Methods and systems for efficient wireless channel scanning
Embodiments of a device and method are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for wireless channel scanning involves performing a wireless local area network (WLAN) scan and a spectral scan on a first channel of a channel scan list, and at the wireless device, performing the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on a second channel of the channel scan list after the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on the first channel are completed.
1. A method for wireless channel scanning, the method comprising:
at a wireless device, performing a wireless local area network (WLAN) scan and a spectral scan on a first channel of a channel scan list; and
at the wireless device, performing the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on a second channel of the channel scan list after the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on the first channel are completed.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at the wireless device, performing the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on the first channel of the channel scan list comprises:
at the wireless device, performing the WLAN scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect WiFi interference; and
at the wireless device, performing the spectral scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect non-WiFi interference.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at the wireless device, performing the WLAN scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect WiFi interference comprises at the wireless device, performing an off-channel scan on the first channel of the channel scan list.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein at the wireless device, performing the off-channel scan on the first channel of the channel scan list comprises at the wireless device, constructing and transmitting at least one deauthentication frame to at least one device on the first channel of the channel scan list.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein at the wireless device, performing the WLAN scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect WiFi interference comprises at the wireless device, placing medium access control (MAC) hardware (HW) in promiscuous mode to capture different types of frames.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein at the wireless device, performing the spectral scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect non-WiFi interference comprises at the wireless device, performing the spectral scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect non-WiFi interference after the WLAN scan on the first channel is completed.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device comprises a wireless access point (AP).
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising placing a wireless network interface of the wireless AP in station (STA) scanning mode in which the wireless AP behaves as a wireless station.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising at the wireless AP, performing a station (STA) scan on a channel of the channel scan list.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at the wireless AP, performing the STA scan on a channel of the channel scan list comprises at the wireless AP, associating with or transmitting at least one ping to a neighboring wireless AP on the channel for a service-level agreement (SLA) requirement.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the wireless AP further comprises three wireless radio frequency (RF) frontends having three different frequency ranges.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the three wireless RF frontends are of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), 5 GHz, and 6 GHz.
13. A wireless access point (AP), the wireless AP comprising:
a scanning radio frequency (RF) frontend; and
a controller connected to the scan RF frontend and configured to:
using the scanning RF frontend, perform a wireless local area network (WLAN) scan and a spectral scan on a first channel of a channel scan list; and
using the scanning RF frontend, perform the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on a second channel of the channel scan list after the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on the first channel are completed.
14. The wireless AP of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
using the scanning RF frontend, perform the WLAN scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect WiFi interference; and
using the scanning RF frontend, perform the spectral scan on the first channel of the channel scan list to detect non-WiFi interference.
15. The wireless AP of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to using the scanning RF frontend, perform an off-channel scan on the first channel of the channel scan list.
16. The wireless AP of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further configured to using the scanning RF frontend, construct and transmit at least one deauthentication frame to at least one device on the first channel of the channel scan list.
17. The wireless AP of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to place medium access control (MAC) hardware (HW) in promiscuous mode to capture different types of frames.
18. The wireless AP of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to place a wireless network interface of the wireless AP in station (STA) scanning mode in which the wireless AP behaves as a wireless station.
19. The wireless AP of claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to using the scanning RF frontend, associate with or transmit at least one ping to a neighboring wireless AP on a channel of the channel scan list for a service-level agreement (SLA) requirement.
20. A method for wireless channel scanning, the method comprising:
at a wireless access point (AP), performing a wireless local area network (WLAN) scan on a first channel of a channel scan list, wherein performing the WLAN scan on the first channel comprises performing an off-channel scan on the first channel;
at the wireless AP, performing a spectral scan on the first channel after the WLAN scan on the first channel is completed;
at the wireless AP, performing the WLAN scan on a second channel of the channel scan list after the WLAN scan and the spectral scan on the first channel are completed, wherein performing the WLAN scan on the second channel comprises performing the off-channel scan on the second channel; and
at the wireless AP, performing the spectral scan on the second channel of the channel scan list after the WLAN scan on the second channel is completed.