Link management in a wireless network environment
A mobile computer device establishes a wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and a first access point of multiple access points in a network environment. While wirelessly connected to the first access point, the mobile computer device monitors communications from a set of neighboring access points including at least a second access point of the multiple access points. The mobile computer device transmits performance information derived from the monitored communications to a controller resource. To alleviate a current load on the first access point, the controller resource generates control information to terminate the wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first access point and establish a replacement wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and a second access point.
1. A method comprising:
via controller hardware, performing operations of:
receiving a notification including performance information generated by a mobile computer device in wireless communication with a first wireless access point in a network environment, the performance information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive communications from a second wireless access point in the network environment; and
in response to receiving the performance information, generating control information indicating to: i) terminate a first wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first wireless access point, and ii) establish a second wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the second wireless access point;
the method further comprising:
analyzing a current location of the mobile computer device with respect to other mobile computer devices in the network environment; and
generating the control information to reduce how many mobile computer devices are wirelessly connected to the first wireless access point.
2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
in accordance with the control information, from the controller hardware: i) transmitting a first command to the first wireless access point, the first command indicating to terminate the first wireless communication link, and ii) transmitting a second command to the mobile computer device, the second command indicating to establish the second wireless communication link subsequent to termination of the first wireless communication link.
3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the first command notifies the first wireless access point to generate a disassociate message to the mobile computer device to terminate the first wireless communication link; and
wherein the second command notifies the mobile computer device to establish the second wireless communication link with the second wireless access point after termination of the first wireless communication link.
4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
in accordance with the control information, transmitting a message to notify the mobile computer device to establish the second wireless communication link subsequent to termination of the first wireless communication link.
5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the controller hardware generates the control information to initiate a handoff of the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point.
6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the received performance information includes: i) first performance metric information generated by the mobile computer device, the first performance metric information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive an RF signal from the second wireless access point in the network environment, and ii) second performance metric information generated by the mobile computer device, the second performance metric information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive an RF signal from a third wireless access point in the network environment.
7. The method as in claim 6 further comprising:
comparing the first performance metric information and the second performance metric information; and
in response to detecting that the second wireless access point provides better wireless connectivity with the mobile computer device than the first wireless access point based on the comparing, notifying the mobile computer device to establish the second wireless communication link with the second wireless access point.
8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
receiving location information indicating the current location of the mobile computer device in the network environment;
analyzing the current location of the mobile computer device with respect to wireless coverage provided by the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point; and
generating the control information based at least in part in response to detecting that the mobile computer device is substantially closer to the second wireless access point than the first wireless access point.
9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the received performance information includes a first metric indicating a wireless signal strength of the mobile computer device receiving a wireless communication generated by the second wireless access point.
10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the received performance information includes a first metric indicating a wireless signal strength of the mobile computer device receiving a first wireless communication, the first wireless communication generated by the first wireless access point; and
wherein the received performance information includes a second metric indicating a wireless signal strength of the mobile computer device receiving a second wireless communication, the second wireless communication generated by the second wireless access point.
11. A system comprising:
computer processor hardware; and
a hardware storage resource accessible by the computer processor hardware, the hardware storage resource storing instructions that, when executed by the computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:
receive a notification including performance information generated by a mobile computer device in wireless communication with a first wireless access point in a network environment, the performance information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive communications from at least a second wireless access point in the network environment; and
in response to receiving the performance information, generate control information indicating to: i) terminate a first wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first wireless access point, and ii) establish a second wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the second wireless access point;
the computer processor hardware further operable to:
analyze a current location of the mobile computer device with respect to other mobile computer devices in the network environment; and
generate the control information to reduce how many mobile computer devices are wirelessly connected to the first wireless access point.
12. The computer system as in claim 11 , wherein the control information includes a first command and a second command;
wherein the first command is operable to notify the first wireless access point to generate a disassociate message to the mobile computer device to terminate the first wireless communication link; and
wherein the second command is operable to notify the mobile computer device to establish the second wireless communication link with the second wireless access point after termination of the first wireless communication link.
13. The computer system as in claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor hardware to:
in accordance with the control information, transmit a message to notify the mobile computer device to establish the second wireless communication link subsequent to termination of the first wireless communication link.
14. The computer system as in claim 11 , wherein the received performance information includes: i) first performance metric information generated by the mobile computer device, the first performance metric information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive an RF signal from the second wireless access point in the network environment, and ii) second performance metric information generated by the mobile computer device, the second performance metric information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive an RF signal from a third wireless access point in the network environment.
