TW201701713A - Method for switching coverage of access point, switch and access point management system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for switching coverage of an access point (AP), a switch and an AP management system are proposed. The method includes: monitoring at least one wired network port of the switch, where the at least one wired network port respectively corresponds to a specific location; and controlling the AP to switch the coverage from a first coverage to a second coverage pointing to a first location corresponding to a specific port of the at least one wired network port when an electronic device is monitored to be connected with the specific port.

Description

Method, switch and access point management system for switching access point coverage

The present invention relates to a method, switch, and access point management system for switching access point coverage.

With the development of technology and the progress of the times, wireless networks have become an indispensable part of people's lives. In general, when a wireless access point (AP) cannot provide a large coverage due to a low signal strength, these situations can be improved by, for example, increasing the number of network access points. In this case, although the above problems are solved, the cost of the installation is increased, and the quality of service (QoS) cannot be guaranteed.

In addition, although the transmission power of the access point can be increased to achieve a large wireless network coverage, in some cases, unnecessary power consumption may be caused. For example, in order to allow people in certain locations to conveniently access the wireless network, even if the usage rate of these locations may not be high, the designer may still access the access point. The coverage is adjusted to cover these locations on a regular basis. In the case of a conference room, it is usually only used when people need to hold a meeting. That is to say, in the absence of a meeting, there is essentially no need to cover the access point to the meeting room.

In view of this, the present invention provides a method, switch, and access point management system for switching access point coverage. The method can control the access point to adjust the coverage to cover the location corresponding to the wired network when monitoring the connection of the electronic device to the wired network, thereby providing the wireless network to the device located in the location. take. Therefore, the method can increase the coverage of the wireless network without increasing the cost.

The present invention provides a method for switching access point coverage, which is suitable for managing an access point switch, including monitoring at least one wired network port of the switch, wherein at least one wired network is individually corresponding to a specific location; When it is monitored that a particular device connected to at least one wired network is connected, the control access point switches the coverage from the first range to a second range that points to the first location corresponding to the particular frame.

The present invention provides an exchanger adapted to switch the coverage of an access point. The switch includes a wireless network, at least one wired network, a storage unit, and a processing unit. The wireless network is connected to the access point. At least one wired network 埠 corresponds individually to a specific location. The storage unit stores a plurality of modules. The processing unit is coupled to the wireless network, the at least one wired network, and the storage unit to access and execute the plurality of modules. The plurality of modules includes a monitoring module and a switching module. Monitoring module monitors the switch to Less than a wired network. When it is monitored that the electronic device is connected to the specific port of the at least one wired network, the switching module controls the access point to switch the coverage from the first range to the second range of the first location corresponding to the specific port.

The present invention provides an access point management system including an access point and a switch. The switch is coupled to the access point. The switch is configured to: monitor at least one wired network of the switch, wherein at least one of the wired networks corresponds to a specific location; and when monitoring the connection of the electronic device to the specific port of the at least one wired network, The control access point switches the coverage from the first range to a second range that points to the first location corresponding to the particular frame.

Based on the above, the embodiment of the present invention provides a method, a switch, and an access point management system for switching access point coverage. The method can monitor whether a wired network corresponding to a specific location has been connected to an electronic device, and can control the access point to adjust its antenna to determine coverage from the first after determining that the wired network is connected to the electronic device The range (for example, the preset coverage) is switched to a second range that points to a specific place.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100‧‧‧Access Point Management System

110‧‧‧Switch

112‧‧‧storage unit

112_1‧‧‧Monitoring module

112_2‧‧‧Switch Module

112_3‧‧‧ Assignment module

114‧‧‧Processing unit

120, 120’‧‧‧ access points

130‧‧‧Electronic devices

C‧‧‧Client

PO_1~PO_k‧‧‧埠

P1~P8‧‧‧Specific locations

R1, R1’‧‧‧ first range

R2, R2’‧‧‧ second range

S210~S220‧‧‧Steps

1 is an access point management system according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to an embodiment of the invention. Flow chart of the law.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments embodiments In addition, wherever possible, the same reference numerals in the drawings

In general, the location of the wired network in a building has been determined at the time of construction to allow personnel at certain locations (such as conference rooms) in the building to connect electronic devices to these wired networks. To access the wired network. Therefore, the method of the embodiment of the present invention can determine that there is a user who needs to use the network after the wired network in the location is connected to the electronic device, and then control the access point to adjust its antenna to Coverage points to these locations, which in turn provide a wireless network to these users. A detailed description will be provided below.

