Access point planning mechanism

1. A method for inserting an access point unit, having at least two antennas performing receive beam forming, into a wireless telecommunications network, comprising:

performing a self installation process in the access point unit, including: automatically detecting, by the antennas in the access point unit, spatial physical and RF layer parameters, including direction of arrival, of access points around it, and

selecting its own spatial physical and RF layer parameters according thereto for both access communication and wireless backhaul communication between access points in the network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said spatial parameters include physical and RF layer parameters including at least one of: the existence and type of spatial frequency re-use scheme; the existence and type of the WiMAX frame permutation methods; beam direction of departure from edge access points of surrounding clusters, beam width and pattern and sectorization beam center, in case of sectorization.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of automatically detecting includes:

performing space and frequency channel sounding;

producing an RF spatial map of environment frequencies, in accordance with said channel sounding;

performing spatial spectral interference management mitigation; and

selecting available transmission parameters for each said access point unit.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising utilizing beam-forming techniques to perform at least one of

virtual sectorization, according to an environment frequency re-use plan, and setting sectorization beams, and frequency bandwidth and/or power for each sector.

5. A method for inserting an access point unit into a wireless telecommunications network having a plurality of access point units grouped into virtual clusters, each cluster having one feeder access point unit coupled to and managing all the access point units in the cluster and providing backhaul to a core network, the access point units communicating with the feeder by means of wireless point-to-point backhaul, the method including:

performing a self-interconnection process of the wireless backhaul coupled to in the

access point unit wherein the access point unit

performs receive beam forming using a plurality of antennas;

performs space and frequency channel sounding;

produces an RF spatial map of environment frequencies and direction of arrival, in accordance with said channel sounding;

performs spatial spectral interference management;

contacts at least one feeder; and

provides said spatial information to said feeder; and

said feeder determines whether or not to permit connection of said access point unit to said feeder for wireless backhaul and selects available spatial transmission parameters for said wireless backhaul in the access point unit.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said feeder further selects a best route for wireless backhaul communication with said access point.

7. A method of adding an access point unit having an RF transceiver and at least two antennas performing receive beam forming to a mobile wireless network having at least one node and point-to-point wireless backhaul between nodes, the method comprising:

selecting one of said at least one node for forming a wireless connection thereto;

determining spatial physical layer parameters of said selected node including direction of arrival:

performing standard network entry;

performing MAC registration;

requesting a wireless backhaul slot for wireless backhaul communication with said selected node; and

receiving temporary parameters for wireless backhaul communication with said selected node.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

causing the access point unit to collect data about each said at least one node in the network where the access point unit is deployed;

processing automatically the collected data to determine spatial physical layer parameters of each said at least one node including direction of arrival;

selecting optimal spatial physical layer parameters for the access point unit in view of said determined spatial physical layer parameters; and

automatically configuring the access point unit according to said optimal spatial parameters.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said step of causing includes:

performing space and frequency channel sounding;

producing an RF spatial map of environment frequencies, in accordance with said channel sounding;

performing spatial spectral interference management; and

selecting available transmission parameters for each said access point unit.

10. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising utilizing beam-forming techniques to perform at least one of virtual sectorization, according to an environment frequency re-use plan, and to set sectorization beams, and frequency bandwidth and/or power for each sector.

11. A method of adding an access point unit having a RF transceiver and at least two antennas performing receive beam forming to a mobile wireless network having at least one node and wireless point-to-point backhaul between nodes, the method comprising:

causing the access point unit to collect data about each said at least one node in the network where the access point unit is deployed;

processing automatically the collected data to determine spatial physical layer parameters of each said at least one node including direction of arrival;

selecting optimal spatial physical layer parameters for the access point unit in view of said determined spatial physical layer parameters; and

automatically configuring the access point unit according to said optimal spatial parameters for both access and wireless backhaul.

12. The method according to claim 11 ,

wherein said step of processing includes determining spatial physical layer parameters of a plurality of nodes in the network including directions of arrival;

further comprising:

selecting one of said nodes for forming a wireless backhaul connection thereto;

performing standard network entry;

performing MAC registration;

requesting a backhaul slot for wireless backhaul communication with said selected node; and

receiving temporary parameters for wireless backhaul communication with said selected node.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein a new access point determines which frequency or frequencies are available in which directions, with the least interference from adjacent access points, and then utilizes beam-forming techniques to maximize its own coverage.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said step of causing includes:

performing space and frequency channel sounding;

producing an RF spatial map of environment frequencies, in accordance with said channel sounding;

performing spatial spectral interference management; and

selecting available transmission parameters for each said access point unit.

15. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising utilizing beam-forming techniques to perform at least one of virtual sectorization, according to an environment frequency re-use plan, and to set sectorization beams, and frequency bandwidth and/or power for each sector.

16. An access point (AP) unit for a mobile broadband wireless network, the access point unit comprising:

an RF transceiver;

at least two omni-directional antennas performing receive beam forming;

means for collecting data of pre-selected spatial network transmission and receiving parameters which are required to determine connection parameters for the AP unit in the network, including directions of arrival;

a processor for processing said collected data and determining, in accordance therewith, optimal spatial transmission and receiving parameters for the AP unit and instruct the AP unit to operate according to said optimal parameters.

17. An access point unit for use in a wireless telecommunications network having a plurality of access point units grouped into virtual clusters, each cluster having one feeder access point unit coupled to and managing all the access point units in the cluster and providing backhaul to a core network, said access point comprising:

a plurality of RF transceivers for wireless access and wireless backhaul communication with other access point units in the cluster,

a plurality of antennas performing receive beam forming, and

a controller,

said controller determining spatial coupling parameters, including direction of arrival, of the access point unit to at least one other access point unit in said network.

18. A method of adding an access point in a WiMAX network having at least one node coupled to a wired backhaul, the method comprising:

providing a WiMAX access point unit having a low cost RF transceiver and a plurality of omni-directional antennas performing receive beam forming;

causing the access point to collect data from the network in an area where it is deployed to permit the access point to determine optimum spatial connection parameters;

processing automatically the collected data including direction of arrival; and

selecting optimal spatial transmission and receiving parameters for the AP unit for connecting itself to the network; and

automatically configuring the AP unit according to said optimal parameters.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein said step of causing includes:

performing space and frequency channel sounding;

producing an RF spatial map of environment frequencies, in accordance with said channel sounding;

performing spatial spectral interference management; and

selecting available transmission parameters for each said access point unit.

20. The method according to claim 18 , further comprising utilizing beam-forming techniques to perform at least one of virtual sectorization, according to an environment frequency re-use plan, and to set sectorization beams, and frequency bandwidth and/or power for each sector.