15. The computer system as in claim 14 , wherein the computer processor hardware further performs operations of:
comparing the first performance metric information and the second performance metric information; and
in response to detecting that the second wireless access point provides better wireless connectivity with the mobile computer device than the first wireless access point based on the comparing, notifying the mobile computer device to establish the second wireless communication link with the second wireless access point.
16. A method comprising:
at a mobile computer device in a network environment:
establishing a wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and a first wireless access point of multiple wireless access points in the network environment;
monitoring communications from a set of wireless access points including at least a second wireless access point of the multiple wireless access points; and
transmitting a notification derived from the monitored communications to a controller resource, the controller resource operable to utilize the notification derived from the monitored communications to control connectivity between the mobile computer device and the multiple wireless access points;
wherein the notification includes a first performance metric and a second performance metric, the first performance metric indicating a corresponding signal strength of communications received by the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point, the second performance metric indicating a corresponding signal strength of communications received by the mobile communication device from the second wireless access point; and
wherein the controller resource is operable to handoff the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point based on an analysis of the first performance metric and the second performance metric and a detected current location of the mobile computer device with respect to other mobile computer devices in the network environment, the handoff of the mobile computer device to the second wireless access point reducing how many mobile computer devices are wirelessly connected to the first wireless access point.
17. The method as in claim 16 further comprising:
generating the notification transmitted from the mobile computer device to the controller resource to include performance information indicating an ability of a wireless medium between the mobile computer device and the second wireless access point to support conveyance of wireless signals, the wireless medium being a potential alternative to the wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first wireless access point.
18. The method as in claim 16 further comprising:
communicating the notification from the mobile computer device through the first wireless access point to the controller resource.
19. The method as in claim 16 further comprising:
producing the notification to include location information; and
forwarding the notification from the mobile computer device through the first wireless access point to the controller resource, the location information indicating the current location of the mobile computer device in the network environment.
20. The method as in claim 16 further comprising:
subsequent to transmitting the notification to the controller resource, receiving a disassociate message at the mobile computer device, the disassociate message received from the first wireless access point, the first wireless access point generating the disassociate message to the mobile computer device in accordance with a command received from the controller resource to terminate the wireless communication link between the first wireless access point and the mobile computer device.
21. Computer-readable hardware storage having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:
receive a notification including performance information generated by a mobile computer device in wireless communication with a first wireless access point in a network environment, the performance information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to communicate with at least a second wireless access point in the network environment;
in response to receiving the performance information, generate control information indicating to: i) terminate a first wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first wireless access point, and ii) establish a second wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the second wireless access point;
analyze a current location of the mobile computer device with respect to other mobile computer devices in the network environment; and
generate the control information to reduce how many mobile computer devices are wirelessly connected to the first wireless access point.
22. A method comprising:
via controller hardware, performing operations of:
receiving a notification including performance information generated by a mobile computer device in wireless communication with a first wireless access point in a network environment, the performance information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive communications from a second wireless access point in the network environment; and
in response to receiving the performance information, generating control information indicating to: i) terminate a first wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first wireless access point, and ii) establish a second wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the second wireless access point;
wherein the notification includes a first performance metric and a second performance metric, the first performance metric indicating a corresponding signal strength of communications received by the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point, the second performance metric indicating a corresponding signal strength of the communications received by the mobile communication device from the second wireless access point; and
wherein the controller resource is operable to handoff the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point based on an analysis of the first performance metric and the second performance metric in view of a detected corresponding location of the mobile computer device in the network environment;
the method further comprising:
initiating a handoff the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point based at least in part on detecting a load imbalance indicating that the first wireless access point supports more wireless communication links with respective mobile computer devices than the second wireless access point.
23. A method comprising:
via controller hardware, performing operations of:
receiving a notification including performance information generated by a mobile computer device in wireless communication with a first wireless access point in a network environment, the performance information indicating an ability of the mobile computer device to receive communications from a second wireless access point in the network environment; and
in response to receiving the performance information, generating control information indicating to: i) terminate a first wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the first wireless access point, and ii) establish a second wireless communication link between the mobile computer device and the second wireless access point;
receiving location information indicating a current location of the mobile computer device;
analyzing the current location of the mobile computer device in the network environment with respect to a group of multiple mobile computer devices in wireless communication with the first wireless access point; and
based at least in part on detecting that the first wireless access point is overloaded supporting the group of mobile computer devices, producing the control information to handoff the mobile computer device from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point to reduce how many mobile computer devices are wirelessly connected to the first wireless access point.