stores the uplink frame RSSI and the number of probe request frames received by the AP. Therefore, the AP can simultaneously send the uplink frame RSSI, the uplink frame sequence number, the AP's backoff time, and the number of probe request frames received by the AP to the computing device. When the data reporting timer in AP005 to AP008 is triggered, the information contained in the messages reported by AP005 to AP008 is shown in Table 4.
[0220] Table 4
[0221]
[0222] As another possible implementation, the second time period is N times the first time period, so the message can carry N indicator information. For example, the second time period is twice the first time period, and the indicator information of the uplink frames stored by AP005 to AP008 within the two first time periods is shown in Table 5.
[0223] Table 5
[0224]
[0225]
[0226] Based on Table 5, AP005 to AP008 respectively report messages to the computing device. These messages include the uplink frame identifier, the uplink frame RSSI, the uplink frame sequence number, and the number of probe request frames. In some embodiments, the message may also include the AP's identity and the AP's backoff time. For example, the information contained in the message is shown in Table 6.
[0227] Table 6
[0228]
[0229] S905: After receiving messages from different APs, the computing device parses the messages to obtain the uplink frame's indicator information.
[0230] The metrics information received by the computing device from the uplink frames is shown in Table 3. Based on the metrics information from the uplink frames, the network quality at the sampling points is determined.
[0231] S906, the computing device sorts the messages sent by each AP and determines the first position corresponding to the uplink frame.
[0232] In some embodiments, the computing device sorts the messages according to the order in which they are received.
[0233] In other embodiments, the message can carry a sequence number, so that the computing device can determine the order in which the messages sent by the AP are based on the sequence number of the message.
[0234] For example, the AP receives messages B11 and B12 from AP005. Message B11 has a sequence number of 2401, and message B12 has a sequence number of 2402. Therefore, for messages sent by AP005, the order of message B11 is 1, and the order of message B12 is 2. The computing device receives messages B21 and B22 from AP006. Message B21 has a sequence number of 3897, and message B22 has a sequence number of 3898. Therefore, for messages sent by AP006, the order of message B21 is 1, and the order of message B22 is 2. Messages with the same order correspond to the same sampling point.
[0235] After the mobile route inspection is completed, the computing device determines the sampling point corresponding to each uplink frame based on the order of all messages and the order of uplink frames.
[0236] In some embodiments, the message may also carry the sequence number of the uplink frames, as shown in Table 6. The computing device determines the order of the uplink frames based on the sequence number. Alternatively, the AP may sort the uplink frames according to their order and include them in the message; the order of the uplink frames in the message indicates the overall order of the uplink frames.
[0237] A message may correspond to at least one sampling point. When a message corresponds to multiple sampling points, the computing device determines the order of each uplink frame based on its sequence number, and thus determines the corresponding sampling point. For example, for messages sent by AP005 to AP008, the information carried by the message with sequence number 1 is shown in Table 6. Uplink frames 011, 021, 031, and 041 all have sequence numbers of 1, while uplink frames 012, 022, 032, and 042 all have sequence numbers of 2. Therefore, uplink frames 011, 021, 031, and 041 correspond to sampling point 1, and uplink frames 012, 022, 032, and 042 correspond to sampling point 2. The sorted information is shown in Table 7.
[0238] Table 7
[0239]
[0240] It should be noted that the sequence number of uplink frames collected by the AP at the same sampling point only indicates the order in which the AP received the uplink frames. The sequence numbers of uplink frames corresponding to the same sampling point are not necessarily the same. In actual situations, for example, when the terminal moves to sampling point 1, the sequence number of uplink frame 11 collected by AP005 is 1, meaning that the terminal did not send any uplink frames to AP005 before reaching sampling point 1. When the terminal moves to sampling point 1, the sequence number of uplink frame 21 collected by AP006 can be 2, meaning that the terminal had already sent an uplink frame with sequence number 1 to AP006 before reaching sampling point 1.
[0241] After determining the first location corresponding to the uplink frame, the computing device evaluates the network quality at the first location based on the index information of the uplink frame.
[0242] In some embodiments, uplink frame metrics are used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame, such as the uplink frame RSSI, the uplink frame received power, or the uplink frame signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Based on the uplink-to-downlink reciprocity of the beacon frame's SNR, the SNR of the beacon frame at the first location can be determined according to the uplink frame metrics, thereby assessing the degree of beacon frame collision at the first location and thus determining the network quality.
