Management of network devices in an automatic frequency coordination system

Abstract

Embodiments of this disclosure relate to the management of network devices in an Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) system. Techniques for managing one or more network devices in a network based on one or more operational constraints in an AFC system are described. For example, a Network Management System (NMS) is configured to obtain location information of one or more network devices and send this location information to an AFC server. The AFC server can determine one or more operational constraints for the one or more network devices and send these constraints to the NMS. The NMS can then determine one or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters, and send these configuration settings to the one or more network devices.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 19 / 558,044, filed March 5, 2026, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 787,497, filed April 11, 2025, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0002] Commercial premises or properties, such as offices, hospitals, airports, stadiums, or retail stores, typically include a network of wireless access points (APs) installed throughout the premises to provide wireless network service to one or more wireless client devices. APs enable client devices to wirelessly connect to wired networks using various wireless networking protocols and technologies, such as IEEE 802.11 compliant standards (i.e., “Wi-Fi”), Bluetooth / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), mesh networking protocols (such as ZigBee), or one or more other wireless networking technologies. Many different types of wireless client devices, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, appliances, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, incorporate wireless communication technologies and can be configured to connect to a compatible wireless access point when within range of the access point to access a wired network.

[0003] Network devices, such as access points (APs), can utilize one or more frequency bands, such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, etc. To limit interference between network devices operating within one or more frequency bands (such as 6 GHz), regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), European Conformity Assessment (CE), or other regulatory bodies, can specify one or more operational constraints for network devices, such as operating frequency (e.g., the frequency range of a channel) and power limits (e.g., equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP)), to limit interference between network devices operating in a frequency or channel. Attached Figure Description

[0004] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an example network system based on one or more technologies of this disclosure, the example network system being configured to manage one or more network devices in a network based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC system.

[0005] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example access point device based on one or more technologies of this disclosure.

[0006] Figure 3This is a block diagram of an example network system based on one or more technologies of this disclosure, the example network system being configured to manage one or more network devices in a network based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC system.

[0007] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of an example user equipment device according to one or more technologies of this disclosure.

[0008] Figure 5A This is a flowchart illustrating example operations for managing a network device with a GPS module using one or more operational constraints of an AFC-based system based on one or more technologies of this disclosure.

[0009] Figure 5B This is a flowchart illustrating example operations for managing network devices without GPS modules using one or more operational constraints of an AFC-based system based on one or more technologies of this disclosure.

[0010] Figure 5C This is a flowchart illustrating example operations of managing network devices based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC-based system according to one or more technologies of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0011] Generally, this disclosure describes techniques for a network management system (NMS) configured to manage one or more network devices in a network based on one or more operational constraints of an Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) system. For example, for network devices (e.g., access points and / or fixed client devices) to operate in the 6 GHz band (e.g., according to the IEEE 802.11be standard), the network devices are authenticated and / or registered by an AFC server configured to manage access to one or more network devices in the 6 GHz band. The AFC server can obtain information from the network devices, such as the location of the network devices (e.g., coordinates, altitude, etc.), and in some examples, the frequency or power that the network devices plan to use (referred to as "authentication information"), and determine, based on the authentication information, the available frequency and / or power limits for the network devices operating at the location of the network devices (referred to as "operational constraints").

[0012] In some examples, the network device may not have a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) module to determine the location of the network device, or the location of the network device may not be determined or may be determined inaccurately (e.g., when the network device is indoors), and the location of the network device may not be provided (or an inaccurate location may be provided) to the AFC server, which may cause the AFC server to fail to provide or incorrectly provide one or more operating constraints for operation in the frequency band.

[0013] In some examples, the configuration of multiple network devices at a site may be unbalanced based on one or more operational constraints, which can lead to degraded network performance. In some examples, the AFC server may offer various frequencies or channels for network devices. In these examples, each network device typically selects the frequency and / or channel to be implemented randomly, which may not be the optimal configuration for site network performance. In some examples, the AFC server may provide power limits that can overlap between low-power mode and standard power mode. Network devices that can support either standard power mode or low-power mode (e.g., Low Power Indoor (LPI)) may typically select the power mode to be implemented randomly, which can cause degraded network performance.

[0014] According to the technology disclosed herein, an Network Management System (NMS) can manage the configuration of one or more network devices in a network based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC system. For example, the NMS can determine the location of one or more network devices (e.g., whether they have a GPS module or not) and send the location information of one or more network devices (including other authentication information) to an AFC server. In some examples, the NMS can receive location information of network devices that include GPS modules. In other examples, the NMS can determine the location of a network device without a GPS module based on the location of one or more other network devices with GPS modules (e.g., neighboring network devices, network devices within the same site, etc.). In some examples, the NMS can determine the location of a device based on signal strength measurements of one or more signals exchanged between the network device and neighboring network devices. The NMS sends the location information of the network devices to the AFC server and can receive one or more operational constraints for the network devices from the AFC server.

[0015] Based on one or more operational constraints for network devices, NMS can manage one or more configuration settings for network devices. For example, NMS can determine one or more configuration settings for network devices based on one or more constraints from the AFC server and one or more network parameters, such as the type of network device (e.g., model) and / or one or more assessments of the network (e.g., whether there are coverage holes, whether there are one or more neighboring devices that can interfere with the network device based on the determined location of one or more adjacent network devices, client-to-network device connectivity, network device capabilities, network device requirements, feedback on network performance, etc.).

[0016] In some examples, NMS can generate channel and / or power distributions for multiple network devices. For example, NMS can generate power distributions for multiple network devices to operate in low-power mode or standard power mode. NMS can determine that a first set of network devices operates in low-power mode and a second set of network devices operates in standard power mode. NMS can additionally or alternatively generate channel distributions for multiple network devices to operate in corresponding channels. For example, NMS can determine that a first set of network devices operates in a first channel, a second set of network devices operates in a second channel, and so on.

[0017] The technology disclosed herein provides one or more technical advantages and practical applications. For example, by configuring the NMS to manage one or more configuration settings for network devices in an AFC system, the NMS can determine the configuration settings based on one or more operational constraints from the AFC server and one or more network parameters. The configuration settings will not only conform to the operational constraints of the AFC system but can also improve network performance. Furthermore, by generating channel and / or power distributions for multiple devices, the NMS can provide a more balanced channel and / or power distribution, which could be unbalanced if the network devices managed their configuration settings individually. Additionally, by determining the location of network devices without GPS units based on the locations of one or more other network devices with GPS units (e.g., adjacent network devices, network devices within the same site, etc.), or by determining the location of devices based on signal strength measurements of one or more signals exchanged between the network device and adjacent network devices, the NMS can provide the AFC server with the locations of network devices that are typically impossible or inaccurate to determine. This enables the AFC server to accurately and / or correctly determine the frequency and / or power limits available to the network devices when they operate at their respective locations.

[0018] Details of one or more examples of the technology disclosed herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, objects, and advantages of the technology will be apparent from the description and drawings, as well as from the claims.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an example network system 100 according to one or more technologies of this disclosure, configured as a network device in one or more operational constraint management networks based on an AFC system. The example network system 100 includes multiple sites 102A to 102N, at which a network service provider manages one or more wireless networks 106A to 106N, respectively. Although in Figure 1Each of the sites 102A to 102N is shown as including a single wireless network 106A to 106N, but in some examples, each of the sites 102A to 102N may include multiple wireless networks, and this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0020] Each of sites 102A through 102N includes multiple network devices, such as access points (APs) 142, switches 146, or routers (not shown), within the edge of a limited network. For example, site 102A includes multiple APs 142A-1 through 142A-N. Similarly, site 102N includes multiple APs 142N-1 through 142N-M. Each AP 142 can be any type of wireless access point, including but not limited to commercial or enterprise APs, routers, or any other device connected to a wired network and capable of providing wireless network access to client devices within the site. References to “N” or “M” can represent any number. References to “N” for different elements do not have to be the same number. Similarly, references to “M” for different elements do not have to be the same number.

[0021] Each of sites 102A to 102N also includes multiple client devices, also referred to as User Equipment Units (UEs), representing various wireless-enabled devices within each site. For example, multiple UEs 148A-1 to 148A-N are currently located at site 102A. Similarly, multiple UEs 148N-1 to 148N-M are currently located at site 102N. Each UE in UE 148 can be any type of wireless client device, including but not limited to mobile devices (such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops), personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless terminals, smartwatches, smart rings, or other wearable devices. UE 148 may also include wired client-side devices, such as IoT devices (such as printers, security devices, environmental sensors) or any other device connected to a wired network and configured to communicate over one or more wireless networks 106.