1 is an access point management system according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the access point management system 100 includes a switch 110 and an access point 120. The switch 100 is, for example, an Ethernet switch, which may include a storage unit 112, a processing unit 114, and 埠PO_1~PO_k (k is a positive integer). The storage unit 112 is, for example, a memory, a hard disk, or any other component that can be used to store data, and can be used to record a plurality of modules. The processing unit 114 is coupled to the storage unit 112. The processing unit 114 can be a general purpose processing unit, a special purpose processing unit, a conventional processing unit, a digital signal processing unit, a plurality of micro processors, one or more micro processing units combined with a digital signal processing unit core, and a control unit. , Microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), any other kind of integrated circuit, state machine, based on advanced reduced instructions Processing units of the Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) and similar products.

Access point 120 is, for example, a wireless network access point having one or more antennas that can be used to provide wireless networking to devices under its coverage. The one or more antennas are individually, for example, directional antennas. In an embodiment, the preset coverage of each antenna is, for example, a first range of omnidirectionality. Moreover, the designer can adjust the power of each antenna so that the specific location corresponding to each wired network is located outside the preset coverage, or only partially covers the preset coverage, but is not limited thereto. . In other embodiments, the designer can also disable the antenna to design its first range to zero, that is, without any coverage.

In this embodiment, 埠PO_1~PO_(k-1) are, for example, wired networks, which can be extended to various specific locations by various network transmission lines (eg, A network hole in a wall or table such as a conference room, a room, or an office. In this case, a user at a specific location can connect their electronic devices (such as a notebook computer) to these network holes through a network route to access the wired network. For example, if 埠PO_1 corresponds to a network hole on the conference room table, when the user in the conference room connects his notebook computer to the network hole through the network route, the user can save the 埠PO_1. Take the wired network. The 埠PO_k is, for example, a wireless network port that can be connected to the access point 120 for data exchange with the access point 120 or for providing power to the access point 120.

In other embodiments, the designer can also select different ports as a wired network or wireless network according to the needs. For example, a designer can design 埠PO_1 to connect to access point 120 as a wireless network. In this case, the designer can use 埠PO_2~PO_k as a wired network. Alternatively, the designer can also divide PO_1~PO_k into multiple groups, and select one of the groups to use as the wireless network, and the remaining ones in each group are used as the wired network.

In this embodiment, the switch 110 can access the monitoring module 112_1 and the switching module 112_2 stored in the storage unit 112 to perform the method for switching the access point coverage proposed by the embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flow chart of a method for switching access point coverage according to an embodiment of the invention. The method of this embodiment can be performed by the switch of FIG. 1, and the details of the steps of the method will be described below in conjunction with the various elements of FIG.

In step S210, the monitoring module 112_1 can monitor the wired network of the switch 110. As mentioned previously, the wired network of the switch 110 is, for example, Figure 1. PO_1~PO_(k-1). In an embodiment, the monitoring module 112_1 can, for example, monitor whether each wired network port has been connected by an electronic device, or has changed from an unconnected state to a connected state.

Next, in step S220, when it is monitored that the electronic device is connected to the specific network of the wired network, the switching module 112_2 can control the access point 120 to switch the coverage from the first range to the corresponding one. The second range of a location. Taking FIG. 1 as an example, if the monitoring module 112_1 monitors that the electronic device 130 is connected to 埠PO_3 (ie, a specific 埠), the switching module 112_2 can control the access point 120 to adjust the antenna pattern of its antenna to point to 埠PO_3. The corresponding first location is to adjust the coverage of the access point 120 to cover the second range of the first location.

The concept of the method of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail, and will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. Please refer to FIG. 3A. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the switch 110 has four (i.e., k is equal to 4) 埠PO_1~PO_k.埠PO_1~PO_3 are wired networks corresponding to specific locations P1~P3, respectively, and 埠PO_4 is, for example, a wireless network connected to access point 120. The specific locations P1 to P3 are, for example, conference rooms, and the specific location P4 is, for example, a general office area, but is not limited thereto. In this example, the access point 120 can be configured with a first antenna and a second antenna. The first range R1 of the first antenna is, for example, omnidirectional to serve each client C in a particular location P4. The first range of the second antenna is, for example, zero, that is, the second antenna can be preset to be disabled without providing any coverage. The client C is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal computer, a notebook computer, or a netbook computer (netbook). PC), tablet PC, TV, set-top-box, wireless data modem, game console, portable device, or portable multimedia player A user of an electronic device such as a portable multimedia player.

