JP2010268371A - Wireless lan system, wireless master unit, wireless slave unit, communication mode selection method and communication mode selection program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless LAN system or the like in which a communication mode which allows more excellent communication can be detected, and the mode can be set. <P>SOLUTION: In the wireless LAN system 1, an access point 30 and a wireless slave unit 10 comprise mode selecting sections 123 and 223 for switching communication modes; wireless control sections 121 and 221 for measuring a link speed for each of a plurality of communication modes when initiating communication, storage means 112 and 212 for storing the link speed measured correspondingly to each communication mode, and web GUI display sections 124 and 224 for presenting the link speed stored in the storage means to a user in association with each communication mode, allowing the user to select any communication mode, and receiving a user input in response to the selection. The mode selecting section switches a communication mode to the communication mode input-received by the web GUI display section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to wireless data communication, and more particularly to selection of a communication mode in wireless data communication having a plurality of communication modes having different communication speeds.

  So-called wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology is rapidly spreading in organizations such as companies and schools, and in ordinary homes. In wireless LAN, various standards such as IEEE802.11a (54 Mbps), IEEE802.11b (11 Mbps), IEEE802.11g (54 Mbps) standardized by the 802 committee of IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) Is widely used as a de facto standard. These standards are intended to improve the communication speed by adopting various modulation schemes and spatial multiplexing schemes. Many devices have a plurality of operation modes (hereinafter referred to as communication modes) in which communication corresponding to a plurality of standards can be performed with one communication device.

  Hereinafter, the standards of IEEE802.11a, IEEE802.11b, and IEEE802.11g are referred to as 11a, 11b, and 11g, respectively. The parentheses following each standard name indicate the rated communication speed according to each standard. However, in each communication mode, communication cannot always be performed at the rated speed. When the radio wave condition is not good, the link speed (communication speed obtained by actual wireless connection) is low even in the same communication mode.

  In addition, IEEE 802.11n (300 Mbps, hereinafter referred to as 11n), which is upwardly compatible with these standards, is currently in the draft version 2.0 stage and is scheduled to be officially formulated in July 2009 AD. . 11n uses, for the first time in the IEEE 802.11 series, multi-input multi-output (MIMO), which is a multi-antenna technology. A wireless LAN device adopting 11n can also perform communication by switching the wireless communication mode between the conventional 11b and 11g.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of determining a wireless communication mode in a normal wireless LAN device compliant with 11n. When a beacon is transmitted from the access point to the wireless slave unit, processing for selecting a communication mode is started (step S1001). In response to this beacon, the wireless slave device starts negotiation with the access point and establishes communication (step S1002).

  Thereafter, the access point and the wireless slave device read out the communication mode that is set in advance and stored in the nonvolatile memory or the like and switches to the communication mode (step S1003). Thereafter, the access point and the wireless slave unit check whether or not there is a packet error during communication (step S1004). If an error occurs, the communication speed is reduced (step S1005), and if not, the communication speed is increased. (Step S1006). After adjusting the communication speed in steps S1005 and 1006, the process returns to step S1004 to continue checking for packet errors while continuing communication.

  The following patent documents are disclosed as technical documents related to such switching of communication modes. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151561 describes a technique of determining whether or not data can be transmitted for each data type and determining a data rate that can be transmitted. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a technique that allows a wireless LAN device to determine different transmission rates for each of a plurality of existing clients. Similarly to Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3 also describes a technique that can determine different transmission rates for each of a plurality of clients in a wireless LAN device.

JP 2002-288073 A JP 2004-221710 A JP-T-2004-520766

  In wireless communication, the communication speed is likely to decrease due to the influence of changes in the communication environment. In particular, the MIMO adopted in 11n is to provide a plurality of radio signal propagation paths in space by using a plurality of antennas for transmission and reception. For this reason, 11n has a higher rated communication speed than 11g and 11b, but is particularly susceptible to noise due to reflection of radio waves by obstacles such as walls, and as a result, the link speed tends to decrease. That is, there may be a case where 11g or 11b is higher than 11n and communication with higher communication speed is possible.

  However, in the operation for determining the wireless communication mode shown in FIG. 13, the communication mode set in advance can only be set. Therefore, when the communication mode of the device is set to 11n in advance, communication cannot be performed in a communication mode other than 11n. That is, even in a communication environment in which better communication is possible with 11g or 11b than 11n, it is not possible to detect that and set the communication mode in which the best communication is possible.