[0022] To provide wireless network services to UE 148 and / or communicate via wireless network 106, AP 142 and other wired client-side devices at site 102 are directly or indirectly connected to one or more network devices (e.g., switches, routers, etc.) via physical cables (e.g., Ethernet cables). Figure 1 In the example, site 102A includes switch 146A, and each of APs 142A-1 to 142A-N at site 102A is connected to switch 146A. Similarly, site 102N includes switch 146N, and each of APs 142N-1 to 142N-M at site 102N is connected to switch 146N. Although Figure 1 The diagram illustrates that each site 102 includes a single switch 146 and all APs 142 in a given site 102 are connected to the single switch 146. However, in other examples, each site 102 may include more or fewer switches and / or routers. Furthermore, APs and other wired client-side devices at a given site may be connected to two or more switches and / or routers. Additionally, two or more switches at a site may be interconnected with each other and / or connected to two or more routers, for example, via a mesh or partial mesh topology in a hub-and-spoke architecture. In some examples, the interconnected switches and routers comprise a wired local area network (LAN) at site 102 carrying a wireless network 106.

[0023] Example network system 100 also includes various network components for providing network services within a wired network, including, as an example, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server 110 for authenticating users and / or UE 148; a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server 116 for dynamically assigning network addresses (e.g., IP addresses) to UE 148 during authentication; a domain name system (DNS) server 122 for resolving domain names to network addresses; an automatic frequency coordination (AFC) server 124; multiple servers 128A to 128N (collectively referred to as “Server 128”) (e.g., web server, database server, file server, application server, etc.); and a network management system (NMS) 130. Figure 1 As shown, various devices and systems of network 100 are coupled together via one or more networks 134 (e.g., the Internet and / or corporate intranets).

[0024] AFC server 124 can manage access for one or more network devices in one or more frequency bands. For example, AFC server 124 may include a database configured to store information associated with registered network devices operating in the 6 GHz band. This information may include geographic location, operating frequency, power level, antenna coverage, and / or other information associated with the network devices operating in the one or more frequency bands. As further described below, AFC server 124 may obtain information about network devices, such as the location information of AP 142A-1, via NMS 130, and may determine one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 based on this information. Operational constraints may include operating frequency or channel and power limitations (e.g., antenna transmit power) to limit interference between AP 142A-1 and other network devices operating in the 6 GHz band. As further described below, AFC server 124 can provide NMS 130 with one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1, and NMS 130 can manage one or more configuration settings for AP 142A-1 based on one or more operational constraints from AFC server 124.

[0025] exist Figure 1In the example, NMS 130 is a cloud-based computing platform that manages wireless networks 106A to 106N at one or more of sites 102A to 102N. As further described herein, NMS 130 provides an integrated suite of management tools and implements various technologies disclosed herein. In some examples, NMS 130 may be provided as a service (aaS), as it may be provided as part of a continuous subscription-based service to provide network management, analysis, and troubleshooting tools to customers operating one or more sites 102 via a network (such as networks 134). Overall, NMS 130 can provide a cloud-based platform for wireless network data acquisition, monitoring, activity logging, reporting, predictive analytics, location determination, network anomaly identification, alarm generation, and / or radio resource management. In some examples, NMS 130 outputs notifications to a site or network administrator (“Administrator”) who interacts with and / or operates Administrator Device 111, such as alerts, alarms, graphical indicators on dashboards, log messages, text / short message service (SMS) messages, email messages, and / or suggestions regarding wireless network issues. Additionally, in some examples, NMS 130 operates in response to configuration input received from the Administrator who interacts with and / or operates Administrator Device 111. In some examples, NMS 130 may include one or more computing devices, dedicated servers, virtual machines, containers, services, or other forms of environments used to perform the techniques described herein.

[0026] Administrator device 111 may include a computing device associated with an IT person and / or administrator at one or more sites 102 and / or a switch 146 at the edge of a wired network. Administrator device 111 may be implemented as any suitable device for presenting output and / or accepting user input. For example, administrator device 111 may include a display. Administrator device 111 may be a computing system, such as a mobile or non-mobile computing device operated by a user and / or administrator. Administrator device 111 may, for example, represent a workstation, smartphone, laptop or notebook computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, or any other computing device that can be operated by a user and / or present a user interface according to one or more aspects of this disclosure. Administrator device 111 may be physically separate from NMS 130 and / or located in a different location than NMS 130, such that administrator device 111 can communicate with NMS 130 via network 134 or other communication methods.

[0027] In some examples, one or more network devices (e.g., AP 142, switch 146, or router) may be connected to corresponding edge devices 150A to 150N via physical cables (e.g., Ethernet cables). Edge device 150 includes a cloud-managed wireless local area network (LAN) controller. Each edge device in edge device 150 may include a local device at site 102 that communicates with NMS 130 to extend certain microservices from NMS 130 to the local NAS device, while using NMS 130 and its distributed software architecture for scalable and resilient operation, management, troubleshooting, and analysis.

[0028] Each network device in network system 100, such as servers 110, 116, 122 and / or 128, AP 142, UE 148, switch 146, and any other server or device attached to or constituting part of network system 100, may include a system log or error log unit, wherein each of these network devices records the status of the network device, including normal operating status and error conditions. Throughout this disclosure, one or more network devices in network system 100 (e.g., servers 110, 116, 122 and / or 128, AP 142, UE 148, and switch 146) may be considered a “third-party” network device when owned and / or associated with an entity different from NMS 130, such that NMS 130 does not receive, collect, or otherwise access the recorded status and other data of the third-party network device. In some examples, edge device 150 may provide a proxy through which the recorded status and other data of the third-party network device may be reported to NMS 130.

[0029] In some examples, the NMS 130 monitors network data 137 received from wireless networks 106A to 106N at each site 102A to 102N, and manages network resources (such as APs 142 at each site) to provide a high-quality wireless experience to end users, IoT devices, and clients at the sites. For example, the NMS 130 may include a Virtual Network Assistant (VNA) 133, which implements an event processing platform for providing real-time insights and simplified troubleshooting for IT operations, and for automatically taking corrective actions or providing recommendations to proactively resolve wired or wireless network issues. The VNA 133 may, for example, include an event processing platform configured to handle hundreds or thousands of concurrent streams of network data 137 from sensors and / or agents associated with nodes within AP 142 and / or network 134. For example, the VNA 133 of the NMS 130 may include an underlying analytics and network error identification engine, as well as an alerting system, according to various examples described herein. The underlying analytics engine of VNA 133 can apply historical data and models to inbound event streams to calculate assertions, such as the predicted occurrence of identified anomalies or events constituting network error conditions. Furthermore, VNA 133 can provide real-time alerts and reports to notify site or network administrators of any predicted events, anomalies, or trends via administrator device 111, and can perform root cause analysis and automated or assisted problem remediation. In some examples, VNA 133 of NMS 130 can apply machine learning techniques to identify the root causes or contributing factors of error conditions detected or predicted from network data stream 137. If the root cause or contributing factor can be resolved automatically, VNA 133 can invoke one or more corrective actions to correct the root cause or contributing factor of the error condition, thus automatically improving underlying SLE metrics and automatically improving user experience. The computing resources and components implementing VNA 133 can be part of NMS 130, can run on other servers or execution environments, or can be distributed across nodes within network 134 (e.g., routers, switches, controllers, gateways, etc.).

[0030] Further examples of the operation implemented by the VNA 133 of the NMS 130 are detailed in U.S. Patent No. 9,832,082, entitled "Monitoring Wireless Access Point Events," published November 28, 2017; U.S. Patent No. 11,570,038, entitled "Network System Fault Resolution via a Machine Learning Model," published January 31, 2023; U.S. Patent No. 10,985,969, entitled "Systems and Methods for a Virtual Network Assistant," published April 20, 2021; and U.S. Patent No. 10,985,969, entitled "Methods and Apparatus for Facilitating Fault Detection and / or Predictive Fault," published March 23, 2021. The entire contents of all of these patents are described in U.S. Patent No. 10,958,585, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Facilitating Fault Detection and / or Predictive Fault Detection”; U.S. Patent No. 10,958,537, entitled “Method for Spatio-Temporal Modeling”, published March 23, 2021; and U.S. Patent No. 10,862,742, entitled “Method for Conveying AP Error Codes Over BLE Advertisements”, published December 8, 2020, and are incorporated herein by reference.

