Wireless Link Monitoring via Master Clock Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless networks face reliability issues such as radio frequency interference, congestion, lost communications, and hacking, which can lead to frustrating connectivity problems for users.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with downlink and uplink monitor applications that use a shared master clock to synchronize and correlate events on both sides of a wireless communication link, allowing for the collection and analysis of status information to troubleshoot and optimize network settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wireless networks are used without advanced monitoring, then device complexity is reduced, but network reliability deteriorates due to RF interference, congestion, and connectivity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a master clock as an intermediary time reference that both uplink and downlink monitor applications use to synchronize their event logging. This mediator enables accurate correlation of events across the wireless communication link without requiring complex peer-to-peer synchronization protocols, thereby improving reliability while keeping the system manageable in complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is implemented as software applications running on existing wireless devices (mobile phones, computers, tablets) rather than requiring separate dedicated hardware monitoring equipment. This self-service approach leverages the computational resources already present in user devices to perform monitoring functions, improving reliability without adding significant external complexity
2Measurement precision
If separate monitoring applications are used for uplink and downlink without synchronization, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to correlate events accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the timing reference function into a single master clock that both uplink and downlink monitor applications share. This combining of the time-synchronization function into a common reference enables precise event correlation across both monitoring directions without requiring each application to implement its own complex synchronization logic, thus improving measurement precision while maintaining ease of operation
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless communication link can include an uplink and a downlink between a wireless access point and a computer device. The uplink supports communications from the computer device to the wireless access point. The downlink supports communications from the wireless access point to the computer device. The computer device executes a downlink monitor application to monitor events occurring on the downlink. The wireless access point or other suitable resource such as a remote management resource executes an uplink monitor application to monitor events occurring on the uplink. The uplink application and the downlink application log events using the same master clock. The remote management resource can be configured to analyze the uplink status information in view of the downlink status information to perform one or more functions such as troubleshooting, optimizing network settings, etc.