  Furthermore, the above-described Patent Documents 1 to 3 also describe a configuration that can detect which mode among a plurality of communication modes is possible and set the mode. It has not been. In other words, this problem cannot be solved by the techniques described in these documents.

  An object of the present invention is to detect a communication mode capable of performing better communication in a plurality of communication modes prepared in advance according to the communication environment and set the mode. A wireless LAN system, a wireless master device, a wireless slave device, a communication mode selection method, and a communication mode selection program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wireless LAN system according to the present invention includes a wireless master device connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, and a plurality of wireless master devices and wireless slave devices are provided. A wireless LAN system capable of communicating with each other according to a communication mode, wherein each of the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit selects a mode from a plurality of communication modes and a plurality of units at the start of communication. A wireless control unit that measures the link speed for each communication mode, a storage means that stores the link speed measured corresponding to each communication mode, and the link speed stored in the storage means for each communication mode Web GUI display unit that displays on a computer device corresponding to the user, presents it to the user, allows the user to select a communication mode, and accepts the user's input for this The provided, the mode selection unit, and switches the communication mode to the communication mode the web GUI display unit is input accepted.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wireless master device according to the present invention is connected to a higher-level network and wirelessly configures a wireless LAN system by communicating with a wireless slave device connected to a computer device in a plurality of communication modes. A master unit that selects one of a plurality of communication modes, a wireless control unit that measures a link speed for each of the plurality of communication modes at the start of communication, and each communication mode Storage means for storing the link speed measured corresponding to the communication speed, and the link speed stored in the storage means is displayed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode and presented to the user, and the communication mode is indicated to the user. And a web GUI display unit that accepts user input in response to the selection, and the mode selection unit inputs the communication mode to the web GUI display unit. And it switches the communication mode designated.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wireless slave device according to the present invention is connected to a computer device and communicates with a wireless master device connected to an upper network in a plurality of communication modes to form a wireless LAN system. A slave unit that selects one of a plurality of communication modes, a wireless control unit that measures a link speed for each of the plurality of communication modes at the start of communication, and each communication mode Storage means for storing the link speed measured corresponding to the communication speed, and the link speed stored in the storage means is displayed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode and presented to the user, and the communication mode is indicated to the user. And a web GUI display unit that accepts user input in response to the selection, and the mode selection unit inputs the communication mode to the web GUI display unit. And it switches the communication mode designated.

  To achieve the above object, a communication mode selection method according to the present invention includes a wireless master device connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, and a plurality of wireless master devices and wireless slave devices are provided. In the wireless LAN system capable of communicating with each other according to the communication mode, a method of selecting the communication mode, wherein each of the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit is connected in each of a plurality of communication modes and the link speed is selected. And the measured link speed corresponding to each communication mode is stored in advance in the storage means provided in each of the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit, and the link speed corresponding to each communication mode is stored on the computer device. Displayed on the screen and presented to the user, allowing the user to select the communication mode, accepting the user's input for this, and switching the communication mode to the communication mode selected by the user And wherein the door.

  In order to achieve the above object, a communication mode selection program according to the present invention includes a wireless master device connected to an upper network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, and a plurality of wireless master devices and wireless slave devices are provided. A wireless LAN system capable of communicating with each other according to the communication mode of the wireless LAN system, a procedure for measuring the link speed by connecting to a computer included in the wireless master unit or the wireless slave unit in each of a plurality of communication modes, and Procedures for storing the link speed in advance in the storage means included in each of the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit corresponding to each communication mode, and displaying the link speed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode, The user to select the communication mode, the procedure for accepting user input for this, and the communication mode entered by the user. Characterized in that to perform the procedure for switching the mode.

  As described above, the present invention measures the link speed for each of a plurality of communication modes, presents the link speed to each communication mode, and allows the user to select the communication mode. Therefore, the user can select a communication mode that can obtain the best link speed. As a result, it is possible to detect a communication mode that allows better communication in the environment among the plurality of communication modes prepared in advance and set the mode. A wireless LAN system, a wireless master device, a wireless slave device, a communication mode selection method, and a communication mode selection program can be provided.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the wireless LAN system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the access point shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the radio | wireless subunit | mobile_unit 10 shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the further detailed structure of the radio | wireless control part shown in FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing relating to selection of a communication mode executed by a wireless control unit shown in FIG. 2. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the memory content about RSSI and link speed in each system of 11n, 11g, and 11b stored in RAM112 by step S303, 305, 307 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing shown about the example of a display of the web GUI which a web GUI display part shows by step S309 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the wireless LAN system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the access point shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the radio | wireless subunit | mobile_unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing related to selection of a communication mode executed by a wireless control unit in the wireless LAN system shown in FIG. 8. It is explanatory drawing shown about the example of a display of the dialog which a web GUI display part displays at step S810 of FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of determining a wireless communication mode in a normal wireless LAN device compliant with 11n.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the structure of the 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated based on attached FIGS. 1-3.
First, the basic content of the present embodiment will be described, and then more specific content will be described.
The wireless LAN system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a wireless master device (access point 30) connected to an upper network (Internet 50) and a wireless slave device 10 connected to a computer device (personal computer 20). This is a wireless LAN system in which the access point 30 and the wireless slave device 10 can communicate with each other in a plurality of communication modes. In this system, each of the wireless master device (access point 30) and wireless slave device 10 measures the link speed for each of a plurality of communication modes at the start of communication with mode selection units 123 and 223 for switching communication modes. The wireless control units 121 and 221 for storing, the storage means (RAM 112 and 212) for storing the link speed measured corresponding to each communication mode, and the link speed stored in the storage means for each communication mode. And a web GUI display unit 124 and 224 for receiving a user's input in response to the user selecting a communication mode. The mode selection units 123 and 223 display the communication mode on the web. The GUI display unit switches to the communication mode accepted.

  Radio control units 121 and 221 measure link speed and received signal strength indication (RSSI) for each of a plurality of communication modes, and store them in storage means. Web GUI display units 124 and 224 Presents the measured link speed and RSSI to the user corresponding to each communication mode. Here, at least one of the plurality of communication modes is communication using multiple input / output (MIMO).

With the above configuration, the wireless LAN system 1 can detect a communication mode in which better communication is possible and set the mode.
Hereinafter, this will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a wireless LAN system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The wireless LAN system 1 includes a personal computer 20 to which a wireless slave device 10 is connected and an access point 30 that is a wireless master device connected to the Internet 50 via a router 40. The wireless slave device 10 and the access point The personal computer 20 can connect to the Internet 50 via the router 40 by performing wireless communication conforming to the IEEE802.11 series. In addition, although the connection method between each apparatus except the radio | wireless connection between the radio | wireless subunit | mobile_unit 10 and the access point 30 is arbitrary, in this embodiment, it is a wired connection in principle.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the access point 30 shown in FIG. The access point 30 includes a wireless device 100 and a microcomputer 110 that controls the wireless device 100. The microcomputer 110 includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 111 that is a main body for executing a computer program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112 that temporarily stores a program and data being worked on, and a nonvolatile memory that stores the program and data. And a ROM (Read Only Memory) 113 which is a volatile storage device.

  In the MPU 111, the wireless control unit 121, the mode control unit 122, the mode selection unit 123, and the web GUI display unit 124 are each executed as a computer program. The wireless control unit 121 controls the wireless device 100. The mode control unit 122 controls the wireless communication mode used for communication by the wireless device 100. The web GUI display unit 124 causes the information stored in the RAM 112 to be displayed on the web GUI on the personal computer 20. The mode selection unit 123 switches the operation of the wireless device 100 to use the communication method selected by the user via the web GUI on the personal computer 20.

  The wireless mode is selected by storing the value communicated via the wireless device 100 in the RAM 112 through the wireless control unit 121 and the mode control unit 122, displaying information on the web GUI from the web GUI display unit 124, and displaying the user. The mode selection unit 123 receives the content selected from the content, switches the wireless device 100, and selects the wireless mode. The selected wireless mode is controlled by the mode control unit 122 and communication is started via the wireless control unit 121 and the wireless device 100.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of the wireless slave device 10 shown in FIG. The wireless slave device 10 includes a wireless device 200 and a microcomputer 210 that controls the wireless device 200. The microcomputer 210 includes an MPU 211 that is a main body that executes a computer program, a RAM 212 that temporarily stores a program and data in operation, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 213 that is a nonvolatile storage device that stores the program and data. It consists of.