[0031] Network devices, such as AP 142 and / or wired UE 148, may utilize one or more frequency bands, such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, etc. To avoid interference between network devices operating within one or more frequency bands (such as 6 GHz), the network devices are authenticated and / or registered by an AFC server (such as AFC server 124) to operate in the 6 GHz band. Typically, the network device may provide information to the AFC server, such as the network device's location (e.g., coordinates or other geographic location information), and in some examples, the planned frequency or power used by the network device (referred to as "authentication information"). Based on the network device's authentication information, AFC server 124 may provide one or more operational constraints for the network device to operate at the network device's location, and the network device may be configured to operate according to one or more operational constraints.

[0032] In some examples, the network device may not have a GPS unit to determine the location of the network device, or the location of the network device may not be determined or may be determined inaccurately (e.g., when the network device is indoors), and the location of the network device may not be provided (or an inaccurate location may be provided) to the AFC server 124. This may cause the AFC server 124 to fail to provide or incorrectly provide one or more operating constraints for operation in the frequency band.

[0033] In some examples, the configuration of multiple network devices at a site may be unbalanced based on one or more operational constraints, which can lead to degraded network performance. For instance, each of the multiple network devices at a site may receive a variety of permitted frequencies and / or channels that the network device can operate on. Each network device may typically choose one of the frequencies and / or channels randomly, which may not be a configuration that provides ideal network performance for the site.

[0034] In some examples, a site may include multiple network devices of different types, each supporting a different power mode. In these examples, a site, such as site 102A, may include network devices that support standard power modes (e.g., 0 dBm to 30 dBm) and / or low-power modes (Low Power Indoor (LPI)). The AFC server 124 may, in some cases, provide power constraints that can overlap between low-power and standard power modes (e.g., a 14 dBm power limit). In these examples, each of the multiple network devices may typically choose a power mode to implement randomly, which can cause network performance degradation.

[0035] According to the technology described in this disclosure, NMS 130 includes a constraint coordination engine 136, which is configured to manage one or more network devices in the network based on one or more operational constraints of AFC server 124. Figure 1 In the example, the constraint coordination engine 136 of the NMS130 can send authentication information of one or more network devices (such as AP 142A-1) to the AFC server 124 to manage the operational constraints of one or more network devices in the 6 GHz band.

[0036] In some examples, constraint coordination engine 136 can receive location information of network devices that include GPS units. For example, AP 142A-1 may include a GPS unit, and the location information of AP 142A-1 can be sent to constraint coordination engine 136. In some examples, NMS 130 (or a location engine connected to NMS 130) can determine the location of a network device without a GPS unit based on the location of one or more other network devices with GPS units (e.g., neighboring network devices, network devices in the same site, etc.). For example, NMS 130 can determine the location of AP 142A-N, which does not have a GPS unit, based on the location information of AP 142A-1, which includes a GPS unit. Constraint coordination engine 136 can set the location of AP 142A-N to the same location as AP 142A-1. In some examples, NMS 130 can determine the location of a network device without a GPS unit based on measurements of signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and neighboring network devices. For example, NMS 130 can determine the location of AP 142A-N based on signal strength measurements of one or more signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and AP 142A-1. In other examples, NMS 130 can determine the location of AP 142A-N based on round-trip time (RTT) and / or fine timing measurement (FTM) of one or more signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and AP 142A-1.

[0037] Further examples of location determination can be found in U.S. Patent No. 10,219,166, entitled "METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING, TRANSMITTING AND / OR USING BEACONS"; U.S. Patent No. 9,743,254, entitled "METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATING TO THE USE OF RECEIVED SIGNALS TO DETERMINE WIRELESS TERMINAL LOCATION AND / OR REFINELOCATION DETERMINATION MODELS"; U.S. Patent No. 10,976,406, entitled "MULTI-LAYER STATISTICAL WIRELESS TERMINAL LOCATION DETERMINATION"; and U.S. Patent No. 10,976,406, entitled "LOCATION DETERMINATION BASED ON PHASE". The entire contents of each of the following patents are described herein: U.S. Patent No. 11,422,224 entitled "DIFFERENCES", U.S. Patent No. 11,696,092 entitled "MULTI-WIRELESS DEVICE LOCATION DETERMINATION", U.S. Patent No. 11,778,418 entitled "ALIGNED MULTI-WIRELESS DEVICE LOCATION DETERMINATION", and U.S. Patent No. 12,004,045 entitled "DETERMINING LOCATION BASED ON DYNAMIC PATH LOSS EXPONENT (PLE) AND INTERCEPT (INT) ESTIMATION".

[0038] The constraint coordination engine 136 of NMS 130 sends location information of one or more APs in AP 142 (including, in some examples, location uncertainty values ​​indicating the uncertainty of the location of one or more APs 142) to AFC server 124, and can receive one or more operational constraints for one or more APs in AP 142 from AFC server 124. Based on one or more operational constraints for one or more APs in AP 142, constraint coordination engine 136 can manage configuration settings for one or more APs in AP 142. For example, constraint coordination engine 136 can determine configuration settings for network devices based on one or more constraints from AFC server and one or more network parameters, such as the type (e.g., model) of network devices and / or one or more assessments of the network (e.g., whether there are coverage holes, whether there are one or more neighboring devices that can interfere with network devices based on the determined location of one or more neighboring network devices, client-to-network device connectivity, network device capabilities, network device requirements, feedback on network performance, etc.).

[0039] For example, constraint coordination engine 136 can receive the frequency (or frequency range of the channel) of AP 142A-1 from AFC server 124. Constraint coordination engine 136 can determine AP 142A-1's ability to support that frequency based on its model. In this example, AP 142A-1 can support a given channel range. Constraint coordination engine 136 can determine the frequency that AP 142A-1 should implement, which is within the channel range supported by AP 142A-1 and also conforms to the frequency constraints of AP 142A-1 received from AFC server 124. Additionally, or alternatively, constraint coordination engine 136 can receive power limits for AP 142A-1 from AFC server 124. Constraint coordination engine 136 can determine AP 142A-1's ability to support those power limits based on its model. In this example, AP 142A-1 can support a given power range. The constraint coordination engine 136 can determine the power to be achieved for AP 142A-1, which is within the power range supported by AP 142A-1 and also conforms to the power limits of AP 142A-1 received from AFC server 124.

[0040] In some examples, the constraint coordination engine 136 may receive power limits for AP 142A-1 from AFC server 124, which can be within a power range used for both standard power mode and low power mode. For example, the constraint coordination engine 136 may receive a power limit of 14 dBm, which can be within the power range of standard power mode (e.g., 0 dBm to 30 dBm) and low power mode (e.g., 0 dBm to 15 dBm). In this example, the constraint coordination engine 136 may determine the power mode to be implemented by AP 142A-1 based on network parameters such as client connectivity to AP 142A-1, demand (e.g., AP 142A-1 usage and / or priority), or other network parameters. For example, the constraint coordination engine 136 may determine that the number of client devices connected to AP 142A-1 meets a threshold, which may indicate that AP 142A-1 has high client connectivity. In this example, the constraint coordination engine 136 can determine the implementation of a standard power mode for AP 142A-1 so that AP 142A-1 can provide stronger connectivity for client devices.

[0041] In some examples, constraint coordination engine 136 can generate channel and / or power distributions for multiple network devices. For example, constraint coordination engine 136 can determine that a first set of network devices in site 102A (e.g., AP 142A-N) operates in low-power mode, and a second set of network devices in site 102A operates in standard power mode (e.g., AP142A-1). Constraint coordination engine 136 can additionally or alternatively generate channel distributions for multiple network devices to operate in corresponding channels. For example, constraint coordination engine 136 can determine that the first set of network devices in site 102A operates in a first channel, the second set of network devices in site 102A operates in a second channel, and so on.

