Control device, control method and control program

Abstract

To provide a control device, a control method, and a control program that are capable of setting a channel to be used for an access point while restraining deterioration in communication quality.SOLUTION: A management server 30 is provided, and the management server 30 receives identification information of a target wireless LAN router 10a from the target wireless LAN router 10a as a setting target, identifies neighboring wireless LAN routers 10b to 10d of the target wireless LAN router 10a based on an address associated with the target wireless LAN router 10a based on the identification information of the target wireless LAN router 10a, receives wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10b to 10d from the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10b to 10d, and sets a channel to be used for the target wireless LAN router 10a based on the wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10b to 10d.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are Internet services for apartment buildings provided by ISPs (Internet Service Providers). For example, a wireless communication system is known that identifies a device that is transmitting interference waves and reduces the radio wave output of the device to reduce the interference (for example, see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-191909 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Internet services for apartment complexes allow subscribers to set up access points in each home to create a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) environment, but in apartment complexes, it is not possible to install access points far enough away to avoid radio interference. This means that radio interference from neighbors can cause speeds to slow down or connections to become unstable. Some access points scan the surrounding wireless environment and automatically change channels, but in apartment complexes where there are many wireless devices nearby, this may not be set correctly. As a result, slower speeds due to radio interference can lead to subscribers becoming dissatisfied with the service and making inquiries to ISPs. In addition, inquiries to ISPs are a burden on the ISP.

[0005] The wireless communication system described in Patent Document 1 can reduce radio wave interference in an apartment building, but in order to do so, it performs control to reduce the radio wave output of other devices that are interfering with the device itself. Therefore, the wireless communication system in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of the degradation of communication quality caused by reducing the radio wave output.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a control device, a control method, and a control program that are capable of setting a channel to be used by an access point while suppressing a deterioration in communication quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The control device of the present invention receives identification information of a target access point to be set from the target access point, Identifying a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point; receiving wireless information of the neighboring access points from the neighboring access points; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on the wireless information of the neighboring access points; It is equipped with a control unit.

[0008] The control method of the present invention comprises the steps of: A control method by a control device, comprising: The processor of the control device receiving, from a target access point that is to be set, identification information of the target access point; Identifying a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point; receiving wireless information of the neighboring access points from the neighboring access points; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on the wireless information of the neighboring access points; It is something.

[0009] The control program of the present invention comprises: A control program for a control device, A processor of the control device receiving, from a target access point that is to be set, identification information of the target access point; Identifying a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point; receiving wireless information of the neighboring access points from the neighboring access points; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on the wireless information of the neighboring access points; It causes the processing to be executed. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a control device, a control method, and a control program capable of setting a channel to be used by an access point while suppressing a deterioration in communication quality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system to which a control device of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an apartment building in which a plurality of wireless LAN routers 10 are installed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a wireless LAN router 10. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a configuration of a management server 30. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a beacon signal transmitted by the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e. [Figure 6] 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operations of the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10d, the management server 30, and the customer information server 40 in the system 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a processor 31 of a management server 30. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart showing a process for determining a channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating specific examples of channel settings of the wireless LAN router 10. [Figure 10] 10 is a sequence diagram showing a first modified example of the operations of wireless LAN routers 10a to 10d, management server 30, and customer information server 40 in system 1. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing a first modified example of the processing by the processor 31 of the management server 30. [Figure 12] 12 is a flowchart showing a process for determining a channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 in FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a sequence diagram showing a second modified example of the operations of wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e, management server 30, and customer information server 40 in system 1. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing a second modified example of the processing by the processor 31 of the management server 30. [Figure 15] 15 is a flowchart showing a process for determining channels to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 and the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 in FIG. 14. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of channel setting of the wireless LAN router 10 accompanied by a change in the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (Embodiment) <System to which the control device of the present invention is applied> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system to which a control device of the present invention is applied. The system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes, for example, a plurality of wireless LAN routers 10, communication terminals 21 and 22, a management server 30, and a customer information server 40.

[0014] The wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 10 is an example of an "access point" of the present invention. The wireless LAN router 10 has a router function of relaying communication between an information terminal (e.g., communication terminals 21, 22) connected to the wireless LAN router 10 and a network 2. The wireless LAN router 10 may also have a function such as a switching hub. The network 2 is, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet, and connection is possible after determining the connection method. The wireless LAN router 10 is, for example, a router distributed to contracted users by a CATV (Cable Television) company or an ISP (Internet Service Provider) company.

[0015] The communication terminals 21 and 22 are information terminals capable of wireless communication with the wireless LAN router 10 by connecting to the wireless LAN formed by the wireless LAN router 10. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the communication terminal 21 is a notebook personal computer, and the communication terminal 22 is a smartphone.

[0016] The management server 30 is an example of a "control device" of the present invention. The management server 30 is connectable to the network 2. The management server 30 is a server that sets a channel to be used by the wireless LAN router 10 in communication between the network 2 and the communication terminals 21 and 22 connected to the wireless LAN router 10, for example. The management server 30 is a server managed by, for example, the manufacturer of the wireless LAN router 10. The management server 30 may be a physical server or a virtual server on the cloud. The management server 30 may also be composed of multiple servers.

