CN109982447B

CN109982447B - Wireless network networking method and system and wireless AP

Info

Publication number: CN109982447B
Application number: CN201910172654.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 曹子伟; 何昆鹏
Original assignee: Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-07
Filing date: 2019-03-07
Publication date: 2021-03-16
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-07
Also published as: WO2020177254A1; CN109982447A

Abstract

The invention discloses a wireless network networking method, a wireless network networking system and a wireless AP (Access point), and relates to the field of wireless AP networking. The slave AP sends a configuration synchronization request to the master AP, and the master AP sends network configuration to the corresponding slave AP after receiving the configuration synchronization request. And when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP uses the network configuration to establish a second wireless uplink connection. The invention can establish a simple, convenient, efficient and stable wireless coverage network.

Description

Wireless network networking method and system and wireless AP

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of wireless AP networking, in particular to a wireless network networking method and system and a wireless AP.

Background

The 21 st century is also known as the internet era, and with the rapid spread of the internet, the space, manpower and cost required for wired network deployment make people increasingly inclined to use wireless networks. Therefore, wireless networks are rapidly entering various locations. Further, with the popularization of devices such as smart phones and tablets which depend on wireless networks, devices for constructing wireless WIFI gradually become essential facilities for various office places, families and leisure places.

When a wireless network is constructed, the coverage space range of a single AP is limited, so that the requirements of people cannot be met. Therefore, people adopt a plurality of distributed APs to meet the requirement of people for covering a wireless network in a large range in different spaces. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the coverage area by using a plurality of APs for networking.

As shown in fig. 1, the main networking mode of the current AP networking product is that an AC (Access Controller or Wireless Access Point Controller) establishes an uplink connection through a wired connection or a Wireless connection, and is connected to each AP to control the AP.

Firstly, such networking is cumbersome to configure, often requiring a relatively specialized person to configure the AC and each AP one by one, and secondly, once a part of such networking about the AC fails, the networking fails: such as disconnection of AC uplink connection, failure of AC itself, failure of AC with any AP, and finally, it is difficult to troubleshoot the failure after the failure. Therefore, the networking mode is not friendly to people, is unstable, and is not easy to troubleshoot and solve faults when the faults occur.

Therefore, how to simply, conveniently and efficiently establish a stable and reliable WIFI coverage network is a problem to be urgently solved by those skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the defects in the prior art, the invention aims to provide a wireless network networking method, a wireless network networking system and a wireless AP (access point), which can establish a simple, convenient, efficient and stable wireless coverage network.

To achieve the above object, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wireless networking method, which includes:

setting one AP in a plurality of APs (Wireless Access points) as a master AP and the other APs as slave APs, and establishing wired network connection from the APs to the master AP and first uplink connection from the master AP to upper network equipment;

the slave AP sends a configuration synchronization request to the master AP, and the master AP sends network configuration to the corresponding slave AP after receiving the configuration synchronization request;

and when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP uses the network configuration to establish a second wireless uplink connection.

In a preferred embodiment, the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of the master AP, and the slave AP establishes a second wireless uplink connection with the master AP when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted.

As a preferred embodiment, the wireless network configuration includes a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, and the wireless connection point with better network quality is selected from the AP for connection; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

As a preferred embodiment, the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of a master AP and an upper network device, the wireless network configuration includes a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP selects a wireless connection point with better network quality to establish a second wireless uplink connection, where the second wireless uplink connection may be between the slave AP and the master AP or between the slave AP and the upper network device; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

As a preferred embodiment, after the secondary AP establishes the second wireless uplink connection, it is detected in real time whether the wired network connection is recovered, and if the wired network connection is recovered, the secondary AP switches from the second wireless uplink connection to the wired network connection.

As a preferred embodiment, after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP has a wired connection or a second wireless uplink connection with the slave AP, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP.

As a preferred embodiment, the slave AP detects in real time whether the wired network connection between itself and the master AP is lower than a preset threshold, and if so, compares the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection and connects with the higher party.

As a preferred embodiment, the network configuration information includes a configuration file for configuring a slave AP which initially establishes a connection with a master AP.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a wireless network networking system, which includes:

the master AP is used for establishing wired network connection with the slave APs and first uplink connection with upper network equipment, and sending network configuration to the corresponding slave APs after receiving the configuration synchronization request sent by the slave APs;

and the slave AP is used for sending a configuration synchronization request to the master AP after establishing wired network connection with the master AP, and establishing a second wireless uplink connection by using the network configuration when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a wireless AP, including:

a feedback module, configured to return a network configuration to a corresponding AP after receiving the AP configuration synchronization request that does not establish the first uplink connection, where the first uplink connection is a connection established with an upper network device, and the network configuration is used, after the network is interrupted, for the AP that does not establish the first uplink connection to establish the second wireless uplink connection using the network configuration;

a synchronization module, configured to send a configuration synchronization request to the AP that has established the first uplink connection and receive network configuration;

a detection module, configured to detect whether the network connection is interrupted in real time, if yes, establish a second wireless uplink connection from the AP using the network configuration, and if not, continue/reply to use the network connection;

a switching module, configured to configure the AP to operate in a master AP mode or a slave AP mode: when the configured AP works in a main AP mode, activating the feedback module, and closing the synchronization module and the detection module; and when the configured AP works in the slave AP mode, the feedback module is closed, and the synchronization module and the detection module are activated.

As a preferred embodiment, the determining module continuously monitors whether the wired network connection is recovered, and if so, the wireless AP switches from the second wireless uplink connection to the wired network connection. Compared with the prior art, the invention has the advantages that:

(1) compared with an emission network structure in which the AC is connected with and controls the plurality of APs and a tree structure in which the AC controls the plurality of groups of APs layer by layer, the networking network structure is simpler, and adopts an AP parallel structure, so that the main AP and the slave AP can establish uplink connection and can be used as wireless access points in all time.

(2) The networking network structure of the invention is easier to connect, when AC and AP need to be set in detail compared with other networking structures, the invention only needs to connect the new AP as a slave AP with a master AP when adding the new AP, the subsequent slave AP automatically requests and acquires the network configuration of the master AP, and a second wireless uplink connection is automatically established after interruption and failure, and no additional network configuration, failure detection or setting is needed.

(3) The networking network structure of the invention is more stable, the connection between the master AP and any slave AP is failed, the slave AP can automatically establish a second wireless uplink connection according to the backup network configuration, and the uplink connection can be the connection between the slave AP and the master AP or between the slave AP and the uplink network equipment. And moreover, the access of each AP node can be ensured. In addition, after the main AP fails or the uplink connection of the main AP fails, all the slave APs can still establish the second wireless uplink connection with the uplink network device, and the availability of the nodes of the slave APs can be more effectively ensured. In addition, the slave AP can select a wireless connection point with better network quality for connection, so that the bandwidth, the packet drop rate, the signal strength and the like of the network are ensured to be in better states.

(4) The networking structure of the invention is easier to detect faults, when the master AP and the slave AP are unavailable, all uplinks are in fault; when the slave AP is available and the master AP is unavailable, the uplink of the master AP fails; when the slave AP is unavailable, a failure occurs for the AP.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings corresponding to the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional AC-AP providing WIFI;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a method for wireless networking according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating steps of an example of a method for wireless networking according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless networking system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is an interaction diagram of a wireless networking system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless networking method, a wireless networking system, and a wireless AP, which establish a network connection with a slave AP through a master AP, and backup a network configuration of the master AP to the slave AP, so as to establish a simpler, more stable, and easier-to-detect network structure.

In order to achieve the technical effects, the general idea of the application is as follows:

and when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP uses the network configuration to establish a second wireless uplink connection. In summary, compared with the conventional technical scheme in which each AP is controlled by an AC, the present invention replaces the function of an AC by the interconnection and communication of a master AP and a slave AP, establishes connection directly through the master-slave structure of the AP, and sets up a network configuration in which the slave AP synchronously backs up the master AP, thereby reducing the influence on a plurality of nodes after a problem occurs in a certain node or connection in the network structure, ensuring the stability of the networking network structure, and being safer and more reliable, and meanwhile, the master-slave structure is simpler, the network transmission is more efficient, and the connection is easy.

