Cisco Technology, Inc.

The Ohio State University

Bo Chen

Derrick Pallas

Apurv Bhartia

Mark Hendrick, Jr

Feng Wang

Simon Barber

Ram Gupta

Wei Sun

Kannan Srinivasan Athreya

Chun Meng Yu

Vivek Sriram Yenamandra Guruvenkata

Aditya Kadur

Power line communication (PLC) has significant benefits and advantages in comparison to wireless communication. By exploiting the power line infrastructure, PLC signals can cover a larger area and provide high speed data service without installation of new infrastructure, especially in remote rural areas where Ethernet is not available. A MIMO-based (multiple-input-multiple-output-based) power line communication structure (MU-MIMO-PLC) is described herein and exploits power line infrastructure to achieve MIMO communication and/or high data service. MU-MIMO-PLC exploits the spatiality of power line infrastructure and the multipath property of power line channel. MU-MIMO-PLC leverages these properties to achieve high data rates with MIMO technology. In one embodiment, a system for multi-user (MU) power line communication comprises a power line infrastructure; an access point connected to the power line infrastructure; and clients connected to the power line infrastructure, wherein the clients can communicate with the access point through the power line infrastructure simultaneously.

MIMO architecture for multi-user power line communication

A method includes obtaining client information from a set of access points. The client information indicates client devices detected by each access point in the set of access points. In some implementations, the method includes grouping the set of access points into a plurality of access point groups based on the client information. The grouping allows each client device to associate with an access point from at least two different access point groups. The method includes, for a first access point group of the plurality of access point groups, migrating the client devices associated with access points in the first access point group to access points in a second access point group of the plurality of access point groups. In some implementations, the method includes configuring the access points in the first access point group while maintaining configuration of the access points in the second access point group.

Controlling client connectivity during access point upgrades

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for dynamically controlling an RxSOP threshold of an access point. In some examples, a current RxSOP threshold of an access point of a plurality of access points in a network environment providing wireless access to network services is determined. Wireless characteristics of one or more clients and the plurality of access points associated with the access point can be identified. Specifically, wireless characteristics of the one or more client and the plurality of access points in wirelessly providing and accessing the network services through the network environment are identified. The current RxSOP threshold of the access point can be dynamically modulated based on the wireless characteristics of the one or more clients and the plurality of access points.

Distributed and dynamic RxSOP assignment for wireless network service access

Aspects of the disclosed technology address the problems of calculating and performing channel assignments for access points (APs) in a wireless network. In some aspects, a process for performing channel assignment can include steps for identifying multiple APs in a network, each of the wireless APs being associated with an initial channel assignment, selecting an AP from among the wireless APs in the network, determining a channel quality for the initial channel assignment associated with the AP, and selecting a new channel for the AP based on the channel quality. In some aspects, the process further includes steps for selecting a second AP, determining a channel quality for the initial channel assignment associated with the second AP, and selecting a new channel for the second AP based on the channel quality. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Hierarchical channel assignment in wireless networks

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Bo Chen