  In the CPU 211, the wireless control unit 221, the mode control unit 222, the mode selection unit 223, and the web GUI display unit 224 are each executed as a computer program. The wireless control unit 221 controls the wireless device 200. The mode control unit 222 controls the wireless communication mode used for communication by the wireless device 200.

  The web GUI display unit 224 displays information on the wireless communication mode received from the access point 30 on the web GUI on the personal computer 20. The mode selection unit 223 transmits information regarding the switching of the communication method to the access point 30 at the same time as switching the wireless device 200 to use the communication method selected by the user via the web GUI.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a more detailed configuration of the radio control units 121 and 221 shown in FIGS. The radio control unit 121 on the access point 30 side includes radio selection means 131, an 11n block 132, an 11g block 133, and an 11b block 134. The 11n block 132, the 11g block 133, and the 11b block 134 select 11n, 11g, and 11b communication modes, respectively. The radio selection unit 131 selects which of these is used for communication based on a command from the mode selection unit 123.

  Similarly to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the wireless control unit 221 on the wireless slave device 10 side also includes wireless selection means 231, 11n block 232, 11g block 233, and 11b block 234. The function of each functional unit is the same as the functional unit having the same name in the wireless control unit 121 on the access point 30 side.

  As described above, the wireless slave device 10 has the same configuration as that of the access point 30, and each has a functional unit having the same name. On the wireless slave device 10 side and the access point 30 side, the functional units having the same names have the same functions and operate in conjunction with each other. For connection between the wireless slave unit 10 and the personal computer 20, any interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) or PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) can be used. Furthermore, the personal computer 20 may be configured to incorporate the wireless slave device 10 from the beginning.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing relating to selection of a communication mode executed by the wireless control units 121 and 221 shown in FIG. When a beacon is transmitted from the access point 30 to the wireless slave device 10, processing for selecting a communication mode is started (step S301). In response to this beacon, the wireless slave device 10 returns ACK to the access point 30 and starts negotiation with the access point 30. Since information regarding the communication mode is included in this ACK, communication between the access point 30 and the wireless slave device 10 is established in the communication mode after negotiation (step S302).

  First, the access point 30 and the wireless slave device 10 make their communication with the 11n blocks 132 and 232 enabled by the wireless selection means 131 and 231 of the wireless control units 121 and 221 based on signals from the mode selection units 123 and 223. Switch the mode to 11n. Then, the mode controllers 122 and 222 measure RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) and link speed in 11n (step S303). After the measurement, the mode control unit 122 stores the measurement result in the RAM 112 (step S304).

  Similarly, for 11g, similarly to steps S303 to S304, the radio control unit 121 performs trials on reception and throughput, receives the RSSI and link speed, and stores them in the RAM 112 (steps S305 to S306). Further, similarly for 11b, the radio control unit 121 performs a trial, receives the RSSI and the link speed, and stores them in the RAM 112 (steps S307 to S308). Note that the order in which RSSI and link speed measurement processing is performed for each communication mode is arbitrary.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents stored in RSSI and link speed in each of the 11n, 11g, and 11b methods stored in the RAM 112 in steps S303, 305, and 307 of FIG. Radio control units 121 and 221 measure RSSI 351b and link speed 351c for each of the 11n, 11g, and 11b methods, and mode control units 122 and 222 store the measurement results in RAMs 112 and 212 corresponding to each communication mode 351a. Store.

  After step S308 in FIG. 5, the web GUI display unit 124 transmits the trial result stored in the RAM 112 from the access point 30 to the wireless slave device 10, and the web GUI display unit 224 displays the result (step S309). The mode selection unit 213 receives user input in response to this, and transmits the selected content to the access point 30. The mode selection unit 123 receives this, and both the mode selection units 123 and 213 switch to the communication mode selected by the user (step S310).

  Thereafter, the mode control units 122 and 212 check whether there is a packet error during communication (step S311). If an error occurs, the communication speed is reduced (step S312). If no error occurs, the communication speed is increased. (Step S313). After adjusting the communication speed in steps S312 and 313, the process returns to step S311 to continue the communication and continue to check for packet errors.

  Here, the value displayed on the web GUI and the link speed and RSSI measurement result of the wireless communication method selected by the user are stored in the RAM 112 of the access point 30 and the RAM 212 of the wireless slave device 10 in the form shown in FIG. The stored contents are stored in each of the wireless slave units 10 and the access point 30 until the power is turned off.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the web GUI 400 displayed on the screen of the personal computer 20 by the web GUI display units 124 and 224 shown in step S309 of FIG. The web GUI 400 is expected to obtain RSSI 351b and link speed 351c for each communication mode (shown in FIG. 6) measured in steps S303 to 308 of FIG. 5 and stored in the RAM 112, that is, each communication mode. The communication speed is displayed in association with each communication mode 351a.

