Implementing “all wireless” network over WiFi equipment using “scheduled TDMA”
View Patent ↗A technique is disclosed to schedule frame transmissions in a wireless network utilizing scheduled TDMA by synchronizing clocks in repeater and backhaul access points.
1. A system of regulating wireless traffic between a plurality of backhaul access points and a plurality of repeater access points, each of the repeater access points to communicate with at least one of the backhaul access points over a first frequency range, at least one of the repeater access points to communicate with a client device over a second frequency range different from said first frequency range, said system comprising:
a central controller communicatively coupled to each of said backhaul access points, said central controller to schedule wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points based on estimated signal conditions at designated receivers of said wireless transmissions, the central controller to enable said client device to communicate with a said backhaul access point over a multi-hop connection through said at least one of the repeater access points;
the central controller further to
determine which wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points that can be executed simultaneously; and
schedule said wireless transmissions to maximize a number of simultaneous wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central controller is to communicate with the plurality of backhaul access points over a wired network,
such that the client device is to communicate with the wired network over the multiple-hop connection through the first said repeater access point and the first said backhaul access point.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency range is in accordance with one of IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g, and the second frequency range is in accordance with IEEE 802.11a.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency range includes 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and the second frequency range includes 5 GHz.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first said backhaul access point comprises a directional antenna to wirelessly communicate with the first said repeater access point using the first frequency range,
and wherein the first said repeater access point comprises:
a directional antenna to wirelessly communicate with the first said backhaul access point using the first frequency range; and
an omni-directional antenna to wirelessly communicate with the client device using the second frequency range.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client device is a first client device,
and wherein the system further comprises:
a second backhaul access point, different than the first backhaul access point, to wirelessly communicate using the first frequency range; and
a second repeater access point, different than the first repeater access point, to wirelessly communicate with the second backhaul access point using the first frequency range and to wirelessly communicate with a second client device using the second frequency range.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first frequency range comprises a first frequency channel and a second frequency channel different than the first frequency channel,
wherein the first repeater access point is to wirelessly communicate with the first backhaul access point using the first frequency channel,
and wherein the second repeater access point is to wirelessly communicate with the second backhaul access point using the second frequency channel.
8. The system of claim 6 , wherein if a first communication transmission is from the first backhaul access point to the first repeater access point, and a second communication transmission is from the second backhaul access point to the second repeater access point,
and the central controller is to schedule the first and the second communication transmissions in relation to one another using time-division multiple access (TDMA) to reduce interference between the first and the second communication transmissions.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein if a third communication transmission is between the first repeater access point and the first client device, and a fourth communication transmission is between the second repeater access point and the second client device,
the third and the fourth communication transmissions are scheduled in relation to one another using scheduled TDMA.
10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first backhaul access point and the second backhaul access point are collocated within a common physical location.
11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first backhaul access point and the second backhaul access point are located at different physical locations along an existing wired network.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first access point and the second access point are located at different physical locations at which the existing wired network is absent.
13. A method comprising:
wirelessly communicating between a first backhaul access point and a first repeater access point using a first frequency range;
wirelessly communicating between a second backhaul access point and a second repeater access point using said first frequency range;
wirelessly communicating between the first repeater access point and a first client device using a second frequency range different than the first frequency range, such that the first client device communicates with the first backhaul access point over a first multiple-hop connection using the first said repeater access point;
wirelessly communicating between the second repeater access point and a second client device using said second frequency range, such that the second client device communicates with the second backhaul access point over a second multi-hop connection using the second said repeater access point;
scheduling wireless transmissions between said first backhaul access point, said first repeater access point, said second backhaul access point, and said second repeater access point based on estimated signal conditions at designated receivers of said wireless transmissions;
determining which wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points that can be executed simultaneously; and
scheduling said wireless transmissions to maximize a number of simultaneous wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
communicating between a central controller and the backhaul access point over a wired network,
such that the client device communicates with the wired network over the multiple-hop connection through said one of the repeater access points and the backhaul access point.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first frequency range comprises a first frequency channel and a second frequency channel different than the first frequency channel,
wherein wirelessly communicating between the first said backhaul access point and the first said repeater access point comprises using the first frequency channel,
and wherein wirelessly communicating between the second said backhaul access point and the second said repeater access point comprises using the second frequency channel.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein a first communication transmission is from the first backhaul access point to the first repeater access point, and a second communication transmission is from the second backhaul access point to the second repeater access point,
and wherein the method further comprises:
scheduling the first and the second communications in relation to one another using time-division multiple access (TDMA) to reduce interference between the first and the second communication transmissions.
17. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor;
a memory communicatively coupled to said processor, said memory comprising executable code stored thereon, said processor being configured to, upon execution of said executable code:
receive signal strength information from a plurality of repeater access points and backhaul access points;
estimate wireless signal conditions at said repeater access points and said backhaul access points;
schedule wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points based on said estimated wireless signal conditions;
determine which wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points that can be executed simultaneously; and
schedule said wireless transmissions to maximize a number of simultaneous wireless transmissions between said repeater access points and said backhaul access points.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said executable code further causes said processor to receive information about a data traffic load among the plurality of repeater access points and backhaul access points; and wherein said wireless transmissions are scheduled also based on received information about said data traffic load.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said executable code further causes said processor to communicate with said plurality of backhaul access points and said plurality of repeater access points to synchronize clocks in said plurality of backhaul access points and said plurality of repeater access points.