Patent ID: 7826428
Filing Date: 2010-11-02
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. In a network comprising a wireless computing device and a wireless switch coupled to a plurality of access points, a method for determining a particular one of access points that the wireless computing device is to be associated with and associating the wireless computing device therewith, the method comprising: monitoring, at the wireless switch, one or more wireless communication performance metrics regarding wireless communication performance associated with communications between the access point and the wireless computing device; monitoring, at a wireless switch, a location of a wireless computing device with respect to the access points to determine the relative proximity of the wireless computing device with respect to access points, wherein the wireless switch computes a distance between the wireless computing device and each of the access points based on the wireless communication performance metrics; determining, at the wireless switch, whether the wireless computing device is currently associated with the closest one of the access points; and transmitting, from the wireless switch, an instruction to the wireless computing device to associate with the closest access point when the wireless computing device is currently associated with an access point other than the closest access point.