Please refer to FIG. 3B. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG. 3A. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a part of the client C moves to a specific place P3, and an electronic device is connected to a network hole corresponding to 埠PO_3 in the specific place P3. In this case, 埠PO_3 is a specific 埠, and the switching module 112_2 can control the access point 120 to switch the second antenna from the first range preset to 0 to the point corresponding to the specific location P3 corresponding to 埠PO_3. Two ranges R2.

As can be seen from the above description, the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention can adaptively point the coverage of the access point to the corresponding location when monitoring the connection of the electronic device to a certain wired network, thereby enabling Increase the coverage of wireless networks with increased costs.

In an embodiment, the storage unit 112 may further include an assignment module 112_3 for randomly generating a service set identification (SSID) and a password specific to the second range after step S220. The SSID and the password are used to allow a device located in the second range to access the wireless network provided by the access point 120. Next, the assignment module 112_3 can increase the transmission priority of the wireless network and transmit the SSID and password to the specific electronic device connected to the specific network through a specific port. Thereafter, the electronic device can provide the SSID and password to the devices in the second range to allow the devices to access the wireless network provided by the access point 120. here In this case, since these devices can use a wireless network with a higher transmission priority, their QoS can be guaranteed.

In another embodiment, the SSID and password specific to the second range may also be randomly generated by the access point 120 and passed back to the switch 120. Then, the switch 120 can also transmit the SSID and the password to the specific electronic device connected to the specific device after the transmission priority of the wireless network is increased. Thereafter, the electronic device can also provide the SSID and password to the devices located in the second range, so that the devices can access the wireless network provided by the access point 120, thereby ensuring the QoS of the devices.

In other embodiments, when the monitoring module 112_1 monitors that the specific 埠 changes to the unconnected state, the switching module 112_2 can further control the access point 120 to switch the coverage from the second range to the first range. Taking FIG. 3B as an example, it is assumed that the client C located at the specific location P3 removes the electronic device from the network hole corresponding to the 埠PO_3 (ie, the specific 埠), so that the 埠PO_3 is changed to the unconnected state. In this case, the switching module 112_2 can control the access point 120 to switch the second antenna from the second range R2 directed to the specific location P3 to disabled without providing any coverage, that is, the situation shown in FIG. 3A.

In other embodiments, switch 110 may divide 埠PO_1~PO_k into groups, and these groups may operate individually using mechanisms similar to those shown in Figures 3A and 3B. Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the switch 120 may include eight (ie, k is equal to 8) 埠PO_1~PO_8.埠PO_1~PO_4 can form the first Groups, and 埠PO_5~PO_8, for example, may form a second group. In this example, the configuration and correspondence between the 埠PO_1~PO_4, the access point 120, and the specific location P1~P4 of the first group are the same as those in FIG. 3A, and details are not described herein again. In the second group, 埠PO_5~PO_7 are wired networks corresponding to specific locations P5~P7, respectively, and 埠PO_8 is, for example, a wireless network connected to access point 120'. In this example, the access point 120' may also be configured with a first antenna and a second antenna. The first range R1' of the first antenna of the access point 120' is, for example, omnidirectional to serve each client C in a particular location P8. The first range of the second antenna of the access point 120' is, for example, zero, i.e., the second antenna of the access point 120' can be preset to be disabled without providing any coverage.

As mentioned previously, the first group and the second group in this embodiment can operate individually in a manner similar to that shown in Figures 3A and 3B. Please refer to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG. In this embodiment, the corresponding handover access point coverage mechanism of the first group is similar to that of FIG. 3B, and details are not described herein again. In the second group, it is assumed that a part of the client C moves to the specific place P5, and an electronic device is connected to the network hole corresponding to the 埠PO_5 in the specific place P5. In this case, 埠PO_5 is the specific 埠 in the second group, and the switching module 112_2 can control the access point 120' to switch its second antenna from the first range preset to 0 to the 埠PO_5 The second range R2' of the corresponding specific location P5.

Please refer to FIG. 6 again. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG. In the present embodiment, when the client C is connected to the UI_2 at a specific location P2, the switch 110 can control the access point 120 of the first group to adjust the coverage to point to the specific location P2 based on the teaching in the previous embodiment. To provide specific Client C wireless network in location P2. Similarly, when client C is connected to 埠PO_7 at a specific location P7, the switch 110 can control the access point 120' of the second group to adjust the coverage to point to the specific location P7 based on the teachings in the previous embodiment, Provide a client C wireless network located in a specific location P7.

