Patent ID: 7539495

Claim:
A method placing nodes in a wireless local area network, the method comprising: receiving user-specified parameters regarding the wireless local area network, including: a layout of a space in which the wireless local area network is to be located, and a maximum number of wireless access points, or a number of users and a minimum wireless data throughput for at least some of the wireless access points; performing a first phase of an algorithm by automatically creating a collection of candidate solutions to an optimized layout of multiple wireless access points within the space layout, wherein the first phase includes performing a genetic algorithm and identifying a location of backhaul nodes for connecting the wireless local area network to an external wired network, and wherein the candidate solutions at least in part take into account the user-specified parameters; performing at least a second phase of the algorithm by automatically adjusting the candidate solutions in the collection to obtain the optimized layout of the multiple wireless access points within the space layout, wherein the second phase includes performing the genetic algorithm and identifying locations of IEEE 802.11-type access points that are to be connected wirelessly, or via wires, to the backhaul nodes, and wherein the optimized layout at least in part takes into account the user-specified parameters; performing at least a third phase of the genetic algorithm to identify locations of Bluetooth-type access points that are to be connected wirelessly, or via wires, to the backhaul nodes; and displaying the optimized layout of the multiple wireless access points within the space layout.