Here, the first uplink connection is a connection between the main AP and the upper network, and may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. The second wireless uplink connection is an uplink connection established from the perspective of the AP, and may be a wireless connection established between the slave AP and the master AP or a wireless connection established between the slave AP and an upper network. As long as it is a connection established with a connectable network device of an upper layer from the perspective of the AP.

It should be further noted that the communication requirements required for establishing the uplink connection, such as matching an appropriate protocol, generating a message in accordance with a required format, and the like, are well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail herein.

In order to better understand the technical solution, the following detailed description is made with reference to specific embodiments.

Referring to fig. 2, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for wireless network networking, including:

s1: one AP in a plurality of APs (Wireless Access points) is set as a master AP, other APs are set as slave APs, and wired network connection from the APs to the master AP and first uplink connection from the master AP to upper network equipment are established.

The networking network structure of the invention is simpler, more convenient, easy to check and maintain and lower in cost. And establishing a master-slave structure of the AP, wherein the master AP is used for establishing a first uplink connection and sending a network data packet to each slave AP. Compared with the method that two devices of AC and AP are arranged, the AC is arranged to control each AP, and the AP is arranged to receive the control of the AC, the network structure of the invention only relates to the AP, and meanwhile, the corresponding function is completed through the arrangement of the AP, so that the method is more convenient and simpler. Meanwhile, each AP is used as an access point, when a fault occurs, the fault node can be determined according to the wireless network fault range, and the detection and the maintenance are very easy. Meanwhile, because only the AP is involved, the AC is not needed any more, and the cost is lower.

As a preferred embodiment, when the master AP establishes a network connection with the slave AP, the master AP checks the connection authority of the slave AP.

When the master AP is connected to the slave AP, APs in other networks may have crosstalk, and at this time, if the master AP and the AP which generates crosstalk perform network connection and interaction, various problems may occur to the network, such as unstable connection, network connection system disorder, connection establishment error, and the like.

Further, the master AP receives and verifies the authentication information of the slave AP, if the verification is successful, network connection is established, and otherwise, failure information is returned.

By setting authentication information in the connection request of the slave AP, the master AP can accept the authentication information and check it, thereby identifying whether the AP in the network connection needs to be connected rather than cross-talk/misconnected. And further, the possibility of problems of unstable connection, network connection system disorder, connection establishment error and the like is reduced.

S2: the slave AP sends a configuration synchronization request to the master AP, and the master AP sends network configuration to the corresponding slave AP after receiving the configuration synchronization request.

The slave AP acquires network configuration through interaction with the master AP, so that the network is more stable. After the connection is established, the slave AP receives the network configuration of the master AP, and since the master AP needs to issue network data packets to other slave APs, compared with the slave APs using more computing resources, if the resources of the master AP are insufficient, the master AP issues the network data packets while managing to send the network configuration to the slave APs, and the situation that the slave AP is stuck or even crashed due to the insufficient resources may occur. Therefore, the slave AP actively sends a configuration synchronization request to the master AP, and the master AP sends its own network configuration to the slave AP sending the configuration synchronization request after receiving the request, so that resources required by the master AP for managing the slave AP are saved, that is, software and hardware resources of the master AP can be saved.

It should be noted that the network configuration herein may be a network configuration used in a wireless manner for the first uplink connection of the master AP, and when the master AP or its connection fails, the slave AP establishes a second wireless uplink connection with the upper network device according to the network configuration of the first uplink connection, so as to continue working; the network configuration can also be wireless connection setting of the master AP, and if the network configuration provides wireless network access points for a mobile phone of a user, after the wired connection between the master AP and the slave AP is interrupted, the slave AP can establish a second wireless uplink connection connected with the master AP through the setting when knowing the wireless connection setting of the master AP, so that the connection between the master AP and the slave AP is not interrupted; in addition, the network configuration can also comprise general configuration data of the slave AP, and the general configuration data is used for automatically configuring the slave AP after the slave AP is connected with the master AP, so that the step of manual configuration is omitted. Preferably, the general configuration data is the same as the master AP, and when the user moves from the WIFI range of the master AP to the WIFI of other slave APs, the user wants the network settings to be the same as before, and therefore, preferably, the slave APs configure and provide the WIFI to the user according to the master AP connection settings, so that the user can seamlessly switch networks when crossing the range boundary between the master AP and the slave APs, and better user experience is provided.