[0042] In some examples, if constraint coordination engine 136 does not receive a response from AFC server 124 or determines that the network device has moved to a different location, constraint coordination engine 136 may configure the network device to switch power modes (e.g., switch from standard power mode to low power mode) or disable the network device's radio (e.g., transmitter) when it re-requests one or more operational constraints for the network device. For example, AP 142A-1 may be configured to implement standard power mode for a specified time period (such as a regulatory-defined time period (e.g., less than or equal to 24 hours)) and update requests for one or more operational constraints from AFC server 124. When the specified time period expires, constraint coordination engine 136 may send verification information of AP 142A-1 to AFC server 124 to obtain one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1. If constraint coordination engine 136 does not receive a response from AFC server 124, constraint coordination engine 136 may configure AP 142A-1 to implement low power mode or disable the radio. Alternatively, if AP 142A-1 does not receive configuration settings from constraint coordination engine 136 (e.g., due to connectivity issues to NMS 130), AP 142A-1 may implement a low-power mode or disable its radio. In some examples, constraint coordination engine 136 may modify the specified time period for implementing the configuration settings. For example, constraint coordination engine 136 may shorten the specified time period for implementing the configuration settings based on the amount of uncertainty in the determined location of the network device. For example, constraint coordination engine 136 may determine the location of AP 142A-N and may generate a location uncertainty value associated with the location of AP 142A-N. Constraint coordination engine 136 may compare the location uncertainty value associated with the location of AP 142A-N to a threshold, and if the location uncertainty value meets the threshold, constraint coordination engine 136 may shorten the specified time period for AP 142A-N to implement the configuration settings.

[0043] Although the above example is described with respect to the configuration settings of AP 142 in an AFC system, the techniques described in this disclosure can also be applied to any fixed (e.g., stationary) client device in client device 148.

[0044] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example access point (AP) device 200 according to one or more technologies disclosed herein. Figure 2 The example AP device 200 shown can be the subject of this article. Figure 1 Examples of any AP device shown and described in AP device 142. AP device 200 may include, for example, a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) base station or any other type of wireless access point.

[0045] exist Figure 2 In the example, access point device 200 includes a wired interface 230, wireless interfaces 220A to 220B, one or more processors 206, memory 212, and input / output 210, all coupled together via a bus 214 through which the various components exchange data and information. The wired interface 230 represents a physical network interface and includes a receiver 232 and a transmitter 234 for sending and receiving network communications (e.g., packets). The wired interface 230 directly or indirectly couples the AP device 200 to... Figure 1 One or more devices in the (multiple) networks 134. First and second wireless interfaces 220A and 220B represent wireless network interfaces and respectively include receivers 222A and 222B, each including a receiving antenna, through which the AP device 200 can receive signals from wireless communication devices (such as…) Figure 1 The UE 148 receives wireless signals. The first and second wireless interfaces 220A and 220B also include transmitters 224A and 224B, each including a transmitting antenna, allowing the AP device 200 to transmit signals to wireless communication devices (such as…) via the transmitting antenna. Figure 1 The UE 148 transmits wireless signals. In some examples, the first wireless interface 220A may include a Wi-Fi 802.11 interface (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or other wireless communication frequencies), and the second wireless interface 220B may include a Bluetooth interface and / or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface.

[0046] Processor 206 is a programmable, hardware-based processor configured to execute software instructions, such as software instructions used to define software or computer programs, which are stored in a computer-readable storage medium (such as memory 212), such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium including storage devices (e.g., disk drives or optical disc drives) or memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, the stored instructions causing one or more processors 206 to perform one or more of the techniques described herein.

[0047] Memory 212 includes one or more devices configured to store programming units / modules and / or data associated with the operation of access point device 200. For example, memory 212 may include computer-readable storage media, such as non-transitory computer-readable media, including storage devices (e.g., disk drives or optical disk drives) or memories (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause one or more processors 206 to perform one or more of the techniques described herein.

[0048] In this example, memory 212 stores executable software and various data, including an application programming interface (API) 240, a communication manager 242, configuration settings 250, an RSSI log 252, and a data storage device 254. The RSSI log 252 includes RSSI values ​​measured by the AP device 200 and / or RSSI values ​​of one or more wireless signals communicating between the AP device 200 and the wireless device, measured by a wireless device connected to the AP device 200. Although an example RSSI technique is described herein, it should be understood that any method for measuring wireless signals exchanged between two wireless devices can be used, including any type of Wi-Fi ranging technology and / or Bluetooth ranging technology, and this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0049] The RSSI value can be used by AP device 200, NMS 130, or both to estimate the distance between AP device 200 and one or more other wireless devices in the wireless network. As another example, AP device 200 and one or more other wireless devices can perform round-trip time (RTT) measurements (e.g., Time of Flight (ToF)) between each other, which can then be used by AP device 200, NMS 130, or both to estimate the distance between AP device 200 and one or more other devices in the wireless network. Example Wi-Fi RTT technology is described by the IEEE 802.11mc standard (e.g., IEEE 802.11-2016), which defines a Fine Time Measurement (FTM) protocol that can be used to measure the round-trip time (RTT) of Wi-Fi signals. In some examples, AP device 200 sends RSSI and / or RTT values ​​to NMS 130, and NMS 130 estimates the distance between AP device 200 and one or more other wireless devices based on the RSSI and / or RTT values ​​received from each of the other wireless devices. In other examples, AP device 200 estimates its own distance to one or more other wireless devices in the wireless network based on RSSI and / or RTT values ​​and sends the estimated distance to NMS 130. The estimated distance between AP device 200 and one or more other wireless devices can also be determined by any other computing device, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. According to one or more techniques of this disclosure, NMS 130 can obtain RSSI and / or RTT values ​​and generate a network graph of wireless devices in the wireless network.

[0050] The network data stored in data storage device 254 may include, for example, data about or associated with AP events and / or UE events. In some examples, network events are categorized as positive network events, neutral network events, and / or negative network events. Network events may include, for example, memory status, reboot events, crash events, Ethernet port status, upgrade failure events, firmware upgrade events, configuration changes, authentication events, DNS events, DHCP events, one or more types of roaming events, one or more types of proximity events, etc., as well as a time and date stamp for each event. Data 254 may store any data used and / or generated by AP device 200, including data collected from UE 148.

[0051] The communication manager 242 includes program code that, when executed by the processor(s) 206, allows the AP device 200 to communicate with the UE 148 and / or the network(s) 134 via any of the interfaces(s) 230 and / or 220A to 220B. Configuration settings 250 include any device settings for the AP device 200, such as the radio settings for each of the wireless interfaces(s) 220A to 220B. These settings can be configured manually or can be remotely monitored and / or automatically managed or configured by the NMS 130 to optimize wireless network performance periodically (e.g., hourly or daily). Input / output (I / O) 210 represents physical hardware components that enable user interaction, such as buttons, touchscreens, displays, etc. Although not shown, memory 212 typically stores executable software for controlling the user interface regarding input received via I / O 210.

[0052] According to the technology described in this disclosure, one or more configuration settings 250 of the AP device 200 are managed by the constraint coordination engine 136 of the NMS 130 based on one or more operational constraints obtained from the AFC server 124. In some examples, the AP device 200 may include a GPS unit 260 configured to determine the location of the AP device 200. For example, the GPS device 260 may determine the geographic location of the AP device 200, such as geographic coordinates (e.g., longitude, latitude) and / or the altitude of the AP device 200. The AP device 200 may send its location information to the constraint coordination engine 136 of the NMS 130, which in turn may send verification information (including the location information of the AP device 200) to the AFC server 124. Although the GPS unit 260 is illustrated as being inside the AP device 200, in some examples, the GPS unit 260 may be external to the AP device 200.

[0053] In some examples, AP device 200 may not include a GPS unit. In these examples, AP device 200 may perform measurements of wireless signals exchanged between AP device 200 and another AP device, such as signal strength measurements and / or RTT or FTM measurements, and provide the measurement results to NMS 130 (or a location engine connected to NMS 130) to determine the location of AP device 200, and send the location information of AP device 200 to the constraint coordination engine 136 of NMS 130.