[0243] In some embodiments, multiple access points (APs) have the same backoff time. As one possible implementation, the first information may further include the AP's backoff time. The computing device determines the AP's backoff time based on the first information, and then identifies APs with the same backoff time. As another possible implementation, the computing device stores the AP's backoff time. After receiving the indicator information sent by the AP, the computing device determines the backoff time corresponding to the AP based on the AP's identity.
[0244] For example, the uplink frame's indicator information is its RSSI (Resonance Signal-to-Signal Index). The computing device can determine the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the uplink frame at the first location based on the RSSIs of the uplink frames from multiple APs. The computing device calculates the difference between the first RSSI and the second RSSI. Based on the difference between the first RSSI and the second RSSI, it can determine the SNR of the beacon frame transmitted by the primary AP at the first location, and thus assess the degree of beacon frame collision at the first location. The primary AP is the AP corresponding to the first RSSI. Here, the first RSSI is the largest RSSI among the RSSIs of multiple uplink frames, and the second RSSI is the sum of the RSSIs of the multiple uplink frames excluding the first RSSI.
[0245] For example, as shown in Table 7, AP005 and AP006 have the same backoff time. Therefore, based on the RSSI of the uplink frame received by AP005 and AP006, the degree of beacon frame collision at sampling point 1 and sampling point 2 is determined. Assuming R11 = -56dBm, R12 = -62dBm, R21 = -46dBm, and R22 = -59dBm, then with a 0µs backoff time for the AP accessing the channel, at sampling point 1, the first RSSI is the RSSI of uplink frame 21 received by AP006. Therefore, compared to AP006, AP006 is the primary AP, and AP005 is the secondary AP. Thus, at sampling point 1, the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame transmitted by AP006 is -46dBm - (-56dBm) = 10dB. At sampling point 2, the first RSSI is the indicator information of uplink frame 22 received by AP006. Therefore, compared to AP005, AP006 is the primary AP and AP005 is the secondary AP. Thus, at sampling point 2, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the beacon frame transmitted by AP006 is -59dBm - (-62dBm) = 3dB. AP007 and AP008 have the same backoff time; therefore, based on the RSSI of the uplink frame received by AP007 and AP008, the SNR of the beacon frame at the sampling point can be calculated. For example, given R31 = -57dBm, R32 = -46dBm, R41 = -79dBm, and R42 = -81dBm, with an AP access channel backoff time of 300µs, at sampling point 1, the first RSSI is the RSSI of uplink frame 31 received by AP007. Therefore, compared to AP008, AP007 is the primary AP. Thus, at sampling point 1, the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame transmitted by AP007 is -57dBm - (-79dBm) = 22dB. At sampling point 2, the first RSSI is the RSSI of uplink frame 32 received by AP007. Therefore, compared to AP008, AP007 is the primary AP, and AP008 is the secondary AP. Therefore, at sampling point 2, the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame transmitted by AP007 is -46dBm - (-81dBm) = 35dB.
[0246] It should be noted that the above example is only for illustrative purposes. In actual calculations, firstly, the RSSI of each of the multiple uplink frames can be converted from dBm to milliwatts (mW), where 1mW = 10^(1 / 10) dBm. Next, the difference between the first and second RSSIs is calculated in milliwatts. Finally, the unit of the difference is converted from milliwatts to dB to obtain the final signal-to-noise ratio.
[0247] The computing device evaluates the network quality at the first location based on the signal-to-noise ratio of beacon frames sent by different access points.
[0248] As one possible implementation, if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the beacon frames sent by at least one of the multiple master APs is greater than the SNR threshold, then the network quality at the first location is high. If the SNR of the beacon frames sent by each of the multiple master APs is less than the SNR threshold, then the network quality at the first location is low.
[0249] For example, at sampling point 1, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the beacon frame transmitted by AP006 is 10dB, and the SNR of the beacon frame transmitted by AP007 is 22dB. Since the SNR of the beacon frame transmitted by AP006 is less than the SNR threshold, and the SNR of the beacon frame transmitted by AP007 is also less than the SNR threshold, the network quality at the first location is low.
[0250] As another possible implementation, the computing device calculates the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) statistics of multiple master APs, such as the average value, compares the SNR statistics with the SNR threshold, and evaluates the network quality at the first location.