  The link speed is normally calculated by the wireless control unit 121 from the ACK signal returned from the wireless slave device 10 to the access point 30 and transmitted to the wireless slave device 10 side. For this reason, there is no direct relationship between link speed and RSSI. However, a high RSSI means that the radio wave condition is stable. For this reason, if RSSI is high, even if the measured link speed is low, it may become high in the future. Therefore, in the example illustrated in FIG. 7, both the RSSI 351 b and the link speed 351 c are displayed on the web GUI 400.

  On the other hand, the user selects the communication mode with the radio buttons 401 to 403 and inputs the communication mode selected by pressing the OK button 404 to the mode selection units 123 and 223. This is the process shown in steps S309 to S310 of FIG. Here, the communication mode that has obtained the best link speed among the link speeds measured in steps S303 to S308 in FIG. 5 may be selected in advance as a default value.

(Overall operation of the first embodiment)
Next, the overall operation of the above embodiment will be described. A communication mode selection method according to the present invention includes an access point connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, and the access point and the wireless slave device can communicate with each other in a plurality of communication modes. This is a method for selecting a communication mode in a certain wireless LAN system. In this selection method, each of the access point and the wireless slave unit is connected in each of a plurality of communication modes to measure the link speed (FIG. 5: Steps S303 to S308), and the measured link speed is set to each communication mode. Corresponding to each of the access points and the wireless slave units in advance (FIG. 5: step S309), and the link speed is displayed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode and presented to the user. The user selects the communication mode, accepts the user's input for this, and switches the communication mode to the communication mode selected by the user (FIG. 5: step S310).

Here, each of the above operation steps may be programmed so as to be executable by a computer, and may be executed by the microcomputer 110 or 210 which is a main body that directly executes each of the steps.
With this configuration and operation, the present embodiment has the following effects.

  According to the present embodiment, the user can grasp the link speed that can be connected according to each communication mode, and can connect to the wireless LAN in the communication mode that can obtain the best connection state. . That is, even if good communication is possible in the communication mode of 11g or 11b rather than 11n, it is possible to detect that fact and set the mode in which the best communication is possible.

(Second Embodiment)
The configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The wireless LAN system 501 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the wireless LAN system 1 according to the first embodiment described above in that the web GUI display unit has a link speed for each of a plurality of communication modes. Presents a message that allows the user to select whether or not to retry the measurement, accepts the user's input for this, and the wireless control unit responds to the user's positive input for the message and responds to each of the plurality of communication modes. Configured to retry link speed measurement.

Also with this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect by performing the same operation as in the first embodiment. In addition to this, in this configuration, even if the link speed obtained with the change in the radio wave state changes, the communication mode can be selected according to the link speed obtained with the change.
Hereinafter, this will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the wireless LAN system 501 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The wireless LAN system 501 is a personal computer 20 connected to the wireless slave device 510 and a wireless master device connected to the Internet 50 via the router 40, as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. It consists of a certain access point 530. The roles of these devices are the same as those of the devices having the same names in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the access point 530 shown in FIG. Similar to the access point 30 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 described above, the access point 530 includes the wireless device 100 and a microcomputer 610 that controls the wireless device 100. The microcomputer 610 includes an MPU 611, a RAM 112, and a ROM 113 as hardware similar to the microcomputer 110 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2. The role of each part is the same as that of the same name part in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the MPU 611, the wireless control unit 621, the mode control unit 122, the mode selection unit 123, and the web GUI display unit 124 are each executed as a computer program. The operations of the mode control unit 122 and the mode selection unit 123 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The operations of the wireless control unit 621 and the web GUI display unit 624 are different from those of the first embodiment as will be described later.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the wireless slave device 510 shown in FIG. The wireless slave device 510 includes a wireless device 200 and a microcomputer 710 that controls the wireless device 200, like the wireless slave device 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The microcomputer 710 includes an MPU 711, a RAM 112, and a ROM 113 as hardware similar to the microcomputer 210 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. The role of each part is the same as that of the same name part in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the MPU 711, the wireless control unit 721, the mode control unit 122, the mode selection unit 123, and the web GUI display unit 124 are each executed as a computer program. The operations of the mode control unit 122 and the mode selection unit 123 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The operations of the wireless control unit 721 and the web GUI display unit 724 are different from those of the first embodiment as will be described later.