[0054] AP device 200 may receive one or more configuration settings from constraint coordination engine 136. For example, AP device 200 may receive configuration settings (or instructions for AP device 200 to modify configuration / radio settings 250) specifying one or more of the following: frequency or frequency range (e.g., channel), power mode (e.g., transmit antenna output power (e.g., EIRP)), and / or other configuration settings for transmitter 224A. As described above, configuration settings may be determined by constraint coordination engine 136 based on one or more operational constraints from AFC server 124 and one or more network parameters. In some examples, AP device 200 may include configuration settings 250 that, if AP device 200 does not receive configuration settings from constraint coordination engine 136 (e.g., due to connectivity issues to NMS 130), these configuration settings cause AP device 200 to configure transmitter 224A to operate in low-power mode or disable wireless interface 220A.

[0055] Figure 3 The illustration shows an example NMS 300 configured to manage one or more network devices in a network based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC system, according to one or more technologies of this disclosure. The NMS 300 and the constraint coordination engine 354 can be substantially similar to... Figure 1 The NMS 130 and constraint coordination engine 136 operate. The NMS 300 includes a communication interface 330, one or more processors 306, a user interface 310, a memory 312, and a database 315. The various components are coupled together via a bus 314, through which they can exchange data and information.

[0056] Multiple processors 306 execute software instructions, such as instructions used to define software or computer programs, which are stored on a computer-readable storage medium (such as memory 312), such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, including storage devices (e.g., disk drives or optical disk drives) or memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause one or more processors 306 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0057] The communication interface 330 may include, for example, an Ethernet interface. The communication interface 330 couples the NMS 300 to a network and / or the Internet, such as... Figure 1 Any of the multiple networks 134 shown, and / or any local area network. Communication interface 330 includes a receiver (RX) 332 and a transmitter (TX) 334, through which the NMS 300 receives / sends data and information from / to any of the following: AP 142, switch 146, servers 110, 116, 122, 128, and / or those constituting such... Figure 1 Any other device or system of the network system 100 shown.

[0058] Database 315 can store data from devices in a wireless network (e.g., Figure 1 Network data 316 and location data 317 collected and / or measured by the UE 148 and / or AP 142. Network data 316 may include, for example, information indicating events, anomalies, trends, SLE-related data, and / or any information indicating device or network performance. Network data 316 may include, for example, data collected by the AP device (e.g., ...). Figure 1 The AP 142A-N transmits the data and is sent by another device (e.g., Figure 1 The location engine 352 can use the signal strength measurements of the signals received by the AP 142A-1 to determine the location of the AP device in the site. The location data 317 may include location information received from the AP device (e.g., geographic coordinates, altitude, etc.) or location information determined by the location engine 352 of the NMS 130.

[0059] Memory 312 includes one or more devices configured to store programming units / modules and / or data associated with the operation of NMS 300. For example, memory 312 may include computer-readable storage media, such as non-transitory computer-readable media, including storage devices (e.g., disk drives or optical disk drives) or memories (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause one or more processors 306 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0060] In this example, memory 312 includes API 320, SLE unit 322, Radio Resource Management (RRM) engine 324, Virtual Network Assistant (VNA) / AI engine 350, and location engine 352. NMS 300 may also include any other programmed units / modules, software engines, and / or interfaces configured to obtain information associated with wireless signals exchanged within the wireless network at the site and to determine the location of wireless devices at the site.

[0061] SLE unit 322 enables the setting and tracking of thresholds for SLE metrics for each network 106A to 106N. SLE unit 322 further analyzes SLE-related data collected by APs (such as any AP 142) from UEs 148 in each wireless network 106A to 106N. For example, APs 142A-1 to 142A-N collect SLE-related data from UEs 148A-1 to 148A-N currently connected to wireless network 106A. This data is transmitted to NMS 300, which executes SLE unit 322 to determine one or more SLE metrics for each UE 148A-1 to 148A-N currently connected to wireless network 106A. This data, in addition to any network data collected by one or more APs 142A-1 to 142A-N in wireless network 106A, is transmitted to NMS 300 and stored in database 315.

[0062] RRM Engine 324 monitors one or more metrics for each site 106A through 106N to understand and optimize the RF environment at each site. For example, RRM Engine 324 can monitor coverage and capacity SLE metrics for wireless network 106 at site 102 to identify potential SLE coverage and / or capacity issues in wireless network 106 and adjust the radio settings of the access points at each site to address the identified issues. For example, RRM Engine 324 can determine the channel and transmit power distribution across all APs 142 in each network 106A through 106N. For example, RRM Engine 324 can monitor events, power, channels, bandwidth, and the number of clients connected to each AP. RRM Engine 324 can further automatically change or update the configuration of one or more APs 142 at site 106 to improve coverage and capacity SLE metrics, thus providing an improved wireless experience for users.

[0063] The VNA / AI engine 350 can be basically similar to Figure 1The VNA 133 operation. The VNA / AI engine 350 analyzes data received from AP142 / 200 and its own data to identify when an unexpected anomalous state is encountered at one of the wireless networks 106A to 106N. For example, the VNA / AI engine 350 can identify the root cause of any unexpected or anomalous state, such as any poor SLE metric(s) at one or more of the wireless networks 106A to 106N. Furthermore, the VNA / AI engine 350 can automatically invoke one or more corrective actions designed to resolve one or more of the identified root causes of the poor SLE metric(s). Examples of corrective actions that can be automatically invoked by the VNA / AI engine 350 may include, but are not limited to: invoking RRM 360 to restart one or more APs, adjusting / modifying the transmit power of a specific radio in a specific AP, adding an SSID configuration to a specific AP, changing the channel of an AP or set of APs, etc. Corrective actions may also include restarting switches and / or routers, invoking new software downloads to APs, switches, or routers, etc. These corrective actions are given for illustrative purposes, and this disclosure is not limited in this respect. If automatic corrective actions are unavailable or fail to adequately address the root cause, the VNA / AI Engine 350 can proactively provide notifications, including suggested corrective actions, for IT personnel to adopt to resolve network errors.

[0064] According to one or more techniques disclosed herein, the NMS 300 includes a constraint coordination engine 354, which is configured to manage one or more network devices in the network based on one or more operational constraints of the AFC server 124. Figure 3 In the example, the constraint coordination engine 354 can coordinate one or more network devices (e.g., Figure 1 The authentication information of AP 142 is sent to AFC server 124 to manage one or more operational constraints of AP 142 in the 6 GHz band.

[0065] In some examples, the constraint coordination engine 354 can receive AP 142 including a GPS unit (e.g., Figure 1 The location information of AP142A-1). In some examples, NMS 300 includes a location engine 352 to determine the location of AP 142 without a GPS unit (e.g., neighboring AP devices, AP devices in the same site, etc.) based on the location of one or more other AP 142 with GPS units (e.g., neighboring AP devices, AP devices in the same site, etc.). Figure 1The location engine 352 can determine the location of AP 142A-N (which does not have a GPS unit) based on the location information of AP 142A-1, which includes a GPS unit. In some examples, the constraint coordination engine 354 can set the location of AP 142A-N without a GPS unit to the same location as AP 142A-1 with a GPS unit that provides location information to the constraint coordination engine 354. In some examples, the location engine 352 can determine the location of AP 142A-N without a GPS unit based on measurements of signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and another AP 142 (e.g., AP 142A-1 or any other adjacent AP device). For example, the location engine 352 can determine the location of AP 142A-N without a GPS unit based on signal strength measurements of one or more signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and other AP devices. In other examples, location engine 352 can determine the location of AP 142A-N without a GPS unit based on the RTT and / or FTM of one or more signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and neighboring AP devices.

[0066] The constraint coordination engine 352 sends location information of one or more APs 142 (including, in some examples, location uncertainty values ​​indicating the uncertainty of the location of one or more APs 142) to the AFC server 124, and can receive one or more operational constraints for one or more APs 142 from the AFC server 124. Based on the one or more operational constraints for one or more APs 142, the constraint coordination engine 354 can manage one or more configuration settings for one or more APs 142. For example, the constraint coordination engine 354 can determine the configuration settings for APs 142 based on one or more constraints from the AFC server 124 and one or more network parameters, such as the type (e.g., model) of the AP device and / or one or more assessments of the network. The constraint coordination engine 354 can generate one or more configuration settings for the channels and transmit power of APs 142, which conform to one or more operational constraints from the AFC server 124 and are based on monitored events, power, channel, bandwidth, and / or the number of clients connected to each AP. In some examples, the constraint coordination engine 354 can utilize the VNA / AI engine 350's detection of one or more anomalies in the network (e.g., the presence of coverage holes, the presence of one or more neighboring devices that can interfere with the network device based on a determined location of one or more neighboring network devices, etc.) to generate one or more configuration settings for AP 142. In some examples, the constraint coordination engine 354 can receive feedback on network performance and can generate one or more configuration settings for AP 142.

