System and method for wireless channel assessment
View Patent ↗A method is implemented by a network device to improve efficiency for clear channel assessment (CCA) by tracking a set of neighboring stations in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The method includes detecting, by the first network device, a wireless signal from a second network device on a wireless medium. A target network device of the wireless signal detects whether the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device. The wireless medium is determined to be busy in response to determining that the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device.
1. A method implemented by a first network device, the method to improve efficiency for clear channel assessment (CCA) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:
detecting, by the first network device, a wireless signal from a second network device on a wireless medium;
determining whether a target network device of the wireless signal is a neighbor of the first network device; and
determining that the wireless medium is busy in response to determining that the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the wireless medium is busy when a signal quality of the wireless signal is above a first threshold or the target network device of the wireless signal is a neighbor of the first network device.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the wireless medium is busy when a signal quality of the wireless signal is between a first threshold and a second threshold and the target network device of the wireless signal is a neighbor of the first network device.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device based on a basic service set (BSS) of the wireless signal.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the wireless medium is idle when a signal quality of the wireless signal is above a first threshold and the target network device is not a neighbor of the first network device.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the wireless medium is idle when a signal quality of the wireless signal is between a first threshold and a second threshold and the target network device is not a neighbor of the first network device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device includes:
detecting a frame from the target network device; and
determining that a signal quality level of the frame is above a neighbor threshold value.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining that the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device further includes:
determining any one or more of a media access control (MAC) address, basic service set identifier (BSSID), Partial BSSID, or color of the target network device in the frame.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the frame is a beacon frame transmitted by the target network device.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless signal has a signal quality that is any one or more of an energy level or a signal-to-noise ratio.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the wireless medium is idle when a signal quality of the wireless signal is above a first threshold, the target network device is not a neighbor of the first network device, and a beamform transmission from the first network device and directed at a third network device is expected to be received at the second network device with a signal quality below a third threshold.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the wireless medium is idle when a signal quality of the wireless signal is above a first threshold, the target network device is not a neighbor of the first network device, and a transmission from the first network device to a third network device has a transmission power below a fourth threshold.
13. A network device to implement a method to improve efficiency for clear channel assessment (CCA) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the network device comprising:
a non-transitory machine readable medium having stored therein an enhanced CCA module; and
a processor coupled to the non-transitory machine readable medium, the processor configured to execute the enhanced CCA module, the enhanced CCA module configured to detect a wireless signal from a second network device on a wireless medium, determine whether a target network device of the wireless signal is a neighbor of the first network devices, and determine that the wireless medium is busy or idle in response to determining that the target network device is a neighbor of the first network device.