Remote Equipment Control via Gateway Reachability Check
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current protocols for remote management of customer premises equipment (CPE) behind NAT or firewall systems are inefficient due to the need for constant connections and resource-intensive indirect approaches, which are costly in terms of server sizing and bandwidth when managing multiple devices.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines whether CPE can be reached directly before configuring an indirect approach, allowing for resource optimization by avoiding unnecessary use of resource-intensive indirect methods, and adjusting connection frequencies based on reachability and service provider constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If indirect communication approaches (STUN, XMPP) are used to reach CPE behind NAT or firewall, then the CPE can be remotely controlled, but server sizing and bandwidth requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that mediates between the ACS server and CPE devices behind NAT or firewall. The gateway establishes connections with CPE devices and relays management traffic, eliminating the need for the ACS server to directly maintain constant connections with each CPE device. This reduces the resource burden on the ACS server while maintaining reliable reachability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the remote management architecture into multiple components: the ACS server for control logic, the gateway for connection management, and the CPE devices. By dividing the system into these functional segments, the connection maintenance burden is shifted from the ACS server to the gateway, reducing server resource requirements while maintaining device reachability.
2Reliability
If constant connections are maintained to reach CPE behind NAT or firewall, then remote control is enabled, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic connection attempts and periodic status reporting between the gateway and CPE devices, rather than maintaining constant connections. The gateway periodically checks the availability of CPE devices and establishes connections only when needed for management operations. This periodic approach maintains connection reliability while significantly reducing bandwidth consumption and server resource usage compared to constant connections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If indirect approaches are used for all CPE, then all devices can be controlled, but scalability is reduced due to resource constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal gateway component that can handle multiple CPE devices simultaneously and adapt to different device types and communication scenarios. The gateway provides multi-functional capabilities including connection establishment, message relaying, and device status monitoring. This universal gateway architecture enables the system to scale to manage large numbers of diverse CPE devices without proportionally increasing ACS server resource requirements, thereby improving scalability while maintaining control capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling selection of a communication method between an equipment control device belonging to a wide-area communication network and equipment belonging to a local communication network. The method includes the following steps relating to the control device: requesting the equipment to initiate a connection to the control device, the request being sent at the time of a routine connection of the equipment to the control device; determining whether the equipment can be reached by the control device using a direct method; and configuring the equipment if the equipment cannot be reached using a direct method.