[0067] In some examples, the constraint coordination engine 354 can generate channel and / or power distributions for multiple network devices. For example, the constraint coordination engine 354 can determine that a first set of network devices in site 102A (e.g., AP 142A-N) operates in low-power mode, and a second set of network devices in site 102A operates in standard power mode (e.g., AP142A-1). The constraint coordination engine 354 can additionally or alternatively generate channel distributions for the multiple network devices to operate in corresponding channels. For example, the constraint coordination engine 354 can determine that the first set of network devices in site 102A operates in a first channel, the second set of network devices in site 102A operates in a second channel, and so on. The constraint coordination engine 354 can instruct the RRM 324 to configure the channels and / or power of the multiple network devices based on the channel and / or power distributions determined by the constraint coordination engine 354.

[0068] In some examples, if the constraint coordination engine 354 does not receive a response from the AFC server 124, or the location engine 352 determines that the network device has been moved to a different location, the constraint coordination engine 354 may instruct the RRM 324 to configure the AP 142 to switch power modes (e.g., switch from standard power mode to low power mode) or disable the AP device's radio (e.g., transmitter) when requesting one or more operational constraints for the AP device.

[0069] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of an example user equipment device according to one or more technologies of this disclosure. Figure 4 The example UE device 400 shown may be about Figure 1 Examples of any UE in the shown and described UE 148. UE device 400 may include any type of wireless client device, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, UE device 400 may include mobile devices such as smartphones, tablet computers or laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless terminals, smartwatches, smart rings, or any other type of mobile or wearable device.

[0070] UE device 400 includes a wired interface 430, wireless interfaces 420A to 420C, one or more processors 406, memory 412, and user interface 410. Various components are coupled together via bus 414, through which they can exchange data and information. The wired interface 430 represents a physical network interface and includes a receiver 432 and a transmitter 434. If desired, the wired interface 430 can be used to couple the UE device 400 directly or indirectly to wired network devices (such as Ethernet devices) within a wired network via a cable (such as an Ethernet cable). Figure 1(One of the switches in switch 146).

[0071] The first, second, and third wireless interfaces 420A, 420B, and 420C respectively include receivers 422A, 422B, and 422C, each receiver including a receiving antenna. The UE device 400 can receive signals from a wireless communication device (such as...) via the receiving antenna. Figure 1 AP142, Figure 2 The AP 200, other UE 148, or other devices configured for wireless communication receive wireless signals. The first, second, and third wireless interfaces 420A, 420B, and 420C further include transmitters 424A, 424B, and 424C, respectively, each including a transmitting antenna. The UE device 400 can transmit signals to wireless communication devices (such as AP 200, other UEs 148, or other devices configured for wireless communication) via the transmitting antenna. Figure 1 AP 142, Figure 2 The AP200, other UEs 148, and / or other devices configured for wireless communication transmit wireless signals. In some examples, the first wireless interface 420A may include a Wi-Fi 802.11 interface (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and / or 6 GHz), and the second wireless interface 420B may include a Bluetooth interface and / or a Bluetooth Low Energy interface. The third wireless interface 420C may include, for example, a cellular interface through which the UE device 400 can connect to a cellular network.

[0072] Multiple processors 406 execute software instructions, such as instructions used to define software or computer programs, which are stored on a computer-readable storage medium (such as memory 412), such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, including storage devices (e.g., disk drives or optical disk drives) or memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause one or more processors 406 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0073] Memory 412 includes one or more devices configured to store programming units / modules and / or data associated with the operation of UE device 400. For example, memory 412 may include computer-readable storage media, such as non-transitory computer-readable media, including storage devices (e.g., disk drives or optical disk drives) or memories (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause one or more processors 406 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0074] In this example, memory 412 includes operating system 440, application 442, communication unit 444, configuration settings 450, and data storage device 454. Communication unit 444 includes program code that, when executed by processor(s) 406, enables UE device 400 to communicate using any of the multiple wired interfaces 430, wireless interfaces 420A to 420B, and / or cellular interface 420C. For each of the multiple wireless interfaces 420A to 420B and / or cellular interface 420C, configuration settings 450 includes any device settings configured for UE device 400.

[0075] Data storage device 454 may store any data used and / or generated by UE device 400, such as network data 455, including event data (e.g., data indicating normal or error events), telemetry data, and / or other SLE-related data indicating wireless network performance and / or status, and RSSI data 456, including data obtained by UE device 400 from network devices (e.g., Figure 1 The signal strength of one or more wireless signals received by the AP 142A-1 is measured to determine the location of the UE device 400.

[0076] In some examples, UE device 400 may represent a fixed (e.g., stationary) device at a site. In these examples, UE device 400 may include NMS agent 456, configured to cause UE device 400 to request authentication from an AFC server via NMS 130 to operate in one or more frequency bands and to be managed by NMS 130. NMS agent 456 is a software agent of NMS 130 installed on UE device 400. In some examples, NMS agent 456 may be implemented as a software application running on UE device 400.

[0077] In some examples, UE device 400 may include a GPS unit 460 configured to determine the location of UE device 400. For example, GPS device 460 may determine the geographic location of UE device 400, such as geographic coordinates (e.g., longitude, latitude) and / or the altitude of UE device 400. UE device 400 may send its location information to NMS 130, which in turn may send authentication information (including the location information of UE device 400) to AFC server 124.

[0078] In some examples, the UE device 400 may not include a GPS unit. In these examples, the AP device connected to the UE device 400 may perform measurements of the wireless signals exchanged between the UE device 400 and the AP device, such as signal strength measurements and / or RTT or FTM measurements, and provide the measurement results to the NMS 130 (or the location engine connected to the NMS 130) to determine the location of the UE device 400, and send the location information of the UE device 400 to the constraint coordination engine 136 of the NMS 130.

[0079] UE device 400 may receive one or more configuration settings from constraint coordination engine 136. For example, UE device 400 may receive configuration settings (or instructions for UE device 400 to modify configuration settings 450) specifying one or more of the following: frequency or frequency range (e.g., channel), power mode (e.g., transmit antenna output power (e.g., EIRP)), and / or other configuration settings for transmitter 424A. As described above, the configuration settings may be determined by constraint coordination engine 136 based on one or more operational constraints from AFC server 124 and one or more network parameters.

[0080] In some examples, UE device 400 may include configuration settings 450 that, if UE device 400 does not receive configuration settings from constraint coordination engine 136 (e.g., due to connectivity issues to NMS 130), these configuration settings cause UE device 400 to configure transmitter 424A to operate in low-power mode or disable radio interface 420A.

[0081] Figure 5A This is a flowchart illustrating example operations of managing a network device with a GPS unit based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC-based system according to one or more technologies of this disclosure. For ease of explanation, Figure 5A about Figure 1 It is described in AP 142A-1, but can be represented as Figure 1 Any network device in the network system 100.

[0082] exist Figure 5AIn this example, a network device, such as AP 142A-1, can be powered on and / or initialized for use within site 102A (502). AP 142A-1 can be configured to operate in a low-power mode (low-power indoor) before requesting operation in the 6 GHz band via AFC server 124 (504). In this example, AP 142A-1 may include a GPS unit ("Yes" in step 506), and NMS 130 can obtain location information of AP 142A-1, such as geographic coordinates and / or altitude of AP 142A-1 (508). NMS 130 can send authentication information of AP 142A-1, including the location information of AP 142A-1, to AFC server 124 (512).

[0083] In some examples, network devices, such as AP 142A-N, may not include a GPS unit (No in step 506). In these examples, a flag may be set to indicate that location information for AP 142A-N is unavailable (510) and / or NMS 130 may determine the location of AP 142A-N without a GPS unit based on location information of another network device that includes a GPS unit or based on measurements of signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and neighboring network devices (e.g., signal strength measurements, RTT and / or FTM measurements, etc.). Figure 5B Further details are provided below.

