Cisco Technology, Inc.

Bretton Lee Douglas

Eldad Perahia

Brian Donald Hart

David Sheldon Stephenson

David J Pignatelli

Timothy S Olson

Xiaohong Gong

Ender Ayanoglu

Lu Qian

Arnold M Bilstad

Ozgur Gurbuz

Paul Jeffrey Stager

Sheausong Yang

Johannes Petrus Kruys

David E Halasz

Douglas Chan

David McClead Theobold

James A Amos

Daryl Arnold Kaiser

Richard D Rebo

Jonathan S Leary

John Z Deng

Tania Sung-Yi Chen

Pascal Thubert

Patrick Wetterwald

Vincent Knowles Jones, Iv

Robert Charles Meier

Allan Thomson

Fred Jay Anderson

Sandeep Shetty

Vincent Jean Ribiere

Robert B O'Hara, Jr

Rajneesh Kumar

Robert Bowser

Philip J Ryan

Derek Gerlach

Zhigang Gao

Daniel Joseph Lyons

Douglas A Smith

Wenfeng Huang

Gregg Scott Davi

Milind Paranjpe

Stuart Norman

Sang Kyoon Hyun

James An

Santosh Anikhindi

Uri Parker

Johannes Petrus (Jan) Kruys

Gregory M Corsetto

Yoonill Lee

Arnold Bilstad

Nancy Winget

Daryl A Kaiser

Sandeep Jay Shetty

An apparatus and method for operating a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)-capable subscriber node are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a MIMO-capable physical layer transceiver and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer block that measures a received transmission to determine channel conditions. Upon receiving a transmission wherein said channel conditions meet specified conditions, the MAC layer block transmits a message to an access point indicating that the apparatus wants to switch between a non-MIMO mode and a MIMO mode, and upon receiving an acknowledgement, the MAC layer block switches between the non-MIMO mode and the MIMO mode. An apparatus for operating an access node is also disclosed.

Media access control for MIMO wireless network

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology in conjunction with the IEEE 802.11 standard enables simultaneous communication of data packets to or from multiple users in the same frequency. Spatial divisional multiple access (SDMA) is thus provided. In this way, system capacity can be increased to an extent that depends on available antenna resources and the multipath characteristics of the communication channel. Doubling or quadrupling of network throughput can be achieved.

Spatial division multiple access for wireless networks

A specialized preamble is provided to facilitate matrix channel estimation of a MIMO channel. In a particular implementation, a channel training preamble provided by the IEEE 802.11a standard is modified to facilitate MIMO channel estimation.

High data rate wireless bridging

A method and an apparatus in a first wireless station of a network transmitting to a second wireless station. The network uses multi-tone OFDM signals. The first station includes multiple antennas and a receive and a transmit signal path per antenna. Each receive signal path includes a discrete Fourier transformer determining the tones in a received signal, and each transmit signal path includes an inverse discrete Fourier transformer converting tones to a signal. The method includes determining channel estimates for each tone and each receive path while receiving from the second station, determining transmit weights to transmit to the second station, tone-by-tone weighting a signal for transmission to the second station to produce weighted tone sets for each transmit signal path, and transmitting the weighted tone sets. The first station is configured so that the weighting produces additive beamforming without the second station needing multiple antennas.

Multiple antenna processing on transmit for wireless local area networks

In an example embodiment, a method for determining backhaul channel assignments for multi-channel dual radio mesh nodes. The method comprises acquiring collision domain data for each access point of an associated mesh network. A cost function is calculated for each access point of the associated mesh network, the cost function assigning a weighted value for each access point in a collision domain based on a number of access points in the collision domain. Backhaul channel assignments for selected for each access point that minimizes the cost function.

Channel-assignment for a multi-channel dual-radio mesh backhaul

In one embodiment, different physical layer standards are segregated into different frequency channels. In one implementation, 802.11b traffic and 802.11g traffic are segregated into different frequency channels. A network management tool allows the user to specify channels to either, e.g., 802.11b-only, 802.11g-only, 802.11b preferred and 802.11g discouraged, or 802.11g preferred and 802.11b discouraged. Access points are given the capability of preventing or discouraging client traffic of either given type.

Performance optimization for wireless networks with mixed modulation types

Techniques are provided for selecting channels for a wider bandwidth operation mode of a wireless network, such as wireless network that operates in accordance with the IEEE 802.11n amendment. Alignments of so-called primary and secondary channels are selected to mitigate interference. Interfering sources, such as other transceivers or external interferers, or the energy from their transmissions, are identified and channels are selected. The selected channels are analyzed to determine whether primary-secondary channel assignments for the selected channels are feasible.

Selecting wider bandwidth channels in a wireless network

A search algorithm to find a globally optimal radio plan for a wireless network, including assignments of frequency and transmission power to multiple access points. Two different evaluation metrics are used in order to provide an optimal solution in a reasonable time period. Frequency searches are performed using a special rapid evaluation metric. Transmission powers are selected using a more refined metric that estimates data throughput. The search results are deterministic and execution time is also substantially deterministic.

Rapid search for optimal wireless network configuration

Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to providing network management information to wireless access points in a wireless network. In one implementation, a wireless client interrogates a wireless access point for its MAC address, for service set identifier (SSID) information, and/or for authentication-related information. If the wireless client determines that the wireless access point is the correct wireless access point, the wireless client polls sensors for physical environment and parameter (PEP) data, which the wireless client then transmits to the wireless access point.

Method and apparatus for transferring network management information to wireless nodes

Growing community of inventors

Bloomington, IL, United States of America

Bretton Lee Douglas