Wireless Roaming Scheduler for Low-Latency Packet Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low latency applications experience significant degradation in user experience due to packet loss and traffic accumulation during client roaming in wireless networks, as existing switch functionalities fail to dynamically adjust traffic priority based on real-time wireless signal fluctuations, leading to increased latency and poor quality of experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchical scheduler within each switch interface that includes a port scheduler and client scheduler to prioritize packets based on signal strength, adjust traffic rates, and redirect packets during client roaming, minimizing packet loss and traffic accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a client device roams from one access point to another, then signal strength is improved, but packet loss and traffic accumulation occur at the original access point
Solution Approach 1:
The switch proactively transfers packets from the original access point to the new access point before the roaming client fully disconnects. This preliminary action ensures that packets are not lost during the transition, maintaining reliable packet delivery while the client experiences improved signal strength at the new access point.
Solution Approach 2:
The switch acts as an intermediary between access points during client roaming. It receives packets destined for the roaming client at the original access point, buffers them temporarily, and forwards them to the new access point where the client has reconnected. This intermediary function prevents packet loss and resolves the contradiction between signal strength improvement and packet delivery reliability.
2Productivity
If switch prioritizes traffic for client with stronger signal, then network utilization improves, but traffic accumulation occurs at original access point
Solution Approach 1:
The switch performs preliminary packet transfer from the original access point to the new access point before the client fully roams. This proactive approach allows the switch to immediately prioritize and deliver traffic to the client at the new access point, improving network utilization while preventing packet accumulation at the original access point through timely redistribution.
3Reliability
If TCP packets are re-transmitted after being purged during roaming, then packet delivery is ensured, but bandwidth is wasted and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The switch performs preliminary transfer of packets from the original access point to the new access point before the client completes roaming. This prevents TCP packet purging and subsequent re-transmissions, ensuring reliable packet delivery while avoiding the time loss and bandwidth waste associated with re-transmission protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The switch provides a buffer by maintaining packet queues and performing transfers before roaming completes. This beforehand cushioning prevents packet loss during the critical transition period, eliminating the need for TCP re-transmissions and reducing both latency and bandwidth waste while maintaining reliable packet delivery.
4Device complexity
If UDP packets are dropped during roaming, then network simplicity is maintained, but quality of experience degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The switch acts as an intermediary that intercepts and redirects UDP packets destined for roaming clients. Instead of simply dropping packets, the switch transfers them to the new access point where the client has reconnected. This maintains network protocol simplicity while significantly improving quality of experience by ensuring UDP packet delivery during roaming transitions.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure describes systems and methods for improving quality of experience of low latency applications while roaming in a wireless network. One or more switches can be coupled to a network to communicate with a plurality of access points. Each access point can be associated with a plurality of client devices. A switch can receive feedback messages from each access point connected to a corresponding port of the switch. The feedback messages can include telemetry information on each client device connected to each access point. A controller can determine, based at least on the telemetry information, whether to initiate roaming of the client device from one access point connected to one switch to another access point connected to a different switch. The controller can initiate a transfer of connection of client device from one access point to another access point in response to initiating roaming of the client device.