[0251] The above is merely an illustrative example; the specific network quality can be determined based on actual needs. For example, there can be multiple signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) thresholds, and the computing device classifies the network quality level based on these thresholds. Different network quality levels require different operational and maintenance measures. For example, the SNR thresholds are a1, a2, and a3. When the statistical value is less than a1, the network quality level at the first location is A. When the statistical value is greater than or equal to a1 and less than a2, the network quality level at the first location is B. When the statistical value is greater than or equal to a2 and less than a3, the network quality level at the first location is C. Level A is lower than level B, and level B is lower than level C; the higher the level, the better the network quality. This application does not specifically limit the method for determining network quality.
[0252] In another example, the uplink frame indicator is the received power. The computing device can determine the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the uplink frame at a first location based on the received power of each uplink frame from multiple access points (APs). The computing device calculates the difference between the first received power and the second received power, and determines the SNR of the beacon frame transmitted by the AP based on the difference, thereby assessing the degree of beacon frame collision at the first location. The unit of the difference is mW. Converting the mW unit of the difference to decibels yields the SNR of the beacon frame transmitted by the AP. This AP is the AP corresponding to the first received power. The first received power is the largest among multiple received powers, and the second received power is the sum of the received powers of all uplink frames except the first received power. For a detailed explanation of the implementation method, please refer to the above description of the uplink frame indicator as RSSI, which will not be repeated here.
[0253] As another example, the uplink frame's indicator information is the uplink frame's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For details, please refer to the above-described explanation of the uplink frame's indicator information as RSSI, which will not be repeated here.
[0254] In other embodiments, in co-frequency networking, the uplink frame indicator is the number of probe request frames received by the AP within a certain period. Based on the number of probe request frames received by the AP, it can be determined whether the signal strength of the beacon frame sent by the AP at the first location is weak. For example, if the number of probe request frames received by the AP exceeds a threshold, then the signal strength of the beacon frame sent by the AP at the first location is weak. When the number of APs sending beacon frames with weak signal strength at the first location exceeds a threshold, then the network quality at the first location is poor.
[0255] For example, as shown in Table 7, AP005 to AP008 received probe request frames 80, 69, 73, and 76 times respectively at sampling point 1. With a threshold of 70, the number of probe request frames received by AP005, AP007, and AP008 at sampling point 1 is greater than the threshold, meaning the signal strength of beacon frames sent by AP005, AP007, and AP008 at sampling point 1 is weak. Since three out of the four APs at sampling point 1 have weak signal strength sending beacon frames, if the threshold is 2, then 3 is greater than 2, indicating poor network quality at sampling point 1. The threshold value can be set as needed; for example, the threshold can be 1, or it can be the total number of APs corresponding to the collected indicator information at the sampling point.
[0256] In some other embodiments, in inter-frequency networking, the computing device can determine whether a terminal is roaming based on uplink frames corresponding to different locations. If a terminal is roaming, the timeliness of the roaming can be determined based on the indicator information of the uplink frames. The process of the AP reporting the uplink frame indicator information is the same as in the embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here. The difference is that, since it is an inter-frequency network, only the AP to which the terminal is connected can receive the uplink frames sent by the terminal.
[0257] After receiving the uplink frame, the AP carries the uplink frame's indicator information, the AP's identity identifier, and the first information in the message and reports it to the computing device.
[0258] The first piece of information can be the message sequence number, the coordinates of the first location, or a timestamp. The AP's identity identifier can be its MAC address, name, etc. The computing device can determine whether the terminal is roaming based on the AP's identity identifier. Specifically, roaming is determined when the AP's identity identifier changes. Furthermore, the computing device can also determine whether the terminal is roaming through the BSSID carried in the uplink frame; roaming occurs when the BSSID in the uplink frame changes. For details, please refer to the implementation method for determining the first location corresponding to the uplink frame in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.
[0259] For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the AP connected to the terminal at sampling points 1, 2, and 3 is AP006. At each sampling point, after receiving the uplink frame from the terminal, AP006 sends the uplink frame's index information to the computing device. When the terminal moves to sampling point 4, the AP connected to the terminal switches from AP006 to AP005. After receiving the uplink frame from the terminal, AP005 sends the uplink frame's index information to the computing device. Thus, the data received by the computing device is shown in Table 8.
