Handoffs between access points in a Wi-Fi environment
View Patent ↗Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods for providing active mobility of Wi-Fi enabled devices within a given wireless local area network (WLAN). In general, techniques include dynamically commanding Wi-Fi enabled devices to disconnect from a corresponding access point in response to meeting predetermined conditions. A forced disconnect can be based on various criteria such as low-power or lost packet thresholds triggering the forced disconnect. Such techniques cause a Wi-Fi enabled device to disconnect from one access point and connect to another access point before a connection quality deteriorates to a point that causes noticeable interruptions in connectivity or a generally poor experience, thereby enabling a smooth transition among access points.
1. A method comprising:
in response to receiving a request at a first wireless access point from a client device, establishing a wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point over a radio frequency communication channel, the wireless link conveying data between the client device and the first wireless access point, the client device selecting the first wireless access point amongst multiple wireless access points in a network environment to establish the wireless link;
monitoring connection quality of the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point; and
in response to detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates, transmitting a disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device, the disassociate message terminating the wireless link;
wherein the first wireless access point is in communication with a second wireless access point, the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point providing wireless connectivity to the client device via a same Service Set IDentifier (SSID) associated with the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point;
in response to transmitting the disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device, receiving a subsequent request from the client device at the second wireless access point, the subsequent received request indicating to establish a subsequent wireless link between the client device and the second wireless access point;
establishing the subsequent wireless link between the client device and the second wireless access point over a radio frequency communication channel using the same SSID, the subsequent wireless link between the second wireless access point and the client device conveying data packets between the client device and the second wireless access point; and
wherein the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point transmit communications to each other regarding the connection quality.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates includes detecting that the connection quality deteriorates below a threshold value.
3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein monitoring the connection quality of the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point includes monitoring a radio signal strength of a communication signal transmitted over the wireless link from the client device to the first wireless access point.
4. The method as in claim 3 , wherein detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates further comprises:
detecting that a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a respective wireless signal received from the client device over the wireless link is lower than a threshold value.
5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the connection quality is selected from the group consisting of: i) a signal strength of a signal received from the client device, and ii) an error rate of communicating over the wireless link.
6. The method as in claim 2 , wherein monitoring the connection quality of the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point includes monitoring a rate of packet errors in an uplink data transmission from the client device to the first wireless access point; and
wherein transmitting the disassociate message to the client device occurs in response to detecting that the rate of packet errors exceeds a threshold rate.
7. The method as in claim 2 , further comprising:
at the first wireless access point, for a predetermined period of time subsequent to transmitting the disassociate message to the client, rejecting a subsequent received connectivity request from the client device to re-establish the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point.
8. The method as in claim 7 further comprising:
operating the second wireless access point to monitor a radio signal strength of receiving a respective signal from the client device; and
wherein detecting that the connection quality deteriorates includes: detecting that the radio signal strength of the respective signal from the client device as received at the second wireless access point is greater than a received radio signal strength of the respective signal at the wireless first access point.
9. The method as in claim 8 , wherein transmitting the disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device occurs in response to an upstream server computer transmitting the disassociate message.
10. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
performing a handoff of the wireless link from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point in response to detecting that the link quality falls below a threshold value.
11. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a geographic location of the client device with respect to the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point; and
transmitting the disassociate message based on the geographic location of the client device.
12. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting the disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device in response to detecting: i) that the client device is within wireless communication range of the second wireless access point that is known as being available to accept a handoff of the wireless link between the first wireless access point and the client device and ii) that the client device selects the second wireless access point to receive the handoff.
13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the client device is operable to make independent decisions with respect to the wireless access points about which of the multiple wireless access points to contact to establish a new wireless communication link subsequent to termination of the wireless link between the first wireless access point and the client device.
14. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the first wireless access point generates the disassociate message to terminate the wireless link to force the client device to select and reconnect to the second wireless access point, the second wireless access point monitoring a signal strength of communications transmitted over the wireless link from the client device to the first wireless access point.
