Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A wireless radio local area network is provided including a host station and one or more remote stations. When a diagnostic link is established between two stations in the network, diagnostic information with respect to the integrity of the link is collected. Each of the network stations engaging in diagnostic activity transmits a special diagnostic frame including a diagnostic network identification designator (NWID) code to the other stations in the network. For example, the host station transmits a diagnostic frame including the diagnostic NWID code. The host station then listens for other remote stations with the same diagnostic NWID code to transmit their diagnostic frames. The host station, which is the receiving station in this example, is capable of determining if any of the received diagnostic frames from the other remote stations exhibit the same diagnostic NWID code as the host station. The host station monitors the signal quality of those diagnostic frames received from a particular other remote station which are determined to exhibit the same NWID code as the diagnostic frames transmitted by the host station. Each station in the LAN is desirably equipped with the described diagnostics/signal quality monitoring capability. In this manner, signal quality information with respect to the radio link formed between a particular remote station and a station such as the host station is derived.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim