Mobile Server for WLAN Offload Decision Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication networks face challenges in accurately determining when to offload traffic from cellular networks to WLANs due to a lack of real-time information about WLAN link quality and user location, leading to service interruptions and degraded user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that deploy a mobile server in the WLAN to acquire and provide offload information such as link quality, location, and load conditions to the cellular or fixed network, enabling accurate offload and flow migration decisions, ensuring seamless service continuity and user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traffic offload decisions are made without real-time WLAN information, then network operation is simplified, but offload accuracy deteriorates causing service interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile server as an intermediary component deployed in the WLAN network. This mobile server collects real-time WLAN information (link quality, user location, load conditions) and provides it to the cellular network's traffic offload control system. The intermediary enables accurate offload decisions without requiring direct complex interactions between cellular and WLAN networks, thus maintaining operational simplicity while improving decision accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If WLAN information collection is implemented, then offload decision accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile server is designed to autonomously collect WLAN information from access points and other WLAN infrastructure components using existing WLAN protocols and interfaces. It self-manages the information collection process, data storage, and provisioning to the cellular network without requiring additional manual configuration or complex inter-network coordination mechanisms, thereby improving accuracy while limiting complexity growth.
3Reliability
If real-time WLAN monitoring is deployed, then service continuity is enhanced, but network overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile server implements periodic sampling of WLAN information rather than continuous monitoring. It collects link quality, user location, and load condition data at optimized intervals, transmitting this information to the cellular network only when changes exceed predefined thresholds or at scheduled update times. This periodic approach ensures service continuity through timely updates while minimizing network overhead by avoiding redundant transmissions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a method and a system applied in a WLAN for acquiring offload information. The method includes: deploying a mobile server in the WLAN; the mobile server acquiring WLAN offload information, and sending the WLAN offload information to an offload traffic control network element in a cellular or fixed network; and the offload traffic control network element executing an offload traffic decision according to the offload information.