15. The method as in claim 1 , wherein transmitting the disassociate message causes the client device to select the second wireless access point in which to handoff the wireless link being terminated.
16. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting the disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device to terminate the wireless link in response to detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link is sufficiently poor.
17. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first wireless access point transmits the disassociate message in response to receiving feedback from the second wireless access point that passively monitors communications transmitted from the client device over the wireless link to the first wireless access point, the feedback from the second wireless access point indicating a quality of the second wireless access point receiving the communications from the client device.
18. A system comprising:
computer processor hardware; and
a hardware storage resource coupled to the computer processor hardware, the hardware storage resource storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations of:
establishing a wireless link between a client device and a first wireless access point over a radio frequency communication channel, the wireless link conveying data between the client device and the first wireless access point;
monitoring connection quality of the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point; and
in response to detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates, transmitting a disassociate message to the client device to terminate the wireless link;
wherein the first wireless access point transmits the disassociate message in response to receiving feedback from a second wireless access point that passively monitors communications transmitted from the client device over the wireless link to the first wireless access point, the feedback from the second wireless access point indicating a quality of the second wireless access point receiving the communications from the client device; and
wherein the second wireless access point identifies the monitored communications as being from the client device based on a network address assigned to the client device.
19. The computer system as in claim 18 , wherein detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates includes detecting that the connection quality deteriorates below a threshold value.
20. The computer system as in claim 18 , wherein the connection quality is detected based on a respective strength of a signal received from the client device.
21. The computer system as in claim 18 , wherein the connection quality is detected based on an error rate of communicating over the wireless link.
22. The computer system as in claim 18 , wherein detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates further comprises:
detecting that a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a respective signal received at the first wireless access point over the wireless link from the client device is below a threshold value.
23. Computer-readable storage hardware having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, causes the computer processor hardware to perform operations of:
in response to receiving a request at a first wireless access point from a client device, establishing a wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point over a radio frequency communication channel, the wireless link conveying data between the client device and the first wireless access point, the client device selecting the first wireless access point amongst multiple wireless access points in a network environment to establish the wireless link;
monitoring connection quality of the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point; and
in response to detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates, transmitting a disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device, the disassociate message terminating the wireless link;
wherein the first wireless access point is in communication with a second wireless access point, the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point providing wireless connectivity to the client device via a same Service Set IDentifier (SSID) associated with the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point;
in response to transmitting the disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device, receiving a subsequent request from the client device at the second wireless access point, the subsequent received request indicating to establish a subsequent wireless link between the client device and the second wireless access point;
establishing the subsequent wireless link between the client device and the second wireless access point over a radio frequency communication channel using the same SSID, the subsequent wireless link between the second wireless access point and the client device conveying data packets between the client device and the second wireless access point; and
wherein the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point transmit communications to each other regarding the connection quality.
24. A method comprising:
in response to receiving a request at a first wireless access point from a client device, establishing a wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point over a radio frequency communication channel, the wireless link conveying data between the client device and the first wireless access point, the client device selecting the first wireless access point amongst multiple wireless access points in a network environment to establish the wireless link;
monitoring connection quality of the wireless link between the client device and the first wireless access point; and
in response to detecting that the connection quality of the wireless link deteriorates, transmitting a disassociate message from the first wireless access point to the client device, the disassociate message terminating the wireless link;
wherein the first wireless access point transmits the disassociate message in response to receiving feedback from a second wireless access point that passively monitors communications transmitted from the client device over the wireless link to the first wireless access point, the feedback from the second wireless access point indicating a quality of the second wireless access point receiving the communications from the client device; and
wherein the second wireless access point identifies the monitored communications as being from the client device based on knowing a network address assigned to the client device.
25. The system as in claim 18 , wherein the client device is operable to select the first wireless access point from amongst multiple wireless access points in which to establish the wireless link.