Beacon Data Table for Wireless Channel Survey Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital wireless communication systems face inefficiencies in channel surveys due to the need to temporarily suspend data communication while scanning multiple channels, especially in environments with regulatory restrictions, leading to prolonged 'dead time' and reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
An enhanced method and system that store beacon data in a beacon data table, allowing for optimized subsequent surveys by revisiting channels with predicted beacon arrival times, reducing the frequency of non-optimized surveys, and maintaining time synchronization among access points to efficiently update channel information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a client performs periodic channel surveys by tuning to each available channel to determine the best wireless connectivity options, then the client can identify compatible access points and available channels, but data communication must be temporarily suspended during scanning, resulting in prolonged dead time and reduced throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary channel surveys during low-traffic periods or initialization phases, storing survey results in a beacon data table. This allows the client to have channel information pre-available, reducing the need to suspend data communication for frequent surveys. The preliminary action of storing beacon data enables subsequent efficient lookups without interrupting ongoing data transfers.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous or frequent channel surveys that would constantly interrupt data communication, the system implements periodic surveys at optimized intervals. The beacon data table stores historical beacon information, allowing the client to perform surveys less frequently while maintaining reliable channel knowledge. This periodic approach balances survey accuracy with maintaining continuous data communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a client with a single receiver performs both data transfer and periodic site surveys, then the receiver can handle both functions, but time spent scanning for channel activity on other than the currently utilized data communications channel results in effectively zero throughput during scanning time
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver performs preliminary channel surveys and stores beacon data in a beacon data table during initialization or low-activity periods. This preliminary action populates the table with channel information, allowing subsequent survey operations to be performed by simply querying stored data rather than actively scanning, thus eliminating dead time while maintaining the receiver's multi-functional capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the receiver directly scanning channels during data transfer, the system uses stored beacon data copies from the beacon data table to perform virtual surveys. The receiver creates and maintains copies of beacon information that can be queried without actual channel switching, allowing the receiver to appear multi-functional while avoiding the time loss of physical scanning during data communication.
3Reliability
If regulatory environments prohibit sending probes, then the receiver must dwell on a channel until a beacon is heard or a time limit is reached, but this extends the survey time to as much as two seconds per channel
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary beacon listening and stores the results in a beacon data table during initialization or designated survey periods. By doing the time-consuming beacon detection in advance, the system avoids having to dwell on each channel for up to two seconds during regular operation. The stored beacon data enables rapid channel assessment without repeated lengthy listening periods.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuously performing lengthy beacon listening surveys, the system implements periodic surveys at optimized intervals. The beacon data table caches beacon information, allowing the system to perform surveys less frequently. Each periodic survey updates the table, and subsequent channel assessments use the cached data, dramatically reducing the average survey time while maintaining reliable beacon detection accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are described for repeatedly and efficiently performing a wireless communication channel survey to determine whether comparable communications devices exist, which frequencies are in use, and the identities of the comparable communications devices. A beacon data table stores received beacon data which is used to predict beacon arrival times, thereby allowing a receiver to be tuned away from an active data communications channel for a shorter dwell time than a beacon period. A further efficiency can be gained if beacon generators cooperatively stagger their beacon times according to one or more measurable characteristics of the beacon generator, e.g. the operating channel number and the SSID.