Bandwidth Sentinel for Wireless Network Congestion Diagnosis
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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 quality network if necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional QoS functions allocate additional bandwidth to network connections experiencing congestion, then the attempt is made to improve connection performance, but network resources are wasted when the congestion is caused by RF interference or malfunctioning devices
Solution Approach 1:
The bandwidth sentinel performs preliminary diagnosis of congestion causes before allocating additional bandwidth. It monitors network connections, identifies the root cause of congestion (RF interference, malfunctioning devices, or actual bandwidth limitations), and only then decides whether to allocate additional resources. This preliminary action prevents wasteful resource allocation to connections where congestion cannot be resolved through bandwidth increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous monitoring and feedback loops that track network connection performance, congestion patterns, and the effectiveness of bandwidth allocation decisions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from past decisions and adjust future resource allocation strategies, avoiding repeated waste of network resources on connections where additional bandwidth would be ineffective.
2Reliability
If bandwidth is increased for all network connections to ensure minimum guaranteed bandwidth, then connection performance is improved, but overall network efficiency decreases due to resource allocation to low-quality connections
Solution Approach 1:
The bandwidth sentinel applies different quality levels of service to different network connections based on their specific conditions. High-quality connections receive priority resource allocation and bandwidth increases, while low-quality connections (those with RF interference or device malfunctions) receive diagnostic attention and alternative solutions. This localized quality approach ensures minimum guaranteed bandwidth for viable connections while maintaining overall network efficiency by not wasting resources on problematic connections.
3Reliability
If network devices use QoS functionality to prioritize packet traffic, then performance guarantees are provided, but the system cannot diagnose the underlying cause of congestion and wastes resources
Solution Approach 1:
The bandwidth sentinel acts as an intermediary diagnostic layer between the QoS functionality and the network connections. It monitors and analyzes congestion patterns, identifies root causes (RF interference, device malfunctions, bandwidth limitations), and provides informed guidance to the QoS system. This intermediary capability enables performance guarantees through QoS while avoiding resource waste by preventing blind bandwidth allocation to connections with unresolved underlying issues.
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.