Patent ID: 7149478

Claim:
Apparatus for use by a network device for ascertaining a dynamic attribute related to a wireless communication link in a wireless network comprising: at least one processor operable to: select a variable, the value of which is related to the dynamic attribute to be ascertained; ascertain the standard deviation around the true mean of the variable; choose an allowable range for the true mean; choose a confidence interval; calculate the number N 1 of samples of the variable that need to be taken so that the confidence interval of the calculated variable is less than the allowable range; set a sliding window to collect N 1 samples of the variable as a short term average; calculate the number N 2 of samples of the variable that need to be taken to minimize the confidence interval of the calculated variable to a pre-determined amount; collect at least N 2 samples of the variable as a long term average; calculate the absolute difference between the long term average and the short term average; if the difference is greater than the allowable range, indicate that the dynamic system attribute has been positively identified; if the difference is less than the allowable range, continuing to add to the number samples of the variable for the long term average and continuing to update the sliding window for the short term average; employ the positively identified dynamic system attribute to determine whether to modify communication link state; and if determined, prompt modification of the communication link state.