[0084] Based on the authentication information of AP 142A-1 sent to AFC server 124 in step 512, AFC server 124 can determine one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 to operate in the 6 GHz band. Operational constraints for AP 142A-1 may include permitted channel and / or power limits.

[0085] NMS 130 may receive one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 from AFC server 124 (514) and determine whether one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 are valid (516). If NMS 130 does not receive a response from AFC server 124 or one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 are invalid ("No" in step 516), a flag may be set to indicate that no response was received from AFC server 124 and / or the operational constraints from AFC server 124 are invalid (518).

[0086] If NMS 130 receives a response from AFC server 124, or if one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 are received or valid ("Yes" in step 516), NMS 130 can manage one or more configuration settings for AP 142A-1 based on the one or more operational constraints received from AFC server 124 (520). For example, NMS 130 can determine one or more configuration settings for AP 142A-1 based on one or more constraints from AFC server 124 and at least one of the following: the type of access point (e.g., model) and / or one or more assessments of the network (e.g., determining whether coverage holes exist, determining whether one or more neighboring devices that may interfere with AP 142A-1 are present based on the determined locations of one or more neighboring network devices, etc.). As an example, NMS 130 can receive a 14 dBm power limit for AP 142A-1. The NMS 130 can determine, based on the AP 142A-1 model number, whether the AP 142A-1 supports standard power modes (e.g., 0 dBm to 30 dBm) and low power modes (e.g., 0 dBm to 15 dBm). In this example, the NMS 130 can determine the power mode to be implemented for the AP142A-1 and instruct the radio resource manager (e.g., Figure 3 Configure the power mode for AP 142A-1 using the Radio Resource Manager 324.

[0087] AP 142A-1 receives one or more configuration settings from NMS 130 and implements them (522). One or more configuration settings may be implemented within a threshold time period (e.g., 24 hours or less) (524). If the duration of implementing one or more configuration settings exceeds the threshold time period ("Yes" in step 524), NMS 130 may send authentication information for AP 142A-1 to AFC server 124 to obtain one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-1 (512). If the duration of implementing one or more configuration settings does not exceed the threshold time period ("No" in step 524), NMS 130 may determine whether to restart AP 142A-1 to switch AP 142A-1 from standard power to low power operation (526). For example, NMS 130 may determine if a network failure exists (e.g., failure to connect to NMS 130, failure to connect to AFC server 124, or other network failures). If NMS 130 determines that a network failure exists, NMS 130 may determine to restart AP 142A-1 ("Yes" in step 526), ​​causing AP 142A-1 to operate in low-power mode upon power-on and / or initialization (504). In some examples, if NMS 130 determines that a network failure exists, NMS may disable AP 142A-1's transmitter. If NMS 130 does not determine that a network failure exists, NMS 130 may determine not to restart AP 142A-1 ("No" in step 526) and maintain the implementation of the current configuration settings (522).

[0088] Figure 5B This is a flowchart illustrating example operation of managing a network device without a GPS unit based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC-based system according to one or more technologies of this disclosure. For ease of explanation, Figure 5B about Figure 1 The AP 142A-N is described, but it can be represented as Figure 1 Any network device in the network system 100.

[0089] exist Figure 5B In the example, a network device, such as AP 142A-N, can be powered on and / or initialized for use within site 102A (532). AP 142A-N can be configured to operate in low-power mode (low-power indoor) before requesting operation in the 6 GHz band via AFC server 124 (534). For network devices including GPS units ("Yes" in step 536), NMS 130 can obtain the location information of the network device from the network device (538), such as... Figure 5AAs described above. In some examples, AP 142A-N may not include a GPS unit (No in step 536). In these examples, NMS 130 may be based on the location information of another network device that includes a GPS unit (e.g., by setting the location of AP 142A-N to be consistent with the location of another network device that includes a GPS unit). Figure 1 The location of AP 142A-N can be determined by measuring the signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and neighboring network devices (e.g., signal strength measurement, RTT and / or FTM measurement, etc.). (540) If NMS 130 cannot determine the location of AP 142A-N (No in step 540), a flag can be set to indicate that the location information of AP 142A-N is unavailable (542).

[0090] If NMS 130 determines the location of AP 142A-N (e.g., by receiving "Yes" in step 538, which includes location information of another network device including a GPS unit, or by determining the location based on measurements of signals exchanged between AP 142A-N and neighboring network devices), NMS 130 may send AP 142A-N's authentication information (including AP 142A-N's location information) to AFC server 124 (544). AFC server 124 may determine one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-N's operation in the 6 GHz band based on the AP 142A-N's authentication information. Operational constraints for AP 142A-N may include permitted channel and / or power limits.

[0091] NMS 130 can receive one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-N (546) and determine whether one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-N are valid (548). If NMS 130 does not receive a response from AFC server 124 or one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-N are invalid (No in step 548), a flag can be set to indicate that no response was received from AFC server 124 and / or the operational constraints from AFC server 124 are invalid (550). If NMS 130 receives a response from AFC server 124, or one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-N are received or valid (Yes in step 548), then NMS 130 can manage one or more configuration settings for AP 142A-N based on one or more operational constraints received from AFC server 124 (552). For example, NMS 130 can determine one or more configuration settings for AP 142A-N based on one or more constraints from AFC server 124 and at least one of the following: the type of access point (e.g., model) and / or one or more assessments of the network (e.g., determining whether coverage holes exist, determining whether one or more neighboring devices that may interfere with AP 142A-N are present based on the determined locations of one or more neighboring network devices, etc.). As an example, NMS 130 can determine the power mode to be implemented for AP 142A-N based on the model of AP 142A-N and instruct the radio resource manager (e.g., Figure 3 Radio Resource Manager 324) updated the power mode for AP142A-N.

[0092] AP 142A-N receives one or more configuration settings from NMS 130 and implements the configuration settings (554). One or more configuration settings may be implemented within a threshold time period (e.g., 24 hours or less) (556). If the duration of implementing one or more configuration settings exceeds the threshold time period ("Yes" in step 556), NMS 130 may determine whether AP 142A-N has been moved (558, 560). For example, NMS 130 may determine the location of AP 142A-N and whether the location of AP 142A-N meets a threshold amount of uncertainty. If NMS 130 determines that AP 142A-N has been moved ("Yes" in step 560), NMS 130 may set a flag to indicate that AP 142A-N has been moved and / or AP 142A-N may be configured to operate in low-power mode (534). If NMS 130 determines that AP 142A-N has not moved (No in step 560), then NMS 130 may send the verification information of AP 142A-N to AFC server 124 to obtain one or more operational constraints for AP 142A-N (544).

[0093] If the duration of implementing one or more configuration settings does not exceed a threshold time period (No in step 556), NMS 130 may determine whether to restart AP 142A-N to switch AP 142A-N from standard power to low power operation (562). For example, NMS 130 may determine whether a network failure exists (e.g., failure to connect to NMS 130 or other network failure). If NMS 130 determines that a network failure exists, NMS 130 may determine to restart AP 142A-N (Yes in step 562), which causes AP 142A-N to operate in low power mode upon power-on and / or initialization (534). In some examples, if NMS 130 determines that a network failure exists, NMS may disable AP 142A-N's transmitter. If NMS 130 does not determine that there is a network failure, then NMS 130 determines not to restart AP 142A-N (No in step 562) and maintains the implementation of the current configuration settings (554).

[0094] Figure 5C This is a flowchart illustrating example operations of managing network devices based on one or more operational constraints of an AFC-based system according to one or more technologies of this disclosure. For ease of explanation, Figure 5C refer to Figure 1 Any AP 142, NMS 130, and AFC server 124 are described.

[0095] exist Figure 5CIn some examples, NMS 130 obtains location information (570) of one or more network devices (such as any AP in AP 142). In some examples, NMS 130 may receive location information (572) from a network device that includes a GPS unit (e.g., AP 142A-1). In some examples, NMS can determine the location information (574) of a network device that does not include a GPS unit (e.g., AP142A-N). For example, NMS 130 may determine the location of a network device without a GPS unit based on the location information of another network device that includes a GPS unit (e.g., a neighboring network device, a network device in the same site, etc.).