S3: and when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP uses the network configuration to establish a second wireless uplink connection.

After the networking network structure is established, after the relevant connection of the main AP is interrupted, the slave AP can automatically establish the second wireless uplink connection according to the backup network configuration of the slave AP, and the slave AP can automatically establish the uplink connection according to the network configuration when the slave AP cannot acquire the network connection from the main AP, so that the slave AP can normally work. And the related connection of the main AP includes: the connection between the master AP and the slave AP and the uplink connection of the master AP can automatically recover the network by the second wireless uplink connection of the slave AP aiming at the faults, so that the WIFI can be continuously performed on the slave AP in the network structure, and the network structure is more stable and safer.

As an optional embodiment, the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of the master AP, and the slave AP establishes a second wireless uplink connection with the master AP when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted.

When the master AP works, the master AP provides wireless access points for surrounding wireless equipment, and after the wired network connection between the master AP and the slave AP is interrupted, the slave AP can be used as the wireless equipment to access the master AP again to establish a second wireless uplink connection, so that the slave AP can continue to maintain the connection with the network through the second wireless uplink connection under the condition that the wired network connection is interrupted, and further work is continued.

Further, the wireless network configuration comprises a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, and the wireless connection points with better network quality are selected from the AP for connection; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

It should be noted that the network quality described herein may be the rate of transmitting data packets in the network connection, and may be an indicator of packet drop rate, power of the network, etc., as long as the network performance can be reflected in one or more aspects.

For example, the AP provides wireless access points, typically 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. When the slave AP accesses the wireless connection of the master AP, 2.4G or 5G can be selected, generally speaking, the 2.4G network can maintain better network quality at a longer distance, and the 5G network can maintain better network quality at a shorter distance. In addition, there are crosstalk and the like factors that affect the network quality of each access point, and therefore, in order to ensure better network connection from the AP, it is preferable to use a wireless connection point with better network quality when selecting an access point. Meanwhile, the current network quality is periodically detected, and when the current network quality is poor, the current network quality is switched to other wireless connection points.

As another optional embodiment, the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of a master AP and an upper network device, where the wireless network configuration includes a network configuration of multiple wireless connection points, and when a wired network connection between a slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP selects a wireless connection point with better network quality to establish a second wireless uplink connection, where the second wireless uplink connection may be between the slave AP and the master AP or between the slave AP and the upper network device; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

After the slave AP cannot be connected to the wired network or the network, the slave AP may be connected to the master AP or the upper network device of the master AP. Meanwhile, when the slave AP is selected, connection is carried out according to the network quality as a judgment standard, so that the better network working state is ensured, the influence of faults on the slave AP can be prevented, and if the master AP fails, the master AP and the upper network equipment are in connection failure, the slave AP can establish connection with the upper network equipment so as to avoid possible failure occurrence areas. In addition, the slave AP is not directly connected with the upper network equipment, and the connection is only carried out under the condition of failure or poor network quality, so that the load of the upper network equipment can be greatly reduced, and a more flexible connection mode is formed.

It should be noted that the wireless network configuration of the upper network device of the master AP may be obtained by the master AP actively querying the upper network device, or may be obtained by artificially setting the network configuration in advance and storing the network configuration in the master AP, so long as the wireless network configuration of the upper network device is finally transmitted to the slave AP for use by the slave AP.

As a preferred embodiment, after the second wireless uplink connection is established from the AP, whether the wired network connection is recovered or not is detected in real time, and if the wired network connection is recovered, the second wireless uplink connection is switched to the wired network connection.

Compared with wireless connection, wired connection has better performance in the aspects of transmission medium materials, crosstalk prevention and data safety, so that the wired connection is detected after the second wireless uplink connection is established, and the wired connection is recovered under the condition of recovering the wired connection, thereby improving the network quality and the user experience.

