WLAN Channel Allocation with Dedicated Channels for Heavy-Traffic APs
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless local area networks (WLANs) with limited channels due to regulatory restrictions and high data traffic, channel sharing among access points (APs) leads to performance degradation for some APs, especially when heavy data traffic APs share channels with others, impacting their ability to serve client devices effectively.
Innovation Solution
A network manager allocates channels based on channel and location metrics, identifying a first set of heavily using APs for dedicated channels and a second set for shared channels, minimizing performance impact on co-channel APs by ensuring the first set does not share channels with others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple APs share channels due to limited channel availability, then channel utilization increases and more APs can serve clients, but performance degradation occurs for APs with heavy data traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments APs into two distinct sets: a first set of APs with heavy data traffic that are allocated dedicated channels, and a second set of APs with lighter traffic that share channels. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by ensuring high-performance APs do not share channels while allowing other APs to share channels, thus maintaining both channel utilization efficiency and AP performance reliability.
2Reliability
If dedicated channels are allocated to heavy traffic APs, then their performance is maintained, but overall channel utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating channel allocation strategies based on the specific characteristics of each AP set. The first set of APs (heavy traffic) receives dedicated channels to ensure performance, while the second set of APs (lighter traffic) shares channels to maximize utilization. This differentiated approach optimizes both performance and efficiency simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method of allocating channels to access points (AP) is presented. A network manager may determine weights of the APs based on a channel metric and a location metric for APs. Further, the network manager may identify a first set of APs based on the weights and allocate a dedicated first channel to each of the first set of APs for its sole use. Accordingly, each of the first set of APs may use a respective dedicated first channel thereby reducing the performance impact on other APs. Further, the network manager may identify a second set of APs based on the weights and allocate second channels for sharing among the second set of APs. Since the second set of APs does not share any channel with the first set of APs, the performance of the second set of APs may not be impacted due to the first set of APs.