  The internal configuration of the wireless control units 621 and 721 is the same as that of the wireless control units 121 and 721 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and the 11n block, 11g block, 11b block corresponding to each communication mode, and mode Wireless selection means for selecting which of these is used for communication based on commands from the selection units 123 and 223.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing relating to selection of a communication mode executed by the wireless control units 621 and 721 in the wireless LAN system 501 shown in FIG. When a beacon is transmitted from access point 530 to wireless handset 510, processing for selecting a communication mode is started (step S801). In response to this beacon, wireless slave device 510 starts negotiation with access point 530 and establishes communication (step S802).

  After that, the access point 530 and the wireless slave device 510 attempt reception and throughput for each of the 11n, 11g, and 11b methods, receive the RSSI and the link speed, and store them in the RAM 112 (steps S803 to 808).

  After that, the trial result stored in the RAM 112 is transmitted from the access point 30 to the wireless slave device 10 by the web GUI display unit 624, and the web GUI display unit 714 displays the web GUI 400 (step S809). The mode selection unit 223 receives user input in response to this, and transmits the selected content to the access point 30. The processing in steps S801 to 809 described so far is the same as the processing in steps S301 to S309 in the wireless LAN system 1 according to the first embodiment described in FIG.

  Thereafter, the web GUI display units 624 and 724 display the link speed of the selected communication mode from the RSSI and the link speed stored in the RAM 112, and determine whether to retry each communication mode. A dialog to be selected by the user is displayed (step S810).

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the dialog 900 displayed by the web GUI display units 624 and 724 in step S810 of FIG. The dialog 900 displays the selected communication mode and the link speed that can be connected and whether or not to retry, such as “In this communication mode, connection is possible at a speed of XX kbps. Do you want to retry?” A message 901 for asking the user, and a “Yes” button 902a and a “No” button 902b, which are user inputs to the message 901, are included.

  Returning to FIG. 11, when the user clicks on the “Yes” button 902 a by clicking the button 902 of the dialog 900, the process is repeated from Step S <b> 803. When the user clicks on the “No” button 902b, both the mode selection units 123 and 223 switch to the communication mode selected by the user (step S811).

  Thereafter, the mode control units 122 and 212 check whether there is a packet error during communication (step S812), and if an error occurs, the communication speed is reduced (step S813), and if not, the communication speed is increased. (Step S814). After adjusting the communication speed in steps S813 and 814, the process returns to step S812 to continue the communication and continue to check for packet errors. Steps S812 to 814 are the same as steps S311 to S313 of the process in the wireless LAN system 1 according to the first embodiment described in FIG.

  In a wireless LAN, the link speed is likely to change according to changes in the radio wave condition due to external factors. Therefore, a link speed different from that during actual communication may be measured by only one trial. According to this configuration, it is possible to retry the measurement of the link speed any number of times until the user can obtain a satisfactory link speed.

(Modification of the first and second embodiments)
Various modifications are conceivable for the first and second embodiments described so far. The communication modes used are not limited to three, 11n, 11g, and 11b. For example, other modes such as 11a may be added, and conversely, only two modes of 11n and 11g are used. It may be shaped like this.

  Further, the link speed measurement trial is not limited to the start of wireless communication, and may be configured to be performed at an arbitrary timing during communication.

  The present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and any known hitherto provided that the effects of the present invention are achieved. Even if it is a structure, it is employable.

  The present invention can be widely used in wireless data communication having a plurality of different communication modes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,501 Wireless LAN system 10,510 Wireless slave unit 20 Personal computer 30, 530 Access point 40 Router 50 Internet 100, 200 Wireless device 110, 210, 610, 710 Microcomputer 111, 211, 611, 711 MPU
112, 212 RAM
113, 213 ROM
121, 221, 621, 721 Radio control unit 122, 222 Mode control unit 123, 223 Mode selection unit 124, 224, 624, 724 Web GUI display unit 131, 231 Radio selection means 132, 232 11 n block 133, 233 11 g block 134 234 11b block

Claims (9)