[0260] Table 8
[0261] AP AP006 AP006 AP006 AP005 uplink frame sequence number 1 2 3 4 Location information (x4, y4) (x5, y5) (x6, y6) (x7, y7) RSSI R1 R2 R3 R4
[0262] Based on Table 8, the computing device can determine, according to the location information, that uplink frame 1 was received at sampling point 1, uplink frame 2 at sampling point 2, uplink frame 3 at sampling point 3, and uplink frame 4 at sampling point 4. Thus, the computing device can determine that the terminal is roaming at sampling point 4. Assuming that the values of R1, R2, and R3 are all less than the RSSI threshold, the computing device can determine that the network quality of AP006 is poor from sampling point 1 to sampling point 3, but the terminal continues to access AP006; therefore, it can be determined that the terminal's roaming is not timely.
[0263] In some embodiments, in order to more intuitively demonstrate network quality, the computing device can generate a visualization map on which the network quality is displayed.
[0264] One possible implementation is to display the relative changes in network quality among multiple first locations on a visualization map. Alternatively, the visualization map can show the relative changes in metric values among multiple first locations. Or, the visualization map can directly display the metric value for each first location. These metric values can be values such as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or the number of probe request frames.
[0265] For example, taking Table 9 as an example, each message includes indicator information from the uplink frames at two sampling points. From Table 9, two first visualization maps can be obtained, such as... Figure 11 As shown, (a) is a visualization map of the network quality of the AP at sampling points 1 to 6 when the AP's backoff time is 0µs, and (b) is a visualization map of the network quality of the AP at sampling points 1 to 6 when the AP's backoff time is 300µs. In the visualization map, the sampling point with the highest signal-to-noise ratio is the darkest, the sampling point with the lowest signal-to-noise ratio is the lightest, and the colors of the remaining parts vary according to the value of the signal-to-noise ratio.
[0266] Table 9
[0267]
[0268]
[0269] In this way, maintenance personnel can determine changes in network quality by observing color changes on a visual map, and thus perform maintenance on the network quality of each primary location.
[0270] In some embodiments, maintenance personnel can adjust the power of the AP based on the network quality at the first location, thereby improving the network quality at the first location.
[0271] For example, at sampling points 1 to 3, AP005 and AP007 have the same backoff time of 0µs. The signal-to-noise ratio and RSSI of AP005 and AP007 are shown in Table 10.
[0272] Table 10
[0273] Location Signal-to-noise ratio Main AP AP RSSI corresponding to the main AP Sampling point 1 3 AP005 AP007 -45 Sampling point 2 6 AP007 AP005 -47 Sampling point 3 3 AP007 AP007 -70
[0274] According to Table 10, the main AP is AP007 at both sampling point 2 and sampling point 3. Since the RSSI of the main AP is lower at sampling point 3, the power of AP007 is adjusted, thereby reducing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of AP007 by 3. The adjusted SNR is shown in Table 11.
[0275] Table 11
[0276] Location Signal-to-noise ratio Main AP AP RSSI corresponding to the main AP Sampling point 1 3 AP005 AP007 -45 Sampling point 2 3 AP007 AP005 -47 Sampling point 3 0 AP007 AP007 -70
[0277] Since the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame sent by the main AP becomes 0 at sampling point 3, AP007 is discarded at sampling point 3 with a backoff time of 0µs, thereby reducing beacon frame collisions.
[0278] According to embodiments of this application, network quality at a first location can be evaluated by acquiring indicator information corresponding to that location. This indicator information can be at least one of the following: uplink frame signal quality, the number of uplink frames received by the AP, and downlink frame signal quality. Thus, no additional protocol for network quality evaluation is required. Compared to existing technologies where terminals must comply with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, this application reduces constraints on terminals. Even in scenarios where industrial terminals do not support LTE, this application can evaluate network quality using existing frame-related indicator information, ensuring the network meets user needs and improves service efficiency.
[0279] Based on the same concept as the embodiments of the method in this application, this application also provides a network quality assessment device. The network quality assessment device includes several modules, each module being used to execute various steps in the network quality assessment method provided in the embodiments of this application. The division of modules is not limited here. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that in practical applications, the various steps in the network quality assessment method provided in the embodiments of this application can be assigned to different modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the modules in the above device can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.
[0280] For example, the network quality assessment apparatus is used to perform the network quality assessment method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 12This is a schematic diagram of the network quality assessment device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the network quality assessment device provided in this application embodiment includes:
[0281] The acquisition module 1201 is used to acquire indicator information, which corresponds to the first position.
