GB2408653A

GB2408653A - Wireless Broadband Communications System

Info

Publication number: GB2408653A
Application number: GB0327438A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bruce Gordon; David Llewelyn-Evans
Original assignee: YR FREE INTERNET Ltd
Current assignee: YR FREE INTERNET Ltd
Priority date: 2003-11-26
Filing date: 2003-11-26
Publication date: 2005-06-01
Also published as: GB0327438D0

Abstract

A wireless broadband communications system in which special access points are provided in place of normal antennae installed at customer premises. Each special access point has a processing module which receives Internet data and, if necessary, re-transmits data a further distance, say 300 metres, thereby acting as a host access point.

Description

1 2408653 Wireless Broadband Communications System This invention relates

to a wireless broadband communications system and, more particularly, to a fixed wireless broadband internet communications network.

Consumer appetite for access to information continues to grow along with growth of the Internet. Corresponding to such growth, new information is added to the Internet constantly. With respect to multimedia content in particular, much of this information comes at a significant cost in bandwidth.

Telephone dial-up service is being replaced with broader bandwidth systems such as satellite, digital subscriber line (DSL), and cable modem. Unfortunately, these systems are not presently available to a significant portion of the population.

Moreover, acquisition and installation costs associated with these systems make them less appealing.

Accordingly, wireless connectivity is on the rise. Wireless systems may be deployed more rapidly with less cost than their wired counterparts. Systems using cellular phone technologies are directed at providing mobile wireless Internet connectivity.

Unfortunately, such systems are bandwidth limited.

Alternatives to cellular telephone technologies are cellular architectures providing high speed, data only services. An example is Multi-channel, Multi-point Distribution Service (MMDS). Benefits of wireless systems for delivering high-speed services include rapid deployment without overhead associated with installation of local wired distribution networks. Unfortunately, MMDS relies upon long range transmissions and a sophisticated customer premise installation. As a result, this approach is considered to be too expensive in many cases to be commercially viable.

What is required is a fixed wireless solution with bandwidth comparable to DSL and cable modem technologies that is less complex to install and less costly. The traditional approach used for terrestrial wireless communication networks such as cellular networks consists of dividing the desired coverage area into a set of overlapping regions, where all of the subscribers within each region are served from a single transceiver known as a base station using a point-to-multipoint (PMP) or one- to-many approach. One of the problems with a PMP architecture is that it becomes difficult to establish links directly between a given subscriber radio and the base station as the transmission carrier frequency increases, which poses a problem for future wireless networks since they are increasingly being deployed at higher carrier frequencies.

Other problems are the economic burdens associated with deploying a system since large costs are incurred during deployment of the infrastructure before any revenue can be raised to offset those expenses. Additionally, there are extensive problems of coordination and planning and expense of expanding such systems. To avoid or address these problems to one extent or another, a new type of architecture, known as "mesh" architecture, is being explored. Some systems are being proposed and deployed for providing relatively broadband packet data services to residential customers. Some fixed wireless systems or networks that are part PMP and part mesh network have been proposed and may be referred to as hybrid systems or networks.

These systems may be initially deployed in part as PMP systems with each of the communications units in the PMP arrangement also acting as wireless network access points for clusters of communications units operating in a mesh network arrangement.

We have now devised an improved arrangement.

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a communications unit for use at a node within a wireless broadband communications network comprising a plurality of nodes, said communications unit comprising antenna means for receiving radio frequency signals, and a processing module being communicably coupled to said antenna means, said radio frequency signals originating from one or more master access points and comprising control signals and data signals, said processing module being arranged to convert radio frequency data signals received from a master access point into corresponding digital signals for transmission to a respective consumer unit connected thereto and to convert digital data signals received from said consumer unit into radio frequency signals for transmission by said antenna to a master access point, said control signals specifying a predetermined permitted bandwidth for data transmission and reception by said consumer unit, said processing module being further arranged to determine from a received control signal the predetermined permitted bandwidth for a respective consumer unit and to limit the bandwidth available thereto accordingly for transmission and reception of data signals.

Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a processing module for a communications unit for use at a node within a wireless broadband communications network comprising a plurality of nodes, said communications unit comprising antenna means for receiving radio frequency signals, said processing module being arranged to be communicably coupled to said antenna means, said radio frequency signals originating from one or more master access points and comprising control signals and data signals, said processing module being arranged to convert radio frequency data signals received from a master access point into corresponding digital signals for transmission to a respective consumer unit connected thereto and to convert digital data signals received from said consumer unit into radio frequency signals for transmission by said antenna to a master access point, said control signals specifying a predetermined permitted bandwidth for data transmission and reception by said consumer unit, said processing module being further arranged to determine from a received control signal the predetermined permitted bandwidth for a respective consumer unit and to limit the bandwidth available thereto accordingly for transmission and reception of data signals.

The present invention extends still further to a wireless broadband communications network comprising a plurality of communications units as defined above, said communications units being associated with respective consumer units, and at least one master access point communicating with said plurality of communications units.

The wireless broadband communications network referred to above preferably comprises a wireless broadband internet communications network.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the communications unit may be connected or connectable to a respective consumer unit by means of an Ethernet cable. The unit may have a power supply connected or connectable thereto by the Ethernet cable.

The processing module preferably comprises a repeater and is preferably arranged to determine if data received by the antenna means is destined for the respective consumer unit, and if not, to cause the data to be retransmitted to an access point associated with another consumer unit.

In the wireless broadband communications network referred to above, the at least one master access point preferably comprises interface means for connection to the internet backbone. A master access point may comprise means for identifying an optimum transmission route for transmission of data from a first communications unit to a second communications network.

The network may further comprise management means communicably coupled to a master access point, the management means being arranged to collect and store data relating to bandwidth utilisation by the consumer units associated with respective communications units.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from, and elucidated with reference to the embodiment described herein.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless broadband communications network

according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a wireless broadband communications network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a mesh architecture for use in the arrangement of Figure 2.

In summary, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, all customer elements of wireless broadband reception are combined into a single unit by combining unique and innovative hardware and software. Effectively, the unit comprises an antenna and a processing module, which is self-contained and attached to the antenna, sourcing its own power via an Ethernet (say CATS UTP) network cable from a power unit located at the customer's premises. The power is supplied to the processing module over the same Ethernet cable that data to and from the antenna travels. Not only does the processing module provide the customer with a network connection, but it controls information from the managing server to the customer and to other processing modules on the network. The processing module is therefore capable of throttling bandwidth destined for the customer to a desired amount whilst, at the same time, allowing a high bandwidth to flow onto other communications units having processing modules which make their own decision as to how much bandwidth to allow their respective customers (according to information received from the managing server). It will be appreciated, that everything is controlled by the managing server.

In accordance with the prior art, and referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, wireless internet broadband is normally provided to customers by having a centrally located managing server connected by some means to the Internet Backbone via either satellite or leased line. The job of the managing server computer is to transmit and receive Internet data to a customer's antenna positioned in the line of sight of a central location.

However, there are several disadvantages associated with the provision of wireless broadband Internet services using a network configuration such as that illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings: The range from the central location to the customers' antennae is around 300 metres, depending on the terrain between the two points (i.e. trees, other houses, etc). In order to increase the range, bridges are required, which are costly.

When installing an antenna at a customer's premises, the distance between the antenna and the customer's computing equipment must be limited so as to limit the length of RF cable required to connect the two, because with every metre of cable, the signal strength drops, such that some installations are simply not possible without compromise.

Because the central location is transmitting a high speed bandwidth (2Mbits/sec) to the whole area, any customer can utilise a large portion of the available bandwidth, to the detriment of other customers on the network.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, special access points are provided which replace the normal antennae installed at customers' premises in prior art arrangements. Such special access points have, as part of their construction, a processing module, which receives Internet data and, if necessary, re- transmits the data a further 300 metres, thereby acting as a host access point, as illustrated schematically by Figure 2 of the drawings.

With the system according to this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art can be overcome by: Although a master managing server is still required to connect to the Internet backbone and the range is still limited to around 300 metres between the managing server and the first customer, other customers will only be required to be located up to 300 metres from a host access point customer. This means that customers subscribing to the managing server can be located across a considerable area, thereby providing more potential customers per site.

Because the access point communicates with the customer's computing equipment via Ethernet cable, and not radio frequency cable, the distance between the antenna and the computing equipment can be up to, say, 100 metros, whereas if coaxial (aerial) cable is used, this is limited to around 15 metros. Thus, the present invention gives the customer improved flexibility as to the location of the antenna.

One of the unique features of the access point used in this exemplary embodiment of the present invention is the computer control unit or processing module embedded in the antenna, which gives the managing server the capability over the Internet to control all features of the installation, one of which is the ability to 'choke' the bandwidth being provided to a greedy customer. It also means that the customers' needs can be tailored such that, if only a relatively low bandwidth is required, this can be provided at a lower cost relative to the requirements of a high usage business customer which may require much higher bandwidth availability for which they would be required to pay more. As a result, the overall system is more versatile and fairer than conventional wireless broadband.

The management system enables the service provider to maintain complete control over all network sites installed. Furthermore, with a current limit to the speed of land- line based Internet Broadband (ADSL) of about 2 Mbits/sec, if a large number of customers are connected to an exchange, the system will be relatively slow, to the extent that some customers have returned to the telephone dial-up connection because it is considered to be faster than the overworked Broadband (ADSL) system. In the future, however, when higher frequencies are allocated to wireless communications, speeds of around 20 Mbits/sec are likely to be economical to use, such that the present invention will provide an even more viable alternative in area currently covered by a landline connection.

The wireless broadband communications network of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is preferably configured as a mesh network. In a mesh network, each node acts as a repeater. In the schematic illustration of Figure 3, node A is the main node, i.e. node A has the connection to the Internet. The circles represent the range limit of each of the nodes. Node D is not within the range of node A. A traditional wireless network is limited by the range of the main node and all client nodes need to gain access to the Internet by directly communicating with node A. There are currently many "community" networks running which use this idea of the customers' access points having repeaters for nodes on the network that would otherwise be inaccessible. In these networks, each node is individually configured to take part in the network. This is an acceptable way to work for a community system with very technically capable users, but is not acceptable for a rural Internet Service Provider (ISP). In the event that an extra node needs to be added to the network, the configuration files of the relevant nodes would have to be changed manually. In contrast, the present invention uses a central management console to configure these nodes. A manager of a wireless network need only add a new client/node to the GUI system, set any necessary restrictions such as bandwidth usage and the management server will then reconfigure any necessary nodes to enable the new customer.

The management system also retrieves and centrally stores various statistics that an ISP may require for expansion or troubleshooting. One of these is bandwidth utilisation by individual users. This would otherwise not be practicable with manually managed systems.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiment illustrates rather than limits the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be capable of designing many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" and "comprises", and the like, does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in any claim or the specification as a whole. The singular reference of an element does not exclude the plural reference of such elements and vice-versa. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A communications unit for use at a node within a wireless

broadband communications network comprising a plurality of nodes, said communications unit comprising antenna means for receiving radio frequency signals, and a processing module being communicably coupled to said antenna means, said radio frequency signals originating from one or more master access points and comprising control signals and data signals, said processing module being arranged to convert radio frequency data signals received from a master access point into corresponding digital signals for transmission to a respective consumer unit connected thereto and to convert digital data signals received from said consumer unit into radio frequency signals for transmission by said antenna to a master access point, said control signals specifying a predetermined permitted bandwidth for data transmission and reception by said consumer unit, said processing module being further arranged to determine from a received control signal the predetermined permitted bandwidth for a respective consumer unit and to limit the bandwidth available thereto accordingly for transmission and reception of data signals.
2. A communications unit according to claim 1, wherein said wireless broadband communications network comprises a wireless broadband internet communications network.
3. A communications unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, connected or connectable to a respective consumer unit by means of an Ethernet cable.
4. A communications unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, having a power supply connected or connectable thereto by the Ethernet cable.
5. A communications unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing module comprises a repeater and is arranged to determine if data received by the antenna means is destined for the respective consumer unit, and if not, to cause the data to be retransmitted to an access point associated with another consumer unit.
6. A processing module for a communications unit for use at a node within a wireless broadband communications network comprising a plurality of nodes, said communications unit comprising antenna means for receiving radio frequency signals, said processing module being arranged to be communicably coupled to said antenna means, said radio frequency signals originating from one or more master access points and comprising control signals and data signals, said processing module being arranged to convert radio frequency data signals received from a master access point into corresponding digital signals for transmission to a respective consumer unit connected thereto and to convert digital data signals received from said consumer unit into radio frequency signals for transmission by said antenna to a master access point, said control signals specifying a predetermined permitted bandwidth for data transmission and reception by said consumer unit, said processing module being further arranged to determine from a received control signal the predetermined permitted bandwidth for a respective consumer unit and to limit the bandwidth available thereto accordingly for transmission and reception of data signals.
7. A wireless broadband communications network comprising a plurality of communications units, said communications units being associated with respective consumer units, and at least one master access point communicating with said plurality of communications units, at least one of said communications units being in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 5.
8. A wireless broadband communications network according to claim 7, wherein the at least one master access point comprises interface means for connection to the internet backbone.
9. A wireless broadband communications network according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein a master access point comprises means for identifying an optimum transmission route for transmission of data from a first communications unit to a second communications network.
10. A wireless broadband communications network according to any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising management means communicably coupled to a master access point, the management means being arranged to collect and store data relating to bandwidth utilisation by the consumer units associated with respective communications units.
11. A communications unit substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
12. A processing module substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
13. A wireless broadband communications network substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.