Meanwhile, if all APs are connected wirelessly, the amount of wireless access points in the space is too large, which easily causes crosstalk, and meanwhile, wireless connection is unstable compared with wired connection, which easily causes disconnection, and reduces user experience. Therefore, it is preferred to use a wired connection for the connection of the parts: if the network connection between the master AP and the slave AP is used as wired connection, the number of wireless connections is greatly reduced, so that the network quality of the slave AP is higher, and better user experience is achieved. Since the wired connection is superior to the wireless connection in terms of rate, stability, and connection efficiency, it is preferable that, when the slave AP of the established wireless uplink connection finds that the wired network connection with the master AP subordinate thereto is restored, the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is restored, and the wireless uplink connection is not used.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, a Server program is run on the master AP, and a Client program and a Check program are run on the slave AP. The method carries out rapid networking through the following steps.

A1, connecting the sub AP with the main AP through a network cable, wherein the Client program of the sub AP automatically requests the main AP to acquire network configuration information, and the network configuration information at least comprises WIFI configuration;

a2, issuing network configuration information to the sub-equipment after the authentication of the Server program of the main AP passes;

a3, the sub AP disconnects the network cable, and the Check program of the sub AP detects the network interruption;

a4, the sub AP actively initiates wireless connection by using the saved WIFI configuration. And after the connection is successful, the sub AP completes the distribution network.

As an optional implementation, after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP has a wired connection or a second wireless uplink connection with the slave AP, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP.

If the slave AP is not informed after the network configuration is changed due to the influence of human factors or network failures and other factors, when the slave AP is connected according to the old network configuration, the slave AP may have a connection failure and thus cannot work normally. Therefore, after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP and the slave AP have wired connection or second wireless uplink connection, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP.

As an optional implementation scheme, the slave AP detects in real time whether the wired network connection between itself and the master AP is lower than a preset threshold, and if so, compares the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection, and connects with the higher party.

In some special cases, if the master AP connects to more slave APs, the processing is slow, and a part of the slave APs occupy a large amount of bandwidth, the wired connection between the slave AP and the master AP is inferior in network quality to the uplink connection directly performed by the slave AP, and if the slave AP recovers from the wireless connection to the wired connection, the sudden connection may be degraded when the user uses the slave AP, thereby reducing the user experience. And the slave AP compares and selects the established network connection and the second wireless uplink connection, and performs connection interaction with the network with higher quality, thereby ensuring that the network used by the user using the slave AP is always the best network state which can be ensured by the user.

No matter wired connection or wireless connection, better user experience can be guaranteed to be provided by ensuring the highest network quality of connection from the AP.

As an alternative embodiment, the network configuration information includes a configuration file for configuring the slave AP which initially establishes a connection with the master AP.

In the devices with the master-slave structure, after the devices are usually connected on a hardware level, each device needs to be adjusted on a software level, and at least the slave devices need to be adjusted, so that the normal operation of the master-slave devices can be ensured. The invention actively requests the configuration file after the slave AP is connected with the master AP, and automatically adjusts the network configuration of the slave AP according to the configuration file, thereby saving the trouble of manual configuration, being more intelligent and more convenient to use.

Further, a second wireless uplink connection is established autonomously from the AP, so that a manager can be assisted to search a position where a fault occurs in the networking network structure of the invention: when the main AP in the network cannot provide WIFI access, the main AP fails; when the WIFI cannot be provided from the individual point of the AP, the AP fails; if all the APs can not provide normal network connection, the failure is an upper network failure or all the APs fail. For the slave AP, if the master AP fails, the first uplink connection of the master AP fails, and the connection between the master AP and the slave AP fails, the slave AP can also establish a second wireless uplink connection with an upper network by itself, so that the master AP can still work normally when the master AP cannot provide WIFI access normally. Further, the above failures are mixed together, and the master AP and the multiple slave APs cannot normally provide WIFI access, so that the APs all fail.

As an optional embodiment, when determining whether the network connection between the master AP and the slave AP is interrupted, the slave AP and the master AP transmit and receive heartbeat packets to detect whether the network connection is interrupted in real time.

The monitoring thread can be continuously and periodically operated through the heartbeat packet, and compared with complete synchronization, the purpose of monitoring can be achieved by consuming less resources. Meanwhile, by adjusting the period time of the heartbeat packet, the requirements of users on different network conditions can be met, if the adjustment period time is shortened, the quick response can be realized, the network can be established, and more resources are consumed; and the adjustment cycle time is prolonged, so that the resource occupation in the networking system can be reduced, the networking system can run more smoothly, but the reaction speed is slower.

