Patent ID: 6816463
Filing Date: 2004-11-09
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
A method of characterizing channel quality for a communications channel comprising:constructing a data pattern for generating a reference signal to measure a specific channel characteristic; inserting the data pattern in an Internet Control Message Protocol echo request; transmitting the Internet Control Message Protocol echo request from a first station to a second station; receiving the Internet Control Message Protocol echo request at the second station; transmitting an Internet Control Message Protocol echo reply in response to the Internet Control Message Protocol echo request from the second station to the first station; receiving the Internet Control Message Protocol echo reply at the first station; measuring a bit slicer error of the Internet Control Message Protocol echo reply; and characterizing the channel quality of the communications channel as a function of the bit slicer error; and determining the channel quality of each of a plurality of communication channels and selecting one of the plurality of channels having a selected relative channel quality for routing a communications signal.