A wireless LAN system including a wireless master device connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, wherein the wireless master device and the wireless slave device can communicate with each other in a plurality of communication modes. And
Each of the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit is
A mode selection unit for selecting one of the plurality of communication modes;
A radio controller that measures a link speed for each of the plurality of communication modes at the start of the communication;
Storage means for storing the link speed measured corresponding to each of the communication modes;
The link speed stored in the storage means is displayed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode and presented to the user, the user is allowed to select the communication mode, and the user's input is accepted. A GUI display unit,
The wireless LAN system, wherein the mode selection unit switches the communication mode to a communication mode received by the web GUI display unit. The radio control unit has a function of measuring a link speed and a received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication) for each of the plurality of communication modes and storing the measured data in the storage unit,
2. The wireless LAN system according to claim 1, wherein the web GUI display unit has a function of presenting the measured link speed and the received signal strength to a user in association with the respective communication modes. .   The wireless LAN system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication modes is communication using multiple input / output (MIMO). The web GUI display unit presents a message that allows the user to select whether to retry link speed measurement for each of the plurality of communication modes, accepts the user's input for this,
The radio according to claim 1, wherein the radio control unit retries link speed measurement for each of the plurality of communication modes in response to the user's positive input to the message. LAN system. A wireless master device that configures a wireless LAN system by communicating with a wireless slave device connected to a higher-level network and a plurality of communication modes with a wireless slave device,
A mode selection unit for selecting one of the plurality of communication modes;
A radio controller that measures a link speed for each of the plurality of communication modes at the start of the communication;
Storage means for storing the link speed measured corresponding to each of the communication modes;
The link speed stored in the storage means is displayed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode and presented to the user, the user is allowed to select the communication mode, and the user's input is accepted. A GUI display unit,
The wireless master device, wherein the mode selection unit switches the communication mode to a communication mode received by the web GUI display unit. A wireless slave device that configures a wireless LAN system by communicating with a wireless master device connected to a computer device and connected to a host network in a plurality of communication modes,
A mode selection unit for selecting one of the plurality of communication modes;
A radio controller that measures a link speed for each of the plurality of communication modes at the start of the communication;
Storage means for storing the link speed measured corresponding to each of the communication modes;
The link speed stored in the storage means is displayed on the computer device corresponding to each communication mode and presented to the user, the user is allowed to select the communication mode, and the user's input is accepted. A GUI display unit,
The wireless slave device, wherein the mode selection unit switches the communication mode to a communication mode received by the web GUI display unit. There is a wireless LAN system including a wireless master device connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, wherein the wireless master device and the wireless slave device can communicate with each other in a plurality of communication modes. A method for selecting the communication mode,
Each of the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit is connected in each of the plurality of communication modes to measure a link speed,
The measured link speed is stored in advance in the storage means included in each of the wireless master device and the wireless slave device corresponding to each communication mode,
The link speed corresponding to each communication mode is displayed on the computer device and presented to the user to allow the user to select the communication mode;
Accept user input for this,
A communication mode selection method, wherein the communication mode is switched to a communication mode selected by the user. There is a wireless LAN system including a wireless master device connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, wherein the wireless master device and the wireless slave device can communicate with each other in a plurality of communication modes. In the computer provided in the wireless master unit,
A procedure of connecting and measuring link speed in each of the plurality of communication modes;
A procedure of storing the measured link speed in advance in a storage unit included in each of the wireless master device and the wireless slave device corresponding to each communication mode;
A step of causing the link speed to be displayed on the computer device in correspondence with each of the communication modes and presenting it to a user to allow the user to select the communication mode;
A procedure for accepting user input in response to this,
A communication mode selection program for executing a procedure for switching the communication mode to a communication mode input by the user. There is a wireless LAN system including a wireless master device connected to a higher-level network and a wireless slave device connected to a computer device, wherein the wireless master device and the wireless slave device can communicate with each other in a plurality of communication modes. In the computer included in the wireless slave unit,
A procedure of connecting and measuring link speed in each of the plurality of communication modes;
A procedure of storing the measured link speed in advance in a storage unit included in each of the wireless master device and the wireless slave device corresponding to each communication mode;
A step of causing the link speed to be displayed on the computer device in correspondence with each of the communication modes and presenting it to a user to allow the user to select the communication mode;
A procedure for accepting user input in response to this,
A communication mode selection program for executing a procedure for switching the communication mode to a communication mode input by the user.

Images