Further, the slave APs are connected to each other, and each slave AP compares the optional uplink connections, and selects the uplink connection with the best network quality from the optional uplink connections.

Because the network bandwidth allocation of the master AP is performed according to the protocol between the master AP and the slave AP, if the protocol allocates the network bandwidth according to the request of the slave AP, some slave APs request more resources and occupy larger network resources, the master AP mainly manages the network connection request of the slave AP, and the network resources and network resources obtained by other slave APs may be poor. After the slave APs are connected with each other, the slave APs are allowed to have a plurality of uplink connection modes, better connection modes and interfaces are selected by themselves, new nodes are added in the whole network connection of the master AP and the slave APs, the network distribution is automatically optimized into the modes of the master AP, the slave AP and the like, and the network distribution is automatically optimized to process larger network resources. The slave AP provides WIFI access service, and the slave AP partially assists the master AP to perform network management, so that the computing resources of the master AP are saved, the processing task of the master AP is reduced, and phenomena such as jamming are not easy to occur. The slave AP is used as a node of more than two levels of the master AP to assist the master AP in network resource management, so that the network structure in the networking is more stable, and the service quality is higher.

As shown in fig. 4, the present invention further provides a wireless networking system, which includes:

In the invention, the master AP and the slave AP are both used as Access points to provide WIFI for users, and meanwhile, the master AP is used as a primary connection node of the slave AP to provide an uplink network for the slave AP, thereby ensuring that the networking can provide normal network connection when all the APs work normally.

Meanwhile, the slave AP actively contacts the master AP to share the workload of the master AP, which can be regarded as dividing and classifying the functions of the AC in the prior art, and respectively allocates different functions to the master AP and the slave AP, so that different functions can be executed in a distributed manner, and resources of different devices are consumed, which is more stable and reasonable.

Optionally, when the master AP establishes network connection with the slave AP, the connection permission of the slave AP of the master AP team is checked

For example, the master AP receives and verifies the authentication information of the slave AP, and if the verification is successful, the network connection is established, otherwise, failure information is returned. The authentication is carried out through the authentication information, so that the security is improved.

As an optional embodiment, the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of the master AP, and when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP establishes a second wireless uplink connection with the master AP.

When the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP cannot normally work if the slave AP cannot be accessed into the network again, and at the moment, the master AP and the uplink network equipment are in a connection state and provide wireless access points for the wireless equipment, so that the slave AP can establish second wireless uplink connection through the wireless connection point of the master AP by acquiring the wireless network configuration of the master AP in advance when the wired network connection is interrupted, and further work is recovered.

Further, the wireless network configuration comprises a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, and the wireless connection point with better network quality is selected from the AP for connection; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

For example, there are 2.4G and 5G access methods in the wireless connection point, and the distance and network speed for different connection methods are different. Therefore, the required network quality can be adjusted according to actual needs, so that access points required by attachment from the AP are guaranteed, and normal work of the AP is guaranteed.

The network configuration comprises wireless network configuration of the main AP and the upper network equipment, so that the slave AP can be connected with the main AP or the upper network equipment of the main AP after the network connection is interrupted. The network area fault tolerance and the fault prevention function are ensured to be stronger: when the wired connection between the master AP and the slave AP fails, the slave AP can still be connected with the master AP through wireless connection; when the connection between the master AP or the master AP and the upper network equipment is interrupted, the slave AP can still be connected with the upper network equipment through the wireless configuration file of the upper network equipment.

Meanwhile, when the AP is selected, connection is carried out according to the network quality serving as a judgment standard, and the network quality of the network can be better ensured to be continuously in an optimal state.

In addition, the slave AP is not directly connected with the upper network equipment, and the connection is only carried out under the condition of failure or poor network quality, so that the load of the upper network equipment can be greatly reduced, and a more flexible connection mode is formed.

