WLAN Transient Fault Detection via Client-Side Analytics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless local area networks (WLANs) struggle to detect transient network characteristics in real-time, particularly in caregiving facilities like hospitals, where mobile client devices experience varying connectivity and performance issues that are not effectively captured by traditional network statistics, leading to potential service level agreement (SLA) enforcement challenges.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for real-time monitoring and characterization of network conditions experienced by client devices, which includes receiving primary performance parameters, computing derived parameters, analyzing trends to identify problem signatures, and defining situational awareness states to detect transient fault conditions, using a wireless analytics unit integrated with client devices and access points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional network statistics are collected at access points, then general network health can be monitored, but transient network characteristics in real-time cannot be captured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling client devices to autonomously perform network condition monitoring and characterization without requiring centralized access point control. Each client device independently collects performance parameters, computes derived metrics, identifies problem signatures, and determines situational awareness states, thereby capturing transient faults in real-time while reducing the monitoring burden on network infrastructure.
2Loss of information
If network statistics are collected at access points, then downlink quality-of-service can be measured, but uplink network metrics from client devices are overlooked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the traditional monitoring architecture where access points collect statistics. Instead, client devices are empowered to collect and analyze their own network performance data, including uplink metrics that were previously unavailable. This inverted approach ensures comprehensive measurement of both uplink and downlink quality-of-service while maintaining operational simplicity through standardized analytics algorithms.
3Reliability
If distributed client devices are leveraged for monitoring, then transient network characteristics can be discovered in real-time, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the monitoring function into distinct modular components: collection of primary performance parameters, computation of derived parameters, identification of problem signatures through trend analysis, and determination of situational awareness states. This segmented architecture enables distributed client devices to perform complex monitoring tasks while maintaining manageable system complexity through clear functional separation and standardized processing algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for real-time monitoring and characterization of network conditions experienced by a client device coupled to a WLAN via at least one access point is presented. One or more primary performance parameters of the WLAN for a given operating interval of the client device uplink to the access point are received. At least one derived performance parameter based on the one or more primary performance parameters is computed. Trends of the primary performance parameter and the derived performance parameter are analyzed to identify occurrence of at least one problem signature. A situational awareness state characterizing the network conditions based on the at least one problem signature is defined. The situational awareness state is further processed to identify the occurrence of at least one transient fault condition in the WLAN.