Patent ID: 8594020

Claim:
A wireless communication system that includes a plurality of base stations that are capable of switching to either a first communication method or a second communication method and that carry out wireless communication with terminals by the switched communication method, and a control apparatus that manages said plurality of base stations; wherein: each of said plurality of base stations comprises: a first communication unit that carries out wireless communication by said first communication method; a second communication unit that carries out wireless communication by said second communication method; a switch unit that switches a communication unit used in wireless communication to either said first communication unit or said second communication unit according to instructions from said control apparatus; a throughput measurement unit that measures throughput of its own base station and transmits information of measured throughput to said control apparatus; and an RSSI measurement unit that measures RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) of each terminal that is engaged in wireless communication with that base station and transmits information of the measured RSSI to said control apparatus; and said control apparatus comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information of throughput and RSSI from each of said plurality of base stations; and a switch instruction unit that issues instructions to each of said plurality of base stations to switch the current communication method when there is, among said plurality of base stations, a base station in which throughput decreased within a fixed interval, and further, that issues instructions to re-switch to the communication method that preceded the switching to base stations in which throughput before and after the switching of the communication method is the same but in which a specific standard based on RSSI after the switching of the communication method is not satisfied.