[0017] The customer information server 40 is a server managed by, for example, a CATV operator, an ISP operator, or the like. The customer information server 40 has a database that stores correspondence information between the addresses of contracted users and the identification information of the wireless LAN router 10 used by the users. The identification information is an identifier that identifies an individual wireless LAN router 10. The identification information may be, for example, a serial number, a MAC (Media Access Control) address, or the like. The user's address is the registered address of the user who uses the wireless LAN router 10. The database that stores the correspondence information is provided in a device (customer information server 40 in this example) different from the management server 30. The database that stores the correspondence information may be the management server 30.

[0018] <Installation example of Wireless LAN Router 10> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an apartment house in which a plurality of wireless LAN routers 10 are installed. As shown in FIG. 2, wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e are installed in rooms of the apartment house B. Of these wireless LAN routers, for example, the wireless LAN router 10a installed in room 202, the wireless LAN router 10b installed in room 301, the wireless LAN router 10c installed in room 303, and the wireless LAN router 10d installed in room 103 are wireless LAN routers whose corresponding information is stored in the database of the customer information server 40. That is, the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10d are wireless LAN routers used by users who have a contract with the CATV company or ISP company that manages the customer information server 40. On the other hand, for example, the wireless LAN router 10e installed in room 201 is a wireless LAN router whose corresponding information is not stored in the database of the customer information server 40, that is, a wireless LAN router used by a user who has no contract with the CATV company or ISP company that manages the customer information server 40.

[0019] In addition, it is assumed that wireless LAN router 10a in room 202 uses 116ch, wireless LAN router 10b in room 301 uses 132ch, wireless LAN router 10c in room 303 uses 100ch, wireless LAN router 10d in room 103 uses 120ch, and wireless LAN router 10e in room 201 uses 128ch.

[0020] In this example, a room in an apartment building is given as an example of a place where multiple wireless LAN routers 10 are installed, but this is not limiting. The place where multiple wireless LAN routers 10 are installed includes any place where the wireless LAN routers 10 are installed relatively close to each other, each of which creates a wireless LAN environment for each other, and radio wave interference may occur (for example, rooms in the same office building, stores in the same commercial facility, etc.).

[0021] <Configuration of Wireless LAN Router 10> Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the wireless LAN router 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the wireless LAN router 10 includes a processor 11, a main memory 12, an auxiliary memory 13, a wireless LAN communication I / F 14, a WAN communication I / F 15, and a wired LAN communication I / F 16.

[0022] The processor 11 is a circuit that performs signal processing, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire wireless LAN router 10. The processor 11 may be realized by other digital circuits such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The processor 11 may also be realized by combining a plurality of digital circuits.

[0023] The main memory 12 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main memory 12 is used as a work area for the processor 11. The auxiliary memory 13 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a flash memory. Various programs for operating the wireless LAN router 10 are stored in the auxiliary memory 13. The programs stored in the auxiliary memory 13 are loaded into the main memory 12 and executed by the processor 11. The auxiliary memory 13 also stores information on the correspondence between identification information of communication terminals in the network and the communication status of the communication terminals. The "network" refers to a wired or wireless local area network formed by the wireless LAN router 10.

[0024] The wireless LAN communication I / F 14 is a communication interface that connects to a LAN and performs wireless communication with a wireless communication terminal (e.g., communication terminal 22, etc.) via the LAN. The wireless LAN communication I / F 14 is capable of performing wireless communication using the 2.4 GHz band (frequency band), the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band. The WAN communication I / F 15 is a communication interface that connects to a WAN such as the Internet and performs communication with a communication device (e.g., management server 30, customer information server 40, etc.) via the WAN. The wired LAN communication I / F 16 is a communication interface that connects to a LAN and performs communication with a communication terminal (e.g., communication terminal 21, etc.) via the LAN.

[0025] For example, the wireless LAN router 10 relays data communication between the communication terminal 22 and the WAN side communication device by communicating with the LAN side communication terminal 22 via the wireless LAN communication I / F 14 and communicating with the WAN side communication device via the WAN communication I / F 15. The wireless LAN router 10 also relays data communication between the LAN side communication terminal 21 and the WAN side communication device by communicating with the LAN side communication terminal 21 via the wired LAN communication I / F 16 and communicating with the WAN side communication device via the WAN communication I / F 15.

[0026] <Configuration of Management Server 30> Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 30. As shown in Fig. 4, the management server 30 includes a processor 31, a main memory 32, an auxiliary memory 33, and a WAN communication I / F .

[0027] The processor 31 is a circuit that performs signal processing, and is, for example, a CPU that controls the entire management server 30. The processor 31 may be realized by other digital circuits such as an FPGA or a DSP. The processor 31 may also be realized by combining a plurality of digital circuits.