As an optional technical solution, after the secondary AP establishes the second wireless uplink connection, it is detected in real time whether the wired network connection is recovered, and if the wired network connection is recovered, the secondary AP switches from the second wireless uplink connection to the wired network connection.

The uplink connection of the master AP, the slave AP and the master AP can affect the experience of the user accessing to the WIFI, so the quality of the connected network is particularly important. In the existing connection mode, the wired connection is used as a connection mode with small crosstalk, fast network speed and low packet drop rate, which can more effectively provide WIFI and thus provide better user experience, and therefore, the connection is preferably performed in a wired mode or after the connection is restored.

For example, a Server program runs on the master AP, and a Client program and a Check program run on the slave AP.

Its Server program runs on the master AP: and after receiving a configuration synchronization request sent by a Client program on the sub-AP, acquiring WIFI configuration information of the main AP and sending the WIFI configuration information of the main AP to the sub-AP.

Its Client program runs on the child AP: after the sub-AP is connected to the main AP, the Client program actively sends a configuration synchronization request to the main AP, and the configuration acquired from the Server program is stored to be used as the network to be recovered for network use when the network is disconnected.

Its Check program runs on the child AP: the wireless uplink connection recovery method can detect the state of the network in real time, and when network interruption caused by disconnection of the network cable is found, the stored WIFI configuration is actively used for establishing the wireless uplink connection to recover the network. Meanwhile, if the network cable connection is recovered, the wireless uplink connection is actively disconnected and a more stable and reliable wired connection is used as the uplink.

Further, in the physical layer, the master AP accesses the Internet network through the wired connection router, and the slave AP accesses the master AP through a wired or wireless connection.

On a logic level, a Client running on the slave AP establishes communication connection with a Server running on the master AP through a communication protocol. The Server can access the local configuration of the main AP and acquire the WIFI SSID, the password and the encryption mode of the main AP. After receiving the WIFI configuration information replied by the Server, the Client stores the data in a local database, and then the master AP informs the slave AP of modifying the corresponding database information through a communication protocol when modifying the WIFI configuration information. The Check program running on the slave AP detects the type and the state of the uplink connection periodically, and when the disconnection of the uplink network line is detected, the WIFI configuration information of the master AP stored by data is used for establishing a wireless relay connection to restore the network. The wireless connection is actively disconnected when the restoration of the wired connection is detected, thus preventing the network from forming a loop.

Check is a timing program running in slave AP, which detects WAN port status once in 10 seconds. When the disconnection of the WAN port network cable is detected, whether wireless uplink connection exists is judged firstly, if yes, the current extended AP uses a wireless uplink mode is indicated, and the program continues to detect the state of the WAN port. If no wireless uplink connection exists, the program reads the WIFI configuration stored in the interaction, and then establishes a wireless second wireless uplink connection according to the WIFI configuration to restore the network.

FIG. 5 shows a Client and Server interaction diagram.

The Client establishes TCP connection to the Server according to the IP of the main AP and a certain port, and then sends an Auth authentication message with authentication information;

the Server checks the received authentication information; if the authentication fails, an AUTH FAILED message is replied to the Server, and the Client quits after receiving the message; and if the authentication is successful, an AUTH OK is replied to the Client, the Client initiates a REQUEST WIFI SETTING REQUEST to the Server after receiving the message, and the Server returns the WIFI configuration information to the Client after receiving the REQUEST. And the Client stores the received information into a database to complete the whole interaction.

As an alternative embodiment, the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of the overlay network device, and the slave AP establishes a second wireless connection with the overlay network device when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted.

And establishing a second wireless uplink connection between the slave AP and the master AP, wherein the network recovery can be avoided only when the connection between the master AP and the slave AP fails. When the slave AP acquires the network configuration of the upper network device and can establish a connection with the upper network device according to the configuration file, more fault areas can be covered, such as a fault of the master AP, a fault of the first uplink connection of the master AP, and the like. The mode of recovering network connection makes the network more stable, and simultaneously, when the fault does not occur, the load on the upper network equipment is small, the cost of the upper network equipment can be reduced, and after the fault occurs, the network recovery speed is high.

Further, the network configuration information includes a configuration file for configuring the slave AP which initially establishes a connection with the master AP. After the master device and the slave device are connected, manual configