Providing Utilization Information for Intelligent Selection of Operating Parameters of a Wireless Access Point

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure are directed toward intelligently selecting the operating parameters of wireless access points (WAPs) deployed in a wireless environment so as to minimize or at least reduce interference in that wireless environment. A WAP continually measures the characteristics of the wireless channels used in the wireless environment and obtains measurements of channel metrics for those channels. The WAP stores the channel metric measurements as a channel metric history and analyzes the channel metric history to determine correlations between the channel metric measurements and various timeframes. The WAP selects one or more of its operating parameters based on the channel metric history and the correlations identified. Operating parameters include the radio frequency band and channel to transmit on. A centralized control server may also receive, store, and analyze channel metric histories from multiple WAPs and issue instructions to those WAPs identifying values for their respective operating parameters.

1 . A method comprising:
 determining, by a first wireless access point, measurements for a utilization metric of the first wireless access point;   receiving, by the first wireless access point and from a second wireless access point:
 first utilization information indicating utilization of the second wireless access point during a first time period and 
 second utilization information indicating utilization of the second wireless access point during a time period that is prior to the first time period; and 
   adjusting, by the first wireless access point, an operating parameter based on the measurements for the utilization metric and the second utilization information indicating utilization of the second wireless access point.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the operating parameter comprises:
 determining the operating parameter based on a historical security system utilization of the second wireless access point.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a first measurement of the measurements for the utilization metric comprises an indication of a channel used by the first wireless access point during measuring of the utilization metric.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the utilization metric comprises one or more of: a measurement of traffic on a channel, a measurement of bandwidth available on the channel, a quantity of client devices in communication with the first wireless access point, a quantity of packets sent by the first wireless access point within a first predetermined time period, a quantity of frames sent by the first wireless access point within a second predetermined time period, or a volume of data sent by the first wireless access point within a third predetermined time period.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the first wireless access point, status information associated with a computing device configured to operate at a location at which the first wireless access point is deployed, and   wherein the adjusting the operating parameter comprises selecting the operating parameter based on the received status information.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the first wireless access point, status information associated with a computing device configured to operate at a location at which the first wireless access point is deployed,   wherein:
 the adjusting the operating parameter comprises selecting the operating parameter based further on the received status information; and 
 the computing device comprises one or more of a security system configured to monitor one or more structures, a lighting control system configured to control lighting of one or more structures, a temperature control system configured to control a temperature of one or more structures, or an energy management system configured to measure energy consumption. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the operating parameter comprises one or more of: a radio frequency band, a channel within the radio frequency band, a networking standard, or a transmit power.   
     
     
         8 . A method comprising:
 determining, by a first wireless access point, measurements for a utilization metric;   receiving, from a second wireless access point:
 first utilization information indicating utilization of the second wireless access point during a first time period, and 
 second utilization information indicating utilization of the second wireless access point over one or more time periods that are prior to the first time period; 
   receiving, by the first wireless access point and from a computing device, status information associated with the computing device; and   adjusting, by the first wireless access point, an operating parameter associated with the first wireless access point based, at least in part, on the measurements for the utilization metric, the first utilization information, the second utilization information, and the status information.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the status information comprises an activation status of the computing device, wherein the computing device is configured to operate within a location at which the first wireless access point is deployed, and   the adjusting the operating parameter comprises adjusting the operating parameter based on the activation status of the computing device.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 determining, by the first wireless access point and based on the measurements for the utilization metric, a correlation between the utilization metric and a second time period; and   adjusting, by the first wireless access point, based on the correlation, and during the second time period, the operating parameter.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 a first measurement of the measurements for the utilization metric comprises an indication of a channel used by the first wireless access point during measuring of the utilization metric; and   the utilization metric comprises one or more of a measurement of traffic on the channel, a measurement of bandwidth available on the channel, a quantity of client devices in communication with the first wireless access point, a quantity of packets sent by the first wireless access point, a quantity of frames sent by the first wireless access point, or a volume of data sent by the first wireless access point within a predetermined time period.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein: the status information comprises an activation status of lighting of one or more structures controlled by the computing device, and
 the adjusting the operating parameter comprises adjusting the operating parameter based on the activation status of the lighting of one or more structures.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the status information indicates that a building security system is activated during the first time period, and   the adjusting the operating parameter comprises reducing, based on the status information, a transmit power associated with the first wireless access point.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the receiving the status information comprises: receiving, by the first wireless access point and from a home security system, status information associated with the home security system; and   the method further comprises:
 receiving, by the first wireless access point and from a temperature control system, status information associated with the temperature control system; and 
   the adjusting the operating parameter comprises determining, based on the status information associated with the home security system and the status information associated with the temperature control system, the operating parameter.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining, based on the status information, a likelihood of whether the computing device, during the first time period, utilizes the first wireless access point.   
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 receiving, from a first wireless access point and for each of a plurality of time periods, measurements for a first utilization metric of the first wireless access point;   receiving, from a second wireless access point and for each of the plurality of time periods, measurements for a second utilization metric of the second wireless access point;   receiving, from a computing device, status information associated with the computing device; and   adjusting an operating parameter associated with the first wireless access point based, at least in part, on the measurements for the first utilization metric, the measurements for the second utilization metric, and the status information.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the adjusting the operating parameter comprises:
 determining the operating parameter based on a historical security system utilization of the second wireless access point.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 each of the first utilization metric and the second utilization metric comprise one or more of: a measurement of traffic on a channel, a measurement of bandwidth available on the channel, a quantity of client devices in communication with the first wireless access point or the second wireless access point, or a quantity of packets sent, by the first wireless access point or the second wireless access point, within a first predetermined time period.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the computing device comprises one or more of a security system configured to monitor one or more structures, a lighting control system configured to control lighting of one or more structures, a temperature control system configured to control a temperature of one or more structures, or an energy management system configured to measure energy consumption. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the operating parameter comprises one or more of: a radio frequency band, a channel within the radio frequency band, a networking standard, or a transmit power.