In other embodiments, in order for an access point to simultaneously provide a client wireless network located in all specific locations, the number of antennas included in the access point can be designed to be no less than the number of wired network ports. Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of switching access point coverage according to FIG. In this embodiment, since the access point 120 needs to provide at least the client C wireless network in the specific locations P1~P3 (corresponding to 埠PO_1~PO_3), the access point 120 may include at least three antennas. To provide client C wireless networks located in specific locations P1~P3, respectively. Similarly, access point 120' may also include at least three antennas for providing client C wireless networks located at specific locations P5~P7, respectively.

In an embodiment, the switch 110 can record the connection status of each group in each group through a configuration table, and determine whether to switch the coverage of each access point. Taking FIG. 4 as an example, the switch 110 therein can record a configuration table in the form of Table 1 below.

Specifically, since there is no electronic device connected to 埠PO_1~PO_3 and PO_5~PO_7 in the case shown in FIG. 4, the connection states of 埠PO_1~PO_3 are all unconnected. In addition, since 埠PO_4 and PO_8 are assumed to be connected to the access points 120 and 120', respectively, the connection states of 埠PO_4 and PO_8 are all connected. Moreover, since the connection states of 埠PO_1~PO_8 are not changed from unconnected to connected, or from connected to unconnected, the connection state change flag of 埠PO_1~PO_8 is a pseudo value (for example, 0). . Next, assuming that an electronic device connected to 埠PO_3, PO_5, and PO_7 appears, the above Table 1 can be changed to the form of Table 2 below.

In Table 2, since the connection states of 埠PO_3, PO_5, and PO_7 are changed from unconnected to connected, the connection state change flag of 埠PO_3, PO_5, and PO_7 can be marked as a true value (for example, 1). Then, the switch 110 can decide whether to switch the coverage of each access point according to Table 2. Specifically, the switch 110 can find the 连接 whose connection status change flag is 1, and determine whether the current connection status is connected or not. If the current connection status is connected, this means that there is currently an electronic device connected to this port. Therefore, the switch 110 can control the access point to point the coverage of an antenna to a specific location corresponding to the UI based on the teachings of the previous embodiments. Taking Table 2 as an example, since the connection state change flag of 埠PO_3 is 1 and is in the connected state, the switch 110 can control the access point 120 to point the coverage to the specific place P3. At the same time, since the connection state change flag of 埠PO_5 and PO_7 is also 1 and also in the connected state, the switch 110 can control the access point 120' to direct the coverage of its antenna to the specific locations P5 and P7.

In this example, since the switch 110 needs to control the access points 120 and 120' to switch the coverage, the information related to the access points 120 and 120' in Table 2 can be separately sent to the access points 120 and 120'. To allow access points 120 and 120' to operate accordingly. For example, the switch 110 may only send the information related to 埠PO_1~PO_3 to the access point 120 belonging to the first group, and send the information related to 埠PO_5~PO_7 to the storage belonging to the second group. Taking point 120', but an embodiment of the invention Not limited to this.

In addition, access points 120 and 120' can individually record the coverage, SSID, and password for each particular location in their group in a table, as shown below.

In other embodiments, assuming that 埠PO_3 is changed from connected to unconnected, Table 2 above may be changed to the form of Table 3 below.

In Table 3, since the connection state of 埠PO_3 is changed from connected to unconnected, the connection state change flag of 埠PO_3 can also be indicated as 1. At this time, the switch 110 can find the connection state change flag of 1 and determine whether the current connection state is connected or not. If the current connection status is not connected, this means that there is no need to provide a corresponding specific location wireless network. Thus, the switch 110 can control the access point to switch the coverage directed to this particular location to a preset coverage based on the teachings of the previous embodiments. Taking Table 3 as an example, since the connection state change flag of 埠PO_3 is 1 and is in the unconnected state, the switch 110 can control the coverage of the access point 120 to point to the specific location P3 to be switched to the preset coverage.

In an embodiment, the switch 110 may periodically or irregularly view the connection status of each of the PO_1~PO_8, and compare the current connection status with the previous connection status to update the contents of the configuration table. In other embodiments, the switch 110 may also not record the configuration table, but only find the connection status as connected 定时 periodically or irregularly, and control the access point 120 to point the coverage to the corresponding 埠 Location. On the other hand, the switch 110 can also find the connection state as unconnected 定时 periodically or irregularly, and control the access point 120 to switch the coverage of the specific location corresponding to the 埠 to the preset coverage.

It should be understood that although the switches and access points are described as two devices in the above embodiments, in other embodiments, the switches and access points may be integrated into a single device (ie, a switch). A switch-AP is used to perform the method proposed by the present invention, but is not limited thereto.