[0096] NMS 130 sends the location information of AP 142 to AFC server 124 (576). For example, NMS 130 may send the location of AP 142 (e.g., coordinates, altitude, etc.) and, in some examples, the planned frequency or power used by AP 142 to AFC server 124. AFC server 124 receives the location information of AP 142 (578) and determines one or more operational constraints for AP 142 based on the location information (580). For example, AFC server 124 may determine channel and / or power limitations for AP 142 to operate in one or more frequency bands (e.g., the 6 GHz band). AFC server 124 sends one or more operational constraints for AP 142 to NMS 130 (582).

[0097] NMS 130 obtains one or more operational constraints (584) for AP 142 and determines one or more configuration settings for AP 142 based on one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters (586). For example, NMS 130 may determine the configuration settings for AP 142 based on one or more constraints from AFC server 124 and one or more network parameters, such as the type of AP 142 (e.g., model) and / or one or more assessments of the network (e.g., whether there are coverage holes, whether there are one or more neighboring devices that can interfere with the network device based on a determined location of one or more neighboring network devices, client-to-network device connectivity, network device capabilities, network device requirements, feedback on network performance, etc.).

[0098] NMS 130 sends one or more configuration settings to AP 142 (588). The network device, such as AP 142, receives one or more configuration settings for AP 142 (590) and implements one or more configuration settings (592).

[0099] In some examples, steps 570 through 592 are repeated when one or more operational constraints are re-requested for AP 142. For example, one or more configuration settings may be implemented within a specified time period. When the specified time period expires, NMS 130 may send authentication information for AP 142 to AFC server 124 to obtain one or more operational constraints for AP 142. If NMS 130 does not receive a response from AFC server 124, NMS 130 may configure AP 142 to implement low-power mode or disable radio. Alternatively, if AP 142 does not receive configuration settings from NMS 130 (e.g., due to connectivity issues with NMS 130), AP 142 may implement low-power mode or disable radio.

[0100] The techniques described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Various features described as modules, units, or components can be implemented together in an integrated logic device, or implemented separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices or other hardware devices. In some cases, various features of an electronic circuit system can be implemented as one or more integrated circuit devices, such as integrated circuit chips or chipsets.

[0101] If implemented in hardware, this disclosure may refer to means such as a processor or an integrated circuit device (such as an integrated circuit chip or chipset). Alternatively or additionally, if implemented in software or firmware, the technology may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium including instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform one or more of the methods described above. For example, a computer-readable data storage medium may store such instructions for execution by a processor.

[0102] Computer-readable media can form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. Computer-readable media may include computer data storage media, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, etc. In some examples, the article of manufacture may include one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0103] In some examples, computer-readable storage media may include non-transitory media. The term "non-transitory" can indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier or propagating signal. In some examples, non-transitory storage media may store data that can change over time (e.g., in RAM or cache).

[0104] The code or instructions can be software and / or firmware executed by a processing circuitry system including one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry systems. Therefore, the term "processor" as used herein can refer to any of the foregoing structures or any other structure suitable for implementing the techniques described herein. Furthermore, in some aspects, the functionality described in this disclosure can be provided within a software unit / module or a hardware unit / module.

Claims

1. A network management system, comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors are coupled to the memory, and the one or more processors are configured to: Obtain the location information of one or more network devices in the network; Send the location information of the one or more network devices to the Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) server; Obtain one or more operational constraints for the one or more network devices from the AFC server; One or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices are determined based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters. as well as Send the one or more configuration settings to the one or more network devices.

2. The network management system according to claim 1, wherein, in order to obtain the location information of one or more network devices, the one or more processors are configured to: The location information of the network device, determined by the GPS module of the network device, is obtained from the network device in one or more network devices.

3. The network management system according to claim 1, wherein, in order to obtain the location information of one or more network devices, the one or more processors are configured to: Based on the location information of a first network device among the one or more network devices, the location information of a second network device among the one or more network devices is determined, wherein the first network device includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) module and the second network device does not include a GPS module.

4. The network management system according to claim 1, wherein, in order to obtain the location information of one or more network devices, the one or more processors are configured to: The location information of the first network device is determined based on one or more measurements of one or more wireless signals exchanged between the first network device and the second network device in the one or more network devices, wherein the first network device does not include a GPS module.

5. The network management system of claim 4, wherein the one or more measurements of the one or more wireless signals include one or more of the following: signal strength measurement, round-trip time measurement, or fine time measurement.

6. The network management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The one or more operational constraints include power limits for the network devices in the one or more network devices. The power limitation for the network device overlaps with the first power mode and the second power mode, and In order to determine one or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters, the one or more processors are configured to determine a power mode for the network device from a first power mode and a second power mode based on one or more network parameters associated with the network device.

7. The network management system of claim 6, wherein the one or more network parameters associated with the network device include one or more of the following: the type of the network device, client connectivity to the one or more network devices, the capabilities of the one or more network devices, the requirements of the one or more network devices, or feedback regarding the performance of the network.

8. The network management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, in order to determine the one or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters, the one or more processors are configured to: For the one or more network devices, generate one or more of the following: channel distribution or power distribution.

9. The network management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: It was determined that no one or more operational constraints for any of the network devices were received from the AFC server; and Based on the determination that no operational constraints for the network device among the one or more network devices have been received from the AFC server, an instruction is sent to the network device to cause the network device to at least implement a low-power mode, restart, disable the transmitter of the network device, or a combination thereof.

10. The network management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The location information of one or more network devices includes the first location information of the network device among the one or more network devices. The one or more processors are further configured to: Obtain the second location information of the network device among the one or more network devices; It is determined that the second location information of the network device is different from the first location information of the network device; as well as Based on the determination that the second location information of the network device is different from the first location information of the network device, an instruction is sent to the network device to cause the network device to at least implement a low-power mode, restart, disable the transmitter of the network device, or a combination thereof.

11. A computer networking method, comprising: The network management system obtains the location information of one or more network devices in the network. The network management system sends the location information of the one or more network devices to the Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) server. The network management system obtains one or more operational constraints for the one or more network devices from the AFC server; The network management system determines one or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters. as well as The network management system sends the one or more configuration settings to the one or more network devices.

12. The computer networking method according to claim 11, wherein obtaining the location information of one or more network devices includes: The location information of the network device, determined by the GPS module of the network device, is obtained from the network device in one or more network devices.

13. The computer networking method according to claim 11, wherein obtaining the location information of one or more network devices includes: Based on the location information of a first network device among the one or more network devices, the location information of a second network device among the one or more network devices is determined, wherein the first network device includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) module and the second network device does not include a GPS module.

14. The computer networking method according to claim 13, wherein obtaining the location information of one or more network devices includes: The location information of the first network device is determined based on one or more measurements of one or more wireless signals exchanged between the first network device and the second network device in the one or more network devices, wherein the first network device does not include a GPS module.

15. The computer networking method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, The one or more operational constraints include power limits for the network devices in the one or more network devices. The power limitation for the network device overlaps with the first power mode and the second power mode, and Determining one or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters includes: Based on one or more network parameters associated with the network device, a power mode is determined for the network device from the first power mode and the second power mode.

16. The computer networking method of claim 15, wherein the one or more network parameters associated with the network device include one or more of the following: the type of the network device, client connectivity to the one or more network devices, the capabilities of the one or more network devices, the requirements of the one or more network devices, or feedback regarding the performance of the network.

17. The computer networking method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein determining the one or more configuration settings for the one or more network devices based on the one or more operational constraints and one or more network parameters comprises: For the one or more network devices, generate one or more of the following: channel distribution or power distribution.

18. The computer networking method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising: The network management system determines that it has not received one or more operational constraints for one or more network devices from the AFC server. as well as Based on the determination that no operational constraints for the network device among the one or more network devices have been received from the AFC server, the network management system sends an instruction to the network device to cause the network device to at least implement a low-power mode, restart, disable the transmitter of the network device, or a combination thereof.

19. The computer networking method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the location information of one or more network devices includes first location information of the network devices among the one or more network devices, and the method further comprises: The network management system obtains the second location information of the network device among the one or more network devices; The network management system determines that the second location information of the network device is different from the first location information of the network device; as well as Based on the determination that the second location information of the network device is different from the first location information of the network device, the network management system sends an instruction to the network device to cause the network device to at least implement a low-power mode, restart, disable the transmitter of the network device, or a combination thereof.

20. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for configuring one or more programmable processors to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, or to be configured as a network management system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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