Wireless Access Point Management for MDU Bandwidth and Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high-density Multi Dwelling Units (MDUs), Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) often experience bandwidth congestion and unnecessary power consumption due to shared channels and active management messages, even when no clients are connected, leading to inefficiencies in both bandwidth usage and power management.
Innovation Solution
A system where a secondary Wi-Fi Access Point informs a primary AP of inactivity, allowing the primary AP to shut down the secondary AP's radio, reducing management message traffic and conserving power, with the primary AP using historical data to determine optimal shutdown and restart times based on usage patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If multiple Wi-Fi Access Points operate simultaneously in high-density MDUs, then wireless coverage and signal quality are improved, but bandwidth congestion and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operational state of secondary access points based on real-time client connection status and historical usage patterns. The primary access point receives inactivity signals from secondary APs and makes dynamic decisions about shutdown timing, allowing the network to adapt its capacity to actual demand rather than maintaining static full operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic monitoring of client connection status and uses historical data about typical usage patterns (such as times when users are at school or during nighttime) to determine optimal shutdown and restart schedules. This periodic assessment allows the system to predict when secondary APs can be safely deactivated
2Illumination intensity
If multiple Wi-Fi Access Points operate simultaneously in high-density MDUs, then wireless coverage is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operational state of secondary access points based on real-time client connection status and historical usage patterns. The primary access point receives inactivity signals from secondary APs and makes dynamic decisions about shutdown timing, allowing the network to adapt its capacity to actual demand rather than maintaining static full operation
Solution Approach 2:
Secondary access points autonomously monitor their own client connection status and generate inactivity signals when no clients are connected for a configurable time period. This self-monitoring capability allows the system to identify shutdown candidates without requiring continuous polling by the primary access point
3Loss of energy
If access points are shut down to save bandwidth and power, then resource efficiency is improved, but network availability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses historical usage data to predict when users are likely to return home or need network access. The primary access point proactively restarts secondary access points in advance of predicted usage periods (such as before typical arrival times from school or work), ensuring network availability is restored before actual demand occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors client connection status and provides feedback to the primary access point. When clients reconnect to the network, the primary AP receives notification and can immediately reactivate secondary APs if needed, ensuring rapid response to changing network conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless access point managing apparatus that includes a radio, and wireless communication control circuitry that communicates information via the radio between the wireless access point managing apparatus and one or more electronic devices so as to provide a wireless access point to a network for the electronic devices. Processing circuitry performs access point management including: communicating with a separate apparatus that provides another wireless access point to the network; performing a determination as to whether shutdown of the wireless access point of the separate apparatus is appropriate; and sending a shutdown instruction to the separate apparatus if shutdown is determined to be appropriate, the shutdown instruction being an instruction to cause the separate apparatus to shut down a wireless access point radio in the separate apparatus.