In summary, the embodiment of the present invention provides a method, a switch, and an access point management system for switching access point coverage. The method can monitor whether a wired network corresponding to a specific location has been connected to an electronic device, and can control the access point to adjust its antenna to determine coverage from the first after determining that the wired network is connected to the electronic device The range (for example, the preset coverage) is switched to a second range that points to a specific place. That is to say, the method proposed by the present invention can adaptively point the coverage of the access point to the corresponding location when monitoring the connection of the electronic device to a certain wired network, thereby enabling the cost without increasing the cost. Improve the coverage of your wireless network. In addition, the method proposed by the present invention can ensure the QoS of the client located in a specific place by increasing the transmission priority of the wireless network corresponding to the second range. Also, when the switch monitors that the wired network has changed to the unconnected state, the switch can control the access point to adjust its antenna to switch the coverage back to the first range.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention It is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

S210~S220‧‧‧Steps

Claims (14)

A method for switching access point coverage, the switch being adapted to manage a switch of the access point, comprising: monitoring at least one wired network port of the switch, wherein the at least one wired network is individually corresponding to a specific location And controlling, when an electronic device is connected to a specific port of the at least one wired network, controlling the access point to switch the coverage from a first range to a first location corresponding to the specific location A second range. The method of claim 1, wherein the first range is a preset coverage of the access point, and the at least one wired network 埠 the corresponding specific location is fixed and located in the Take the preset coverage outside the point. The method of claim 1, wherein after controlling the access point to switch the coverage from the first range to the second range of the first location corresponding to the specific volume, The method includes: randomly generating a service setting identifier and a password that are specific to the second range, wherein the service setting identifier and the password are used to allow at least one device located in the second range to access the access Pointing a wireless network; increasing a transmission priority of the wireless network; and transmitting the service setting identifier and the password to the electronic device through the specific port. The method of claim 1, further comprising: controlling the access point when monitoring that the specific defect is changed to an unconnected state The coverage is switched from the second range to the first range. A switch adapted to switch a coverage of an access point, comprising: a wireless network, connected to the access point; at least one wired network, each corresponding to a specific location; a storage unit, storing a plurality of modules; a processing unit coupled to the wireless network, the at least one wired network, and the storage unit to access and execute the plurality of modules, the plurality of modules comprising: a monitoring a module that monitors the at least one wired network of the switch; a switching module that controls the access point to control the access point when an electronic device is connected to a specific port of the at least one wired network Switching from a first range to a second range of a first location corresponding to the particular one. The switch of claim 5, wherein the first range is a preset coverage of the access point, and the at least one wired network 埠 the corresponding specific location is fixed and located in the The preset coverage of the access point is outside. The switch of claim 5, further comprising an assigning module configured to: randomly generate a service setting identifier and a password specific to the second range, wherein the service setting identifier and the The password is used to allow at least one device located in the second range to access a wireless network provided by the access point; to increase a transmission priority of the wireless network; and to transmit the service setting through the specific network Identification code and the password to the electronic device Set. The switch of claim 5, wherein when the monitoring of the specific defect is changed to an unconnected state, the switching module further controls the access point to switch the coverage from the second range to the first A range. The switch of claim 5, wherein the access point comprises at least one antenna, and the number of the at least one antenna is not less than the number of the at least one wired network. An access point management system includes: an access point; a switch coupled to the access point, configured to: monitor at least one wired network of the switch, wherein the at least one wired network Corresponding to a specific location; and when monitoring an electronic device to connect to a specific network of the at least one wired network, controlling the access point to switch the coverage from a first range to a specific A second range of a first location. The system of claim 10, wherein the first range is a predetermined coverage of the access point, and the at least one wired network 埠 the corresponding specific location is fixed and located in the Take the preset coverage outside the point. The system of claim 10, wherein the switch is configured to: randomly generate a service setting identifier and a password specific to the second range, wherein the service setting identifier and the password are used to At least in the second range An apparatus for accessing a wireless network provided by the access point; increasing a transmission priority of the wireless network; and transmitting the service setting identification code and the password to the electronic device through the specific network. The system of claim 10, wherein the access point randomly generates a service setting identifier and a password specific to the second range, and returns the service setting identifier and the password to the switch. The service setting identifier and the password are used to allow at least one device located in the second range to access a wireless network provided by the access point, the switch improving a transmission of the wireless network Priority, and transmitting the service setting identifier and the password to the electronic device through the specific port. The system of claim 10, wherein when the monitoring of the specific defect is changed to an unconnected state, the switch further controls the access point to switch the coverage from the second range to the first range. .