Bandwidth Sentinel for Wireless Network Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless network devices often fail to provide a minimum guaranteed bandwidth, leading to network congestion and performance issues due to factors like RF interference or malfunctioning client devices, where traditional QoS functions are ineffective and wasteful in allocating additional resources.
Innovation Solution
A bandwidth sentinel system that monitors network connections, identifies congested links with low bandwidth usage, diagnoses the cause of congestion, and either allocates additional resources to improve connection quality or mitigates the impact on other connections by transferring them to a better network or adjusting resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional QoS functions allocate additional bandwidth to network connections experiencing congestion, then network resource allocation is attempted, but network resources are wasted when the congestion is caused by RF interference or malfunctioning client devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors network connection quality metrics (signal strength, error rates, throughput) and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust resource allocation. When degradation is detected, the system diagnoses the cause and either allocates additional resources if appropriate or stops allocation if the issue is external (RF interference, client malfunction), preventing waste while ensuring reliability when possible
Solution Approach 2:
The bandwidth sentinel autonomously monitors its own network connections, diagnoses problems, and makes real-time decisions about resource allocation without external intervention. The system self-adjusts by identifying congested connections and either compensating through additional bandwidth allocation or mitigating impact by transferring traffic, eliminating the need for manual configuration and enabling responsive adaptation to changing conditions
2Productivity
If QoS functionality prioritizes packet traffic to guarantee minimum performance, then network performance is improved, but the system cannot diagnose the root cause of congestion and fails to adapt when compensation is ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring of network connection quality including signal strength, error rates, and throughput metrics. This feedback loop enables the bandwidth sentinel to diagnose the root cause of congestion (bandwidth saturation vs. RF interference vs. client issues) and adapt its response accordingly, either allocating additional bandwidth when effective or transferring traffic when compensation would be wasteful
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time network conditions. Rather than static QoS rules, the bandwidth sentinel continuously evaluates connection quality and modifies resource allocation strategies on-the-fly, enabling the network to adapt to varying congestion causes and changing environmental conditions
3Reliability
If additional bandwidth is allocated to all network connections to ensure minimum performance, then guaranteed bandwidth is improved, but network resource efficiency decreases when some connections cannot utilize the additional resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different resource allocation strategies to different network connections based on their specific conditions. Rather than uniform bandwidth allocation, the bandwidth sentinel identifies individual congested connections and applies targeted compensation only where effective, or transfers problematic connections to alternative networks, optimizing both reliability for affected users and overall network efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters (bandwidth allocation, airtime assignment) dynamically based on monitored connection quality metrics. When degradation is detected, the system adjusts these parameters selectively for affected connections rather than applying blanket changes across the entire network, maintaining efficiency while ensuring minimum performance where possible
Data Source
AI summary
Minimum guaranteed wireless network bandwidth is provided to client network devices by monitoring the performance of network connections to identify client network devices experiencing network congestion. Congested network connections are then analyzed to determine the source of the network congestion. Depending upon the source of the network congestion, an embodiment of the invention may undertake steps to either improve the quality of the network connection or to mitigate the impact of this network connection on other network connections. High quality network connections may be allocated additional bandwidth, airtime, or other resources to reduce the network congestion. Low quality network connections are not allocated additional bandwidth, airtime, or other resources. Instead, the impact of this network connection on the other network connections is mitigated. Additionally, the low quality network connection may be transferred to another wireless networking device that may be able to provide a better quality network connection.