[0282] Evaluation module 1202 is used to evaluate the network quality at the first location based on indicator information;
[0283] The indicator information is used to indicate at least one of the following:
[0284] The signal quality of uplink frames, the number of uplink frames received by the access point (AP), and the signal quality of downlink frames. Uplink frames are frames received by the AP and sent by the terminal, while downlink frames are frames sent by the AP to the terminal.
[0285] According to this application, by obtaining the indicator information corresponding to the first location, the network quality at the first location can be evaluated. This indicator information can be at least one of the following: uplink frame signal quality, the number of uplink frames received by the AP, and downlink frame signal quality. Thus, there is no need to set up an additional protocol for network quality evaluation. Compared to existing technologies where terminals must comply with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, this application reduces the constraints on terminals. Even in scenarios where terminals do not support LTE technology, such as industrial terminals, this application can evaluate network quality using existing frame-related indicator information, ensuring that the network meets user needs and improves service efficiency.
[0286] In one possible implementation, indicator information is carried in a message, which includes first information used to indicate a first position.
[0287] In this way, by using the first information, we can accurately determine the first position corresponding to the indicator information, thereby assessing the network quality at the first position.
[0288] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the sequence number of the message, and the first position is determined based on the sequence number;
[0289] Alternatively, the first information may include the coordinates of the first location;
[0290] Alternatively, the first information may include the timestamp of the terminal at the first location.
[0291] This improves the flexibility of determining the primary location, and by evaluating the network quality at the primary location in the network deployment space, it enables the evaluation of network quality at different locations in the space, thereby improving the accuracy of network operation and maintenance.
[0292] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame, the uplink frame is a frame in response by the terminal to a beacon frame sent by the AP, and the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the uplink frame, the received power of the uplink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the uplink frame received by the AP.
[0293] In this way, network quality can be evaluated through uplink frame metrics, eliminating the need for additional network quality evaluation protocols and reducing constraints on terminals.
[0294] In one possible implementation, the evaluation module is used for:
[0295] The signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame is determined based on the indicator information of multiple uplink frames;
[0296] The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the beacon frame.
[0297] Among them, the APs receiving multiple uplink frames are different, and the backoff times of multiple APs are the same.
[0298] Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a beacon frame can reflect the risk of beacon frame collisions; when network quality is poor, the risk of beacon frame collisions is higher. Through the reciprocity of uplink frames and beacon frames, and by using the uplink frame's metrics, the SNR of the beacon frame can be determined, thereby assessing the network quality at the primary location, ensuring the network can meet user needs, and improving service efficiency.
[0299] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the downlink frame, the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the downlink frame, the received power of the downlink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame received by the terminal.
[0300] In this way, by directly obtaining the signal quality of downlink frames, the network quality can be evaluated based on the signal quality of downlink frames without the need to set an additional protocol for network quality evaluation, thus reducing the constraints on the terminal.
[0301] In one possible implementation, the evaluation module is used for:
[0302] The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the downlink frames.
[0303] In cases where the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication or the received power of the downlink frame, the indicator information is used to determine the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame.
[0304] In this way, by directly obtaining the indicator information of downlink frames, network quality can be assessed, ensuring that the network can meet the needs of users and improve service efficiency.
[0305] In one possible implementation, where the indicator information is used to indicate the number of uplink frames received, the uplink frame is a probe request frame, and the evaluation module is used to:
[0306] The number of APs whose number of probe request frames exceeds a threshold is determined based on the number of times each AP receives probe request frames.
[0307] The network quality of the first location is evaluated based on the quantity and quantity threshold.
[0308] When the signal strength of beacon frames sent by the access point (AP) is weak, network quality degrades, prompting the terminal to perform roaming scans. During these scans, the terminal continuously sends probe request frames to the AP. Therefore, by counting the number of probe request frames received by the AP, the degree of weakness in the beacon frame signal can be assessed, thereby evaluating the network quality at the primary location and ensuring the network meets user needs, thus improving service efficiency.
[0309] In one possible implementation, the indicator information also includes the sequence number of the uplink frame, and the device further includes:
[0310] The first determining module is used to determine multiple second positions;
[0311] The second determining module is used to determine the first position from multiple second positions based on the sequence number of the message, the sequence number of the uplink frame, and multiple second positions when the first information is the sequence number of the message.
[0312] Alternatively, if the first information is a timestamp, the first position is determined from the multiple second positions based on the timestamp and multiple second positions.
[0313] Alternatively, the first position can be determined from among the multiple second positions based on the order in which the messages are obtained and the multiple second positions.
[0314] In this way, multiple second locations are determined from the network deployment space, and the network quality at each second location is evaluated separately, thereby achieving fine-grained evaluation of network quality in the space.
[0315] In one possible implementation, the first determining module is used for:
[0316] The first time period is the time interval at which the AP collects indicator information.
[0317] Obtain the terminal's movement speed;
[0318] Obtain the coordinates of the inspection route in space;
[0319] Based on the first time period, movement speed, and coordinates of the inspection route, determine multiple second locations from the inspection route, for example, determine the coordinates of multiple second locations.
[0320] In one possible implementation, the device further includes:
[0321] The sending module is used to send the moving speed and the coordinates of the inspection route in space to the terminal, so that the terminal can move along the inspection route at the moving speed according to the coordinates of the inspection route in space.
[0322] In one possible implementation, the device further includes:
[0323] The sending module is used to send a first time period to the AP so that the AP can sample the uplink frames sent by the terminal based on the first time period.
[0324] In one possible implementation, the device further includes:
[0325] The visualization module is used to visualize network quality.
[0326] The methods for visualizing network quality include at least the following:
[0327] On the electronic map of the space where the network is located, multiple indicator values at the first location are displayed;
[0328] Alternatively, on an electronic map, the relative changes between indicator values at multiple first locations can be displayed;
[0329] Alternatively, the network quality can be displayed on an electronic map;
[0330] The indicators include at least the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame, the number of probe request frames, and the signal strength of the beacon frame.
[0331] This allows for visualization of network quality at different locations within the network deployment space, improving the convenience of network operation and maintenance.
[0332] Based on the same concept as the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a network quality assessment device. This network quality assessment device can be an access point (AP), an access control center (AC), or a computing device. The computing device can be a server.
[0333] like Figure 13 As shown, the network device provided in this application embodiment includes a processor 1301, a memory 1302, and a communication interface 1303.
[0334] In this embodiment, the processor 1001 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.
[0335] The memory 1302 may include a large-capacity memory for data or instructions, thereby providing storage space for the network device's operating system and executable program code, which may include, but is not limited to, Windows, Linux, HarmonyOS, etc.
[0336] For example, and not as a limitation, memory 1302 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, memory 1302 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, memory 1302 may be internal or external to the integrated gateway disaster recovery device. In a particular embodiment, memory 1302 is non-volatile solid-state memory.
[0337] Memory may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk storage media devices, optical storage media devices, flash memory devices, and electrical, optical, or other physical / tangible memory storage devices. Therefore, typically, memory may include one or more tangible (non-transitory) computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory devices) encoded with software that may include computer-executable instructions, and when the software is executed (e.g., by one or more processors), it is operable to perform the operations described with reference to the methods according to this application.
[0338] For example, a computer program may be stored on the memory 1302, and the processor 1301 executes the computer program to implement the steps in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the processor 1301 executes the computer program to implement the functions of each module in the above device embodiments. Exemplarily, the computer program may be divided into one or more modules / units, which may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing a specific function. The one or more modules / units are stored in the memory 1302 and executed by the processor 1301 to complete this application. For example, the computer program may be divided into multiple modules, as in the modules of the device described above.
[0339] The communication interface 1303 is used to send and receive data, for example, to send data processed by the processor 1301 to other network devices, or to receive data sent by other network devices.
[0340] Of course, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 13 Only some of the components of the network device 1300 relevant to this application are shown, omitting components such as buses, input / output interfaces, etc. In addition, the network device 1300 may include any other suitable components depending on the specific application. Furthermore, the network device may be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, or cloud server, etc. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 13 This is merely an example of network device 1300 and does not constitute a limitation on network devices. It may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine certain components, or use different components. For example, the network device may also include input devices, output devices, network access devices, buses, etc. For example, the input device may be a microphone array, and may also include, for example, a keyboard, mouse, etc. For example, the output device may output various information to the outside, and may include, for example, a monitor, speaker, printer, and communication networks and their connected remote output devices, etc.
