Method and apparatus for antenna steering for WLAN
US7212499B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 30, 2003 |
| Grant date | May 1, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 23, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B17/318
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A Station Management Entity (SME) steers a directional antenna for a station to communicate with an Access Point (AP) in an 802.11 protocol system. The SME can steer the antenna before or after an 802.11 station has authenticated and associated with the Access Point. During a passive scan, the steering process cycles through the available antenna positions and monitors an AP beacon signal to determine a best position based on, for example, a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI). During an active scan where access probing is used, the steering process cycles through the antenna positions and monitors a probe response to determine the best antenna position. Additional scans may be performed based on a decision that the received signal level of the currently selected antenna position has dropped below a predetermined threshold.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.