WLAN Beacon Power Adjustments for Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication networks experience congestion due to uneven loading across access points, leading to reduced performance, especially when some access points become overloaded as users connect and disconnect.
Innovation Solution
Adjusting the beacon power of access points to redistribute the load by prompting mobile stations to associate with other access points, allowing for efficient migration without modifying the mobile stations, using a system that evaluates loading conditions and signal strength to determine optimal beacon power adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If access points maintain high beacon power to ensure strong signal coverage, then mobile stations can reliably connect and maintain associations, but overloaded access points continue to attract excessive mobile stations leading to network congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon power of access points is made dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors loading conditions and adjusts beacon power levels in real-time, allowing access points to increase power when underloaded and decrease power when overloaded, thereby adapting to changing network conditions and preventing congestion while maintaining reliable coverage when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the beacon power parameter of access points based on their loading conditions. By monitoring the number of associated mobile stations and adjusting the beacon power parameter accordingly, the system redistributes mobile stations across the network, reducing congestion on overloaded access points while maintaining adequate coverage through coordinated power adjustments across multiple access points
2Productivity
If access points reduce beacon power to offload mobile stations and reduce congestion, then network loading is redistributed and congestion is reduced, but mobile stations may lose connection or fail to associate with the access point
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where access points monitor both their loading conditions and the signal strength reported by mobile stations. This feedback loop allows the system to determine the optimal beacon power level that achieves load redistribution while maintaining reliable associations, as access points can adjust power based on actual mobile station responses and signal quality metrics
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary control mechanism that coordinates beacon power adjustments across multiple access points. Rather than individual access points making independent power changes that could disconnect mobile stations, the intermediary system ensures that when one access point reduces power, neighboring access points are positioned to capture migrating mobile stations, maintaining continuous coverage and reliable associations throughout the transition
Data Source
AI summary
A network includes access points that can reduce beacon power to redistribute mobile station loading on the access points. A relatively highly loaded access point can reduce its beacon power so that one or more connected mobile stations will migrate to a further access point covering the migrating mobile station.