[0341] In addition to the methods, apparatus, and computing devices described above, embodiments of this application may also provide a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions. When executed by a processor, these computer program instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this application described in the "Method" section of this specification. The computer program product may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages to perform the operations of the embodiments of this application. The programming languages include object-oriented programming languages such as Java and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages such as C or similar languages. The computer program code may be in source code form, object code form, executable file, or some intermediate form. The computer program code may be executed entirely on a user's computing device, partially on a user's computing device, as a standalone software package, partially on a user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server.
[0342] Furthermore, embodiments of this application may also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the display control method according to various embodiments of this disclosure as described in the "Method" section above. The computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more readable media. A readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may include, for example, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. It should be noted that the content contained in the computer-readable medium may be appropriately added to or subtracted according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in a jurisdiction. For example, in some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, a computer-readable medium may not include electrical carrier signals and telecommunication signals.
[0343] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC.
[0344] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the order of the process numbers does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.
[0345] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.
Claims
1. A network quality evaluation method characterized by comprising: include: Obtain indicator information, wherein the indicator information corresponds to the first position; Based on the aforementioned indicator information, assess the network quality at the first location; The indicator information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The signal quality of the uplink frame, the number of uplink frames received by the access point (AP), and the signal quality of the downlink frame, wherein the uplink frame is a frame received by the AP and sent by the terminal, and the downlink frame is a frame sent by the AP to the terminal.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The indicator information is carried in the message, and the message includes first information, which is used to indicate the first location.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information includes the sequence number of the message, and the first position is determined based on the sequence number; Alternatively, the first information may include the coordinates of the first location; Alternatively, the first information may include a timestamp of the terminal at the first location.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, When the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the uplink frame, the uplink frame is a frame in response to a beacon frame sent by the AP. The indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the uplink frame, the received power of the uplink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the uplink frame received by the AP.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The step of evaluating the network quality of the first location based on the indicator information includes: The signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame is determined based on the indicator information of multiple uplink frames; The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR threshold of the beacon frame. Among them, the APs receiving multiple uplink frames are different, and the backoff times of the multiple APs are the same.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, When the indicator information is used to indicate the signal quality of the downlink frame, the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the downlink frame, the received power of the downlink frame, or the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame received by the terminal.
7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of evaluating the network quality of the first location based on the indicator information includes: The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-noise ratio threshold of the downlink frame; Wherein, when the indicator information includes the received signal strength indication of the downlink frame or the received power of the downlink frame, the indicator information is used to determine the signal-to-noise ratio of the downlink frame.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, When the indicator information is used to indicate the number of uplink frames received, and the uplink frame is a probe request frame, the step of evaluating the network quality at the first location based on the indicator information includes: The number of APs whose number of probe request frames is greater than a threshold is determined based on the number of times each of the APs receives the probe request frame. The network quality at the first location is evaluated based on the quantity and quantity threshold.
9. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The indicator information also includes the sequence number of the uplink frame, and the method further includes: Identify multiple second positions; If the first information is the sequence number of the message, the first position is determined from the plurality of second positions based on the sequence number of the message, the sequence number of the uplink frame, and the plurality of second positions; Alternatively, if the first information is the timestamp, the first position is determined from the plurality of second positions based on the timestamp and the plurality of second positions; Alternatively, the first position can be determined from the plurality of second positions based on the order in which the messages are obtained and the second position.
10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The determination of multiple second positions includes: A first time period is obtained, where the first time period is the time interval at which the AP collects the indicator information; Obtain the moving speed of the terminal; Obtain the coordinates of the inspection route in space; The plurality of second positions are determined from the inspection route based on the first time period, the moving speed, and the coordinates of the inspection route.
11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The moving speed and the coordinates of the inspection route in space are sent to the terminal so that the terminal moves along the inspection route at the moving speed according to the coordinates of the inspection route in space.
12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first time period is sent to the AP so that the AP samples the uplink frames sent by the terminal based on the first time period.
13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Visualize the network quality; The methods for visualizing the network quality include at least the following: On the electronic map of the space where the network is located, multiple indicator values for the first location are displayed; Alternatively, the electronic map may display the relative changes between multiple indicator values at the first location; Alternatively, the network quality can be displayed on the electronic map; The index values include at least the signal-to-noise ratio of the beacon frame, the number of probe request frames, and the signal strength of the beacon frame.
14. A network quality assessment device, characterized in that, It includes multiple functional modules that cooperate with each other to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.
15. A network quality assessment device, characterized in that, include: Memory, used to store executable code; A processor, configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-13 when executing the executable code.
16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed in a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 1-13.
17. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.