Wireless Access Point Power Management via Station Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication networks, especially in Wi-Fi networks using IEEE 802.11 standards, managing the transmission power of access points is challenging due to high power consumption and interference issues, particularly in home networks where stations are close to the access point, and existing solutions are either expensive or prone to collisions.
Innovation Solution
A method where the access point broadcasts a downlink frame with an indicator requiring stations to feedback their received power level, allowing the access point to adjust its transmission power based on the received information, thereby reducing power consumption and minimizing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high transmission power is used for downlink communications, then signal-to-noise ratio at stations is improved, but power consumption of the access point increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access point transmits a downlink frame containing an indicator requiring stations to feedback their received power level. The access point receives uplink frames from stations carrying information representative of the received power level, and determines the actual power level received by stations. This feedback mechanism enables the access point to adjust its transmission power to an optimal level, reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate signal-to-noise ratio for network operation.
2Area of stationary object
If high transmission power is used to expand coverage area, then cell size increases, but interference to neighboring networks increases
Solution Approach 1:
By collecting feedback information from multiple stations about the received power level, the access point can determine the actual coverage extent and adjust its transmission power accordingly. This allows the access point to expand coverage area when needed while reducing transmission power to minimize interference with neighboring networks when stations are located in close proximity, as is typical in home Wi-Fi networks.
3Reliability
If high transmission power is used to ensure station connectivity, then network range is improved, but power consumption becomes non-negligible
Solution Approach 1:
The access point uses the feedback mechanism to determine whether stations are within adequate range by analyzing the received power level information from uplink frames. This allows the access point to maintain station connectivity for stations that are actually within range while reducing transmission power to negligible levels when high power is not needed, eliminating the trade-off between connectivity and power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing a wireless access point. The method includes: broadcasting, to a station or stations present in a coverage area of the access point, a downlink frame, the downlink frame carrying an indicator requiring the transmission, by a station receiving the downlink frame, of a received power level of the access point; receiving at least one uplink frame from at least one of the stations, in response to the downlink frame, an uplink frame transmitted by a station carrying information representative of the power level of the access point received by the station; and determining at least one power level of the access point received by at least one of the stations, based on the information representative of the power level carried by the uplink frame or frames.