Methods and apparatus for channel selection within a wireless network

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method includes calculating, at a wireless access point (WAP) from a set of WAPs within a network, an interference value for each channel from a set of channels of the WAP. The method includes calculating, based on the interference value for each channel, a total move weight of the WAP. The method includes receiving, at the WAP, a total move weight from each remaining WAP. The method includes selecting one WAP from the set of WAPs based on a random number, the total move weight of the WAP, the total move weights from the remaining WAPs, and a rank of the WAPs. The method further includes changing, if the WAP is selected, a designated channel of the WAP to one of the remaining channels; and sending a signal to modify an active channel of the WAP to correspond with the designated channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, at a wireless access point (WAP) from a plurality of WAPs, a total hypothetical move weight from each remaining WAP from the plurality of WAPs;   selecting one WAP from the plurality of WAPs based on a random number generated based on one of:
 selecting an additional WAP at a particular position in a rank of the plurality of WAPs, to generate the random number for each WAP from the plurality of WAPs; 
 generating the random number at the WAP from the plurality of WAPs and sending the random number to each WAP from the plurality of WAPs; or 
 receiving the random number from an external source; 
   changing, if the WAP is selected, the designated channel of the WAP to a hypothetical designated channel; and   repeating the receiving, the selecting, and the changing, until the total hypothetical move weights from each WAP from the plurality of WAPs collectively satisfy predetermined interference convergence criteria.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a wireless access point (WAP) selection module operatively coupled to a WAP from a plurality of WAPs, the WAP selection module configured to receive, from each remaining WAP from the plurality of WAPs, a total hypothetical move weight, the WAP selection module configured to select one WAP from the plurality of WAPs based on a first random number generated based on generating the random number at the WAP from the plurality of WAPs and sending the random number to each WAP from the plurality of WAPs;   a channel selection module operatively coupled to the WAP selection module, the channel selection module configured to select, if the WAP is selected by the WAP selection module, a hypothetical designated channel from a plurality of channels of the WAP based on a second random number, the second random number being generated based on generating the second random number at the WAP from the plurality of WAPs and sending the second random number to each WAP from the plurality of WAPs; and   a channel implementation module operatively coupled to the channel selection module, the channel implementation module configured to instruct:
 the WAP selection module to repeat the selecting one WAP from the plurality of WAPs, and 
 the channel selection to repeat the selecting of the hypothetical designated channel, 
   until the total hypothetical move weights from each WAP from the plurality of WAPs collectively satisfy pre-determined interference convergence criteria, the channel implementation module configured to send a signal to implement the hypothetical designated channel as an active channel of a radio of the WAP when the pre-determined interference convergence criteria are satisfied.   
     
     
         3 . A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:
 randomly select a hypothetical designated channel from a plurality of hypothetical channels of a wireless access point (WAP) from a plurality of WAPs of a network;   repeat the following for a number of times, the number of times being determined by whether a plurality of total hypothetical move weights from the plurality of WAPs collectively satisfy pre-determined interference convergence criteria:
 calculate, at the WAP, a total hypothetical move weight for the WAP based on a plurality of hypothetical channel move weights associated with a possible change from the hypothetical designated channel to one of the remaining hypothetical channels from the plurality of hypothetical channels; 
 receive, at the WAP and from each remaining WAP from the plurality of WAPs, a total hypothetical move weight, each hypothetical move weight from the plurality of WAPs being of the plurality of total hypothetical move weights; 
 select one WAP from the plurality of WAPs based at least in part on a random number, the random number being generated based on one of:
 selecting an additional WAP at a particular position in a rank of the plurality of WAPs, to generate the random number for each WAP from the plurality of WAPs; 
 generating the random number at the WAP from the plurality of WAPs and sending the random number to each WAP from the plurality of WAPs; or 
 receiving the random number from an external source; and 
 
 select a hypothetical designated channel from a plurality of hypothetical channels of the WAP if the WAP is selected; 
   and   send, after the number of times, a signal to modify an active channel of the WAP to correspond with the hypothetical designated channel.