Dedicated backhaul for whole home coverage
A dedicated backhaul for whole home coverage variously applies optimization techniques, e.g. using the 5 GHz high band or low band as a dedicated backhaul; using the 2.4 GHz band as backup if the 5 GHz band fails to reach between nodes; using Ethernet when it is better than the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands and it is available; and using a spanning tree protocol or a variant to avoid loops. The dedicated backhaul is used if the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the dedicated channel is above a threshold. In embodiments, a daisy chain uses probe request contents to communicate hop count and link quality between the nodes by attempting to route directly if link quality is better than a defined threshold. For each extra hop, there must be some percentage gain over smaller hops. If the link is below some threshold, it is not used.
1. A computer-implemented method for establishing a backhaul communication among nodes in a mesh wireless network, the method comprising:
performing an attempt to utilize a first channel in a default frequency band as a backhaul with second node in the network, wherein the backhaul is to provide communication of management functions between the nodes in the network, as opposed to a front haul that provides wireless data communication to clients in the network; and
upon detecting that a received signal strength of the first channel from the second node is below a threshold, performing an attempt to utilize a different channel in the default frequency band and/or a channel in a different frequency band that has a lower frequency range than the default frequency band, to establish the backhaul with the second node,
wherein, in any of said attempts, channels in a given frequency band are prioritized based on a corresponding received signal strength.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said attempts are performed on a first radio, the method further comprising:
upon failure of all said attempts, performing an attempt to establish the backhaul with the second node utilizing a different radio.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said different radio is the same radio as the front haul.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring received signal strengths of probes from all nodes within a communication range; and
selecting the second node based on the measured received signal strengths of the probes.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
utilizing a spanning tree based protocol to avoid loops in said attempts.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a link quality among one or more of the nodes in the network; and
selectively causing a number of nodes in the network to form a particular connection topology based on the measured link quality.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the formed connection topology is a star topology if the link quality exceeds a predetermined threshold.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the formed connection topology is a daisy chain topology if the link quality does not exceed a predetermined threshold.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
maintaining a hop count for nodes connected in the daisy chain topology, wherein whether a given node can be added to the daisy chain topology as an extra hop is further based on the hop count.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, via the backhaul, a configuration from the second node.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
causing the configuration from the second node to be pushed through the backhaul to a target node, wherein said causing is triggered by an initiation from a user.
12. A network device capable of establishing a backhaul communication among nodes in a mesh wireless network, the device including a network controller configured to perform operations comprising:
performing an attempt to utilize a first channel in a default frequency band as a backhaul with second node in the network, wherein the backhaul is to provide communication of management functions between the nodes in the network, as opposed to a front haul that provides wireless data communication to clients in the network; and
upon detecting that a received signal strength of the first channel from the second node is below a threshold, performing an attempt to utilize a different channel in the default frequency band and/or a different frequency band that has a lower frequency range than the default frequency band, to establish the backhaul with the second node,
wherein, in any of said attempts, channels in a given frequency band are prioritized based on a corresponding received signal strength.
13. The device of claim 12 , wherein said attempts are performed on a first radio, the operations further comprising:
upon failure of all said attempts, performing an attempt to establish the backhaul with the second node utilizing a different radio.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein said different radio is the same radio as the front haul.
15. The device of claim 12 , the operations further comprising:
measuring received signal strengths of probes from all nodes within a communication range; and
selecting the second node based on the measured received signal strengths of the probes.
16. The device of claim 12 , the operations further comprising:
utilizing a spanning tree based protocol to avoid loops in said attempts.
17. The device of claim 12 , the operations further comprising:
measuring a link quality among one or more of the nodes in the network; and
selectively causing a number of nodes in the network to form a particular connection topology based on the measured link quality.
18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the formed connection topology is a star topology if the link quality exceeds a predetermined threshold.
19. The device of claim 17 , wherein the formed connection topology is a daisy chain topology if the link quality does not exceed a predetermined threshold.
20. The device of claim 19 , the operations further comprising:
maintaining a hop count for nodes connected in the daisy chain topology, wherein whether a given node can be added to the daisy chain topology as an extra hop is further based on the hop count.
21. The device of claim 12 , the operations further comprising:
receiving, via the backhaul, a configuration from the second node.
22. The device of claim 21 , the operations further comprising:
causing the configuration from the second node to be pushed through the backhaul to a target node, wherein said causing is triggered by an initiation from a user.