[0028] The main memory 32 is, for example, a RAM. The main memory 32 is used as a work area for the processor 31. The auxiliary memory 33 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a flash memory. Various programs for operating the management server 30 are stored in the auxiliary memory 33. The programs stored in the auxiliary memory 33 are loaded into the main memory 32 and executed by the processor 31. The auxiliary memory 33 also stores identification information of the wireless LAN router 10 received from the wireless LAN router 10. The auxiliary memory 33 also stores wireless information of the wireless LAN router 10 received from the wireless LAN router 10. The auxiliary memory 33 also stores correspondence information between the wireless LAN router 10 and the address of the user who uses the wireless LAN router 10 received from the customer information server 40.

[0029] The WAN communication I / F 34 is a communication interface that connects to a WAN such as the Internet and communicates with other communication devices via the WAN.

[0030] For example, the management server 30 receives identification information and wireless information of the target wireless LAN router 10 from the target wireless LAN router 10 for which a usage channel is to be set. Based on the received identification information of the target wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 receives, from the customer information server 40, identification information of neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 that exist in the vicinity of the target wireless LAN router 10, based on the address associated with the target wireless LAN router 10. Based on the received identification information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 receives wireless information from the neighboring wireless LAN router 10. The management server 30 sets the usage channel for the target wireless LAN router 10 based on the received wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10.

[0031] The wireless information of the wireless LAN router 10 includes, for example, the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​of the wireless LAN formed by the own wireless LAN router 10, the SSID of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router 10 detected by the own wireless LAN router 10, the reception level of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router 10 detected by the own wireless LAN router 10, and the channel information of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router 10 detected by the own wireless LAN router 10. The SSID of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router 10 is the SSID included in the beacon signal received from the surrounding wireless LAN router. The reception level of the wireless LAN of the wireless LAN router 10 is the reception level of the beacon signal received from the surrounding wireless LAN router. The reception level is the reception signal level, and an example is RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). The channel information of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router 10 is the frequency band and the channel number included in the beacon signal received from the surrounding wireless LAN router.

[0032] The management server 30 uses a database of a customer information server 40 that has correspondence information between the identification information of the wireless LAN router 10 and the user address to identify neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 that exist near the target wireless LAN router 10. The neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 are wireless LAN routers that share a section indicated by the associated address with the target wireless LAN router 10. Sections include areas indicated by block numbers, house numbers, and postal codes, building names (e.g., building names or apartment names), building names and floor numbers, etc. Also, real estate IDs based on the real estate ID rule guidelines established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism may be used for the sections.

[0033] The wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 includes channel information of the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and channel information of the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10. The management server 30 sets an unused channel in the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10. Alternatively, the management server 30 sets an unused channel in the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10. The wireless LAN is an example of the "wireless network" of the present invention. By including the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10, even if there is radio wave interference from a wireless LAN router not registered in the customer information server 40, if the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 detects the unregistered wireless LAN router, the radio wave interference from the unregistered wireless LAN router can be avoided.

[0034] The wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 includes identification information of the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10. The identification information of the wireless LAN is an SSID. The management server 30 receives the wireless information of the target wireless LAN router 10 including the identification information of the wireless LAN interfering with the target wireless LAN router 10. If the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 includes the wireless LAN interfering with the target wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 sets an unused channel in the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10. If the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 includes no wireless LAN interfering with the target wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 sets an unused channel in the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10.

[0035] The wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 includes identification information of the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and the reception level of the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 at the neighboring wireless LAN router 10. The management server 30 receives the wireless information of the target wireless LAN router 10 including the identification information of the wireless LAN formed by the target wireless LAN router 10 from the target wireless LAN router 10, and if there is no unused channel, sets the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 having the lowest reception level from the wireless LAN formed by the target wireless LAN router 10 as the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10. For example, if there is a neighboring wireless LAN router 10 that has not detected the wireless LAN formed by the target wireless LAN router 10, the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 is considered to be the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 with the lowest reception level (because the reception level is ≈0), and sets the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10.

[0036] If there is no unused channel, the management server 30 sets the channel to be used by the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 in order to determine the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 while suppressing interference based on the wireless information of each wireless LAN router 10. For example, the management server 30 estimates the distance between each wireless LAN router 10 based on the wireless information of each wireless LAN router 10, and determines the channel to be used by each wireless LAN router 10 under the condition that the use of the same or similar channels is permitted between wireless LAN routers 10 that are far apart, but not permitted between wireless LAN routers 10 that are close in distance.

[0037] <Beacon signal emitted by wireless LAN router 10> 5 is a diagram showing an example of beacon signals transmitted by the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e. The wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e shown in this example are the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e installed in the apartment B shown in FIG. 2. The wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e wirelessly transmit beacon signals to the surrounding area at regular time intervals, for example. The beacon signal includes the SSID of the wireless LAN formed by the wireless LAN router 10 itself, channel information (for example, frequency band, channel number) of the wireless LAN formed by the wireless LAN router 10 itself, etc.

[0038] <System 1 Operation> Next, the operation of the system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10d, management server 30, and customer information server 40 in the system 1.

[0039] First, it is assumed that the wireless LAN router 10a detects interference of a specified level or higher in its own wireless LAN (step S11). The wireless LAN router 10a judges whether interference of a specified level or higher is present based on, for example, the reception level of a beacon signal received from a surrounding wireless LAN router. The wireless LAN router 10a transmits interference information on the detected radio wave interference to the management server 30 via the network 2 (step S12). The interference information includes, for example, the identification information and wireless information of the wireless LAN router. The identification information is the serial number or MAC address of the own wireless LAN router 10a. The wireless information includes the SSID and channel information (frequency band and channel number) of the wireless LAN of the own wireless LAN router 10a, and the SSID of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router that detected the interference. The wireless information may include, for example, the reception level of the beacon signal of the other wireless LAN router that detected the interference, and the channel information of the other wireless LAN router obtained from the beacon signal.

[0040] Next, management server 30 transmits the identification information of the interference information received in step S12 to customer information server 40 via network 2 (step S13).

[0041] Next, based on the identification information of wireless LAN router 10a received in step S13, customer information server 40 refers to the corresponding information in its database, and transmits the address of the contracted user of wireless LAN router 10a and the identification information of wireless LAN routers (APs) used by other contracted users with the same address to management server 30 via network 2 (step S14). The same address means that the area indicated by the block number, number, and postal code in the address, or the building name of the building or apartment building is the same. In other words, customer information server 40 transmits the identification information of other wireless LAN routers installed near wireless LAN router 10a to management server 30.

[0042] Next, based on the identification information of the other wireless LAN routers received in step S14, the management server 30 requests the other wireless LAN routers (wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d in this example) to transmit information held by each router to the management server 30. For example, an information request signal is transmitted via the network 2 (step S15).

[0043] Next, the wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d that received the information request signal in step S15 each transmit wireless information of their own wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d to the management server 30 (step S16). The wireless information includes the SSID and channel information of the wireless LAN formed by the own wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d, the SSID of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN routers that the wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d each acquired from the beacon signal, the reception level of the beacon signal from the other wireless LAN routers that the wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d each detected, and the channel information of the other wireless LAN routers that the wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d each acquired from the beacon signal.

[0044] Next, the management server 30 determines the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10a, which is the target router that has transmitted the interference information regarding radio wave interference, based on the wireless information of the wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d received in step S16 (step S17).The management server 30 transmits the determined channel to be used to the target wireless LAN router 10a (step S18).

[0045] Next, the target wireless LAN router 10a sets the channel (frequency band, channel number, etc.) to be used for the wireless LAN formed by the own wireless LAN router 10a based on the channel information to be used transmitted from the management server 30 (step S19).

[0046] <Management Server 30 Processing> Next, a process performed by the processor 31 of the management server 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed by the processor 31 of the management server 30.

[0047] First, the processor 31 determines whether or not interference information has been received from the wireless LAN router 10 (step S21). The interference information is information transmitted by a wireless LAN router 10 that detects radio wave interference from another wireless LAN router 10. As described in step S12 of FIG. 6 above, the interference information includes the identification information and wireless information of the wireless LAN router.

[0048] If no interference information has been received in step S21 (step S21: No), the processor 31 repeats step S21 until interference information is received.

[0049] If interference information is received in step S21 (step S21: Yes), the processor 31 queries the customer information server 40 about neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 of the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S22). The target wireless LAN router 10 is the wireless LAN router that detected radio wave interference. The neighboring wireless LAN router 10 is a wireless LAN router installed at an address close to the address at which the target wireless LAN router 10 is installed. The customer information server 40 has a database that stores the identification information of the wireless LAN router 10 used by the contracted user and the correspondence information between the contracted user's address.

[0050] Next, the processor 31 receives wireless information from the nearby wireless LAN router 10 based on the identification information of the nearby wireless LAN router 10 acquired by the inquiry to the customer information server 40 in step S22 (step S23).

[0051] Next, the processor 31 determines the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 based on the wireless information in the interference information of the target wireless LAN router 10 received in step S21 and the wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 received in step S23 (step S24).

[0052] Next, the processor 31 instructs the target wireless LAN router 10 to set the channel to be used, based on the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 determined in step S24 (step S25).

[0053] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 in step S24 of FIG.

[0054] The processor 31 obtains the union of the SSID of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and the SSID detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 from the wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 received in step S23 of Fig. 7 (step S31). The SSID of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 is the SSID of the own wireless LAN formed by each neighboring wireless LAN router 10. The SSID detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 is the SSID of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router that each neighboring wireless LAN router 10 obtains from the beacon signal.

[0055] Next, the processor 31 determines whether or not the SSID of the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 includes the SSID of another wireless LAN router 10 that has interfered with the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S32).

[0056] If the SSID that the target wireless LAN router 10 has been interfered with is not included in the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 in step S32 (step S32: No), the processor 31 determines whether or not there is a channel that is not used in any of the SSIDs of the wireless LANs in the union acquired in step S31 (step S33). That is, the processor 31 determines whether or not there is a channel that is not used in the SSID of the own wireless LAN formed by each neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and is not used in the SSID of the wireless LAN of the other wireless LAN router acquired by each neighboring wireless LAN router 10 from the beacon signal. As a result, even if there is interference from a wireless LAN router that is not registered in the customer information server 40, the interference can be avoided if the neighboring wireless LAN router can detect the wireless LAN router. In addition, when determining the unused channel, the channel of the other wireless LAN router 10 where the target wireless LAN router 10 has detected interference may be excluded.

[0057] If there is an unused channel in step S33 (step S33: Yes), the processor 31 determines the unused channel as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S34).

[0058] If there is no unused channel in step S33 (step S33: No), the processor 31 determines the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 having the lowest reception level of the SSID of the target wireless LAN router 10 as the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S35). For example, if there is a neighboring wireless LAN router 10 that is included in the neighboring wireless LAN routers but has not detected the wireless LAN formed by the target wireless LAN router 10, the reception level of that neighboring wireless LAN router 10 is approximately zero (≈0), so that router is selected as the neighboring wireless LAN router with the lowest reception level.

[0059] Furthermore, the candidate channels for determining the channel to be used in step S35 do not include the channels used by the other wireless LAN router 10 detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10. This is because it may not be possible to recognize the level at which this other wireless LAN router 10 is receiving the SSID of the target wireless LAN router 10. However, if the SSIDs of the other wireless LAN router 10 detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 are included in the SSIDs of the other wireless LAN router 10 detected by the target wireless LAN router 10, it is possible to recognize the level at which the common other wireless LAN router 10 is receiving the SSID of the target wireless LAN router 10, so the channels used by the other wireless LAN router 10 may be included in the candidate channels.

[0060] On the other hand, if the SSID that the target wireless LAN router 10 has experienced interference from is included in the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 in step S32 (step S32: Yes), the processor 31 determines whether there is an unused channel in any of the SSIDs of the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 (step S36).

[0061] If there is an unused channel in step S36 (step S36: Yes), the processor 31 determines that channel not being used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S37).

[0062] If there are no unused channels in step S36 (step S36: No), the processor 31 determines the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 having the lowest reception level of the SSID of the target wireless LAN router 10 as the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S38).

[0063] As described above, the management server 30 receives interference information (including identification information and wireless information) of the target wireless LAN router 10 including the identification information of the wireless LAN interfering with the target wireless LAN router 10. In addition, the management server 30 receives wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 from the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 specified based on the correspondence information between the identification information of the wireless LAN router and the user address.

[0064] Furthermore, if the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 includes a wireless LAN that has interfered with the target wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 sets an unused channel in the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10. Furthermore, if the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 does not include a wireless LAN that has interfered with the target wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 sets an unused channel in the wireless LAN formed by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and in the wireless LAN detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10.

[0065] According to this configuration, even in an environment susceptible to radio wave interference from neighboring buildings such as the apartment building B, a channel not used by surrounding wireless LAN routers can be set as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10. This makes it possible to set the wireless LAN channel while suppressing degradation of communication quality.

[0066] Furthermore, when there is no channel not being used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10, or when there is no channel not being used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and other wireless LAN routers detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10, the management server 30 determines the channel being used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 having the lowest reception level from the wireless LAN formed by the target wireless LAN router 10 as the channel being used by the target wireless LAN router 10. With this configuration, even in a situation where there are many wireless LAN routers being used and there are no unused channels remaining, it is possible to set a channel with a low possibility of interference as the channel being used. Therefore, even in an environment such as apartment B where there are many wireless LAN routers and radio wave interference is likely to occur, it is possible to suppress radio wave interference without degrading communication quality.

[0067] <Example of channel settings> Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of channel setting of the wireless LAN router 10. In Fig. 9, a circular range 10A is assumed to be a range reached by radio waves of the wireless LAN of the wireless LAN router 10a. Also, a circular range 10B is assumed to be a range reached by radio waves of the wireless LAN of the wireless LAN router 10b. It is assumed that the communication terminal 22 is present within the range 10A reached by radio waves of the wireless LAN router 10a, and also within the range 10B reached by radio waves of the wireless LAN router 10b.

[0068] In such a situation, for example, if the channel used by wireless LAN router 10a and the channel used by wireless LAN router 10b are the same channel or a close channel, when communication terminal 22 communicates with wireless LAN router 10a, that communication will interfere with communication in the wireless LAN of wireless LAN router 10b.

[0069] Even in a situation in which the wireless LAN routers 10 cannot recognize each other but interference occurs when communicating through a communication terminal 22 with which they can communicate, it is possible to set the channel to be used by wireless LAN router 10a to avoid the channel being used by wireless LAN router 10b by determining the channel to be used based on the wireless information of the target wireless LAN router and the neighboring wireless LAN router as shown in Figure 8 above.

[0070] <First Modification of Operation of System 1> 10 is a sequence diagram showing a first modified example of the operation of wireless LAN routers 10a to 10d, management server 30, and customer information server 40 in system 1. The operation of the first modified example is an operation that is started when wireless LAN router 10a is, for example, unused, has not yet set a channel, and is free of radio wave interference.

[0071] First, the wireless LAN router 10a is started (step S41). The wireless LAN router 10a transmits a request signal for requesting determination of a channel to be used together with the identification information of the wireless LAN router 10a via the network 2 to the management server 30 (step S42). As described above, the identification information is the serial number or MAC address of the wireless LAN router 10a. Note that since the wireless LAN router 10a is in an unused state, it has not yet acquired wireless information and therefore does not transmit it.

[0072] The processes from step S13 to step S19 are similar to the processes from step S13 to step S19 in FIG.

[0073] <First modified example of the processing of the management server 30> FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a first modified example of the processing by the processor 31 of the management server 30. In FIG.

[0074] First, the processor 31 judges whether or not a usage channel determination request has been received from the wireless LAN router 10 (step S51). The usage channel determination request is a request signal transmitted, for example, when the wireless LAN router 10a in an unused state is started up. The request signal requesting the determination of the usage channel is accompanied by the identification information of the wireless LAN router, as described in step S42 of FIG. 10 above.

[0075] The processes from step S22 to step S23 are similar to the processes from step S22 to step S23 in FIG.

[0076] Next, the processor 31 determines the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 based on the wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 received in step S23 (step S52).

[0077] The process in step S25 is similar to the process in step S25 in FIG.

[0078] FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the process of determining the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 in step S52 of FIG.

[0079] The processor 31 obtains the union of the SSID of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 and the SSID detected by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 from the wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 received in step S23 of FIG. 11 (step S31).

[0080] Next, the processor 31 determines whether or not there is a channel that is not being used in any of the SSIDs of the wireless LANs in the union acquired in step S31 (step S33).

[0081] If there is an unused channel in step S33 (step S33: Yes), the processor 31 determines the unused channel as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S34).

[0082] If there is no unused channel in step S33 (step S33: No), the processor 31 identifies the channel with the lowest average reception level in each neighboring wireless LAN router 10 among the channels, and determines the identified channel as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 (step S61). For example, the processor 31 obtains a combination of the wireless LAN channel and reception level from the wireless information received from each wireless LAN router 10, and calculates the average reception level for each wireless LAN channel (average reception level in each neighboring wireless LAN router 10). The processor 31 then determines the wireless LAN channel with the lowest average reception level as the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10.

[0083] In this way, according to the management server 30 of the first modification, when the wireless LAN router 10 is started for the first time in an unused state, for example, a channel that is unlikely to cause interference based on the average reception level can be set as the channel to be used. Therefore, the channel to be used can be set so as not to cause interference with neighboring wireless LAN routers without degrading communication quality.

[0084] 10, only the identification information of the wireless LAN router 10a is included in the usage channel determination request and transmitted to the management server 30 in step S42, but this is not limited to the above. For example, an appropriate channel may be provisionally set in the wireless LAN router 10a, and the SSID of the wireless LAN may be included in the usage channel determination request in step S42 of Fig. 10 and transmitted to the management server 30. Then, in determining the usage channel of the target wireless LAN router in step S61 of this process (Fig. 12), the usage channel of a neighboring wireless LAN router having the lowest reception level of the SSID of the target wireless LAN router may be determined as the usage channel of the target wireless LAN router, as in step S35 of Fig. 8.

[0085] <Second modified example of the operation of the system 1> 13 is a sequence diagram showing a second modified example of the operation of the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e, management server 30, and customer information server 40 in the system 1. The operation of the second modified example is an operation that involves changing the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 in order to determine the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 13, the processes from step S11 to step S16 are similar to the processes from step S11 to step S16 in FIG.

[0087] Next, the management server 30 determines the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10a, which is the target router that transmitted the interference information related to radio wave interference, and the channels used by the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10b to 10d installed near the target wireless LAN router 10a, based on the wireless information of the wireless LAN routers 10b, 10c, and 10d received in step S16 (step S71). In the second modified example, in order to suppress radio wave interference of the target wireless LAN router 10a, when determining the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10a, the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10a is determined with the change of the channels of the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10b to 10d. The management server 30 transmits the determined channel information to the target wireless LAN router 10a and the neighboring wireless LAN router (in this example, the neighboring wireless LAN router 10d) that changes the channel (step S18).

[0088] Next, the target wireless LAN router 10a and the neighboring wireless LAN router 10d set the channels (frequency band, channel number, etc.) to be used for the wireless LANs formed by their own wireless LAN routers 10a and 10d, based on the channel information to be used sent from the management server 30 (steps S19, S72).

[0089] <Second modified example of the processing of the management server 30> FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a second modified example of the processing by the processor 31 of the management server 30.

[0090] The processes from step S21 to step S23 are similar to the processes from step S22 to step S23 in FIG.

[0091] Next, the processor 31 determines the channels to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 and the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 based on the wireless information in the interference information of the target wireless LAN router 10 received in step S21 and the wireless information of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 received in step S23 (step S81). The determination of the channel to be used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 refers to a channel determination that changes the channel to be used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 when determining the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10a in order to suppress radio wave interference in the target wireless LAN router 10.

[0092] Next, the processor 31 instructs the target wireless LAN router 10 and the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 to set the channels to be used, based on the channels used by the target wireless LAN router 10 and the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 determined in step S81 (step S82).

[0093] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the channels used by the target wireless LAN router 10 and the neighboring wireless LAN routers 10 in step S81 of FIG.

[0094] The processes from step S31 to step S34 are similar to the processes from step S31 to step S34 in FIG.

[0095] Next, if there is no unused channel in step S33 (step S33: No), the processor 31 determines the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10, which involves changing the channel to be used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 (step S91). For example, the processor 31 estimates the distance between the wireless LAN routers 10 based on the wireless information of each wireless LAN router 10, and determines the channel to be used by each wireless LAN router 10 under the condition that the same or similar channel is allowed to be used between wireless LAN routers 10 that are far away from each other and the same or similar channel is not allowed to be used between wireless LAN routers 10 that are close to each other. A specific example will be described later with reference to FIG. 16.

[0096] The processes from step S36 to step S37 are similar to the processes from step S36 to step S37 in FIG.

[0097] Next, if there is no unused channel in step S36 (step S36: No), the processor 31 determines the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10, which involves changing the channel to be used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 (step S92). The specific processing content is the same as that of step S91.

[0098] The process of determining the channel to be used by the target wireless LAN router 10 in association with a change in the channel to be used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 may be applied to, for example, the process of step S61 in the process of determining the channel to be used in FIG.

[0099] In this way, when there is no unused channel, the management server 30 of the second modified example changes the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 based on the distance between the wireless LAN routers, and thereby sets the channel with reduced radio interference (for example, the channel of the neighboring wireless LAN router 10 before the change) as the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10. With this configuration, the channel used by the target wireless LAN router 10, including the channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN router 10, can be set to a channel with less interference. Therefore, even in an environment susceptible to radio interference, the channel used can be set while suppressing radio interference without degrading communication quality.

[0100] <Example of channel settings> 16 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of channel setting of the wireless LAN router 10 involving a change in the channel used by the nearby wireless LAN router 10. Suppose that the wireless LAN routers 10a to 10e installed in the rooms of the apartment B are each using the channel explained in FIG. 2. In this state, suppose that the wireless LAN router 10a (using channel 116ch) in room 202 detects interference above a specified level and transmits interference information to the management server 30.

[0101] For example, in step S33 or step S36 of FIG. 15, when the management server 30 determines that there is no unused channel to be set for the wireless LAN router 10a in room 202, it determines the channel to be used based on the distance between the wireless LAN routers 10 in the apartment B. In the apartment B, the wireless LAN router 10b in room 301 and the wireless LAN router 10d in room 103 are installed in rooms relatively far from each other, so the distance between the two routers is greater than the distance between the other routers. For this reason, the management server 30 determines that interference between the two routers is unlikely to occur even if the channel to be used for the wireless LAN router 10b in room 301 and the channel to be used for the wireless LAN router 10d in room 103 are set to the same channel. Then, the management server 30 changes the channel to be used for the wireless LAN router 10d in room 103 from 120ch to 132ch (the same channel as the wireless LAN router 10b in room 301), and sets the channel to be used for the wireless LAN router 10a in room 202 to 120ch. By changing the channel used by the wireless LAN router 10a in room 202 to 120ch, the interference that occurred when the channel used by the wireless LAN router 10a in room 202 was 116ch is suppressed.

[0102] <Modification> In the example of FIG. 6 etc., the wireless LAN router 10e has been described as an example of a wireless device whose correspondence information is not stored in the database of the customer information server 40. However, the wireless device whose correspondence information is not stored in the database of the customer information server 40 is not limited to the wireless LAN router 10e, and may be, for example, a wireless repeater used by a user who has a contract with a CATV company or an ISP company that manages the customer information server 40, and whose correspondence information is not stored in the database of the customer information server 40. Some of these wireless repeaters use different channels (e.g., 2.4 GHz ch and 5 GHz ch) simultaneously for communication with an upstream device (parent device) and communication with a downstream device (child device). In this case, wireless information related to communication between the upstream device (parent device) and the wireless repeater is transmitted to the management server 30, while wireless information related to communication between the downstream device (child device) and the wireless repeater may not be transmitted to the management server 30. Radio interference caused by such wireless repeaters may also be subject to scanning in the same way as radio interference caused by the wireless LAN router 10e.

[0103] (About the control program) The control method of the server or router device described in the above embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared control program on a computer. The control program is recorded in a computer-readable storage medium and executed by reading it from the storage medium. The control program may be provided in a form stored in a non-transient storage medium such as a flash memory, or may be provided via a network such as the Internet. The computer that executes the control program may be included in the server and the router device, or may be included in an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer that can communicate with the server and the router device, or may be included in a server device that can communicate with these servers, router devices, and electronic devices.

[0104] As described above, this specification discloses the following:

[0105] The disclosed control device includes a control unit that receives identification information of a target access point to be configured from the target access point, identifies a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point, receives radio information of the neighboring access point from the neighboring access point, and sets a channel to be used by the target access point based on the radio information of the neighboring access point.

[0106] In the disclosed control device, the control unit identifies the nearby access points using a database that contains correspondence information between identification information of access points and user addresses.

[0107] In the disclosed control device, the database is provided in a device different from the control device.

[0108] In the disclosed control device, a section indicated by an address associated with the nearby access point is common to a section indicated by an address associated with the target access point.

[0109] The disclosed control device is one in which the control unit receives radio information of the target access point from the target access point, and sets the channel to be used by the target access point based on the radio information of the neighboring access points and the radio information of the target access point.

[0110] The disclosed control device is one in which the wireless information of the neighboring access point includes channel information of the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point, and the control unit sets an unused channel in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point as the channel to be used by the target access point.

[0111] The disclosed control device is one in which the wireless information of the neighboring access point includes channel information of the wireless network detected by the neighboring access point, and the control unit sets unused channels in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point and the wireless network detected by the neighboring access point as the usage channel of the target access point.

[0112] The disclosed control device is one in which the wireless information of the neighboring access point includes identification information of a wireless network formed by the neighboring access point, and the control unit receives the wireless information of the target access point including identification information of a wireless network that has interfered with the target access point, and if the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point includes a wireless network that has interfered with the target access point, sets an unused channel in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point as the channel to be used by the target access point, and if the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point does not include a wireless network that has interfered with the target access point, sets an unused channel in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point and in the wireless network detected by the neighboring access point as the channel to be used by the target access point.

[0113] The disclosed control device is configured such that the wireless information of the neighboring access point includes identification information of a wireless network detected by the neighboring access point and a reception level at the neighboring access point of the wireless network detected by the neighboring access point, and the control unit receives the wireless information of the target access point from the target access point, including identification information of the wireless network formed by the target access point, and if there is no unused channel, sets the channel used by the neighboring access point having the lowest reception level from the wireless network formed by the target access point as the channel used by the target access point.

[0114] In the disclosed control device, the control unit sets the channel to be used by the neighboring access point based on the wireless information.

[0115] The disclosed control method is a control method by a control device, in which a processor of the control device receives identification information of a target access point to be set from the target access point, identifies a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point, receives radio information of the neighboring access point from the neighboring access point, and sets a channel to be used by the target access point based on the radio information of the neighboring access point.

[0116] The disclosed control program is a control program for a control device that causes a processor of the control device to execute the following processes: receive identification information of a target access point to be set from the target access point, identify a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point, receive radio information of the neighboring access point from the neighboring access point, and set a channel to be used by the target access point based on the radio information of the neighboring access point. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1 System 2 Network 10,10a~10e Wireless LAN Router 10A,10B range 11,31 Processor 12,32 Main memory 13,33 Auxiliary memory 14 Wireless LAN communication I / F 15,34 WAN communication I / F 16 Wired LAN communication I / F 21,22 Communication terminals 30 Management Server 40 Customer Information Server

Claims

1. receiving, from a target access point that is to be set, identification information of the target access point; Identifying a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point; receiving wireless information of the neighboring access points from the neighboring access points; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on the wireless information of the neighboring access points; A control device having a control unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , The control unit identifies the nearby access points using a database having correspondence information between identification information of access points and user addresses. Control device.

3. The control device according to claim 2, The database is provided in a device different from the control device. Control device.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , A block indicated by an address associated with the neighboring access point is common to a block indicated by an address associated with the target access point. Control device.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , The control unit is receiving wireless information of the target access point from the target access point; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on radio information of the neighboring access points and radio information of the target access point; Control device.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , The wireless information of the neighboring access point includes channel information of a wireless network formed by the neighboring access point; the control unit sets an unused channel in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access points as a channel to be used by the target access point; Control device.

7. The control device according to claim 6, The wireless information of the neighboring access point includes channel information of a wireless network detected by the neighboring access point; the control unit sets an unused channel in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point and in the wireless network detected by the neighboring access point as a channel to be used by the target access point; Control device.

8. The control device according to claim 7, the wireless information of the neighboring access point includes identification information of a wireless network formed by the neighboring access point; The control unit is receiving radio information of the target access point including identification information of a wireless network interfering with the target access point; When the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point includes a wireless network that interferes with the target access point, a channel that is not used in the wireless network formed by the neighboring access point is set as a channel to be used by the target access point; if there is no wireless network interfering with the target access point in the wireless networks formed by the neighboring access points, setting an unused channel in the wireless networks formed by the neighboring access points and in the wireless networks detected by the neighboring access points as a channel to be used by the target access point; Control device.

9. The control device according to claim 6, the wireless information of the neighboring access point includes identification information of a wireless network detected by the neighboring access point and a reception level of the wireless network detected by the neighboring access point at the neighboring access point; The control unit is receiving, from the target access point, radio information of the target access point including identification information of a wireless network formed by the target access point; if there is no unused channel, a channel used by a neighboring access point having a lowest reception level from the wireless network formed by the target access point is set as a channel used by the target access point. Control device.

10. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The control unit sets a channel to be used by the neighboring access point based on the wireless information. Control device.

11. A control method by a control device, comprising: The processor of the control device receiving, from a target access point that is to be set, identification information of the target access point; Identifying a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point; receiving wireless information of the neighboring access points from the neighboring access points; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on the wireless information of the neighboring access points; Control methods.

12. A control program for a control device, A processor of the control device receiving, from a target access point that is to be set, identification information of the target access point; Identifying a neighboring access point of the target access point based on an address associated with the target access point based on the identification information of the target access point; receiving wireless information of the neighboring access points from the neighboring access points; setting a channel to be used by the target access point based on the wireless information of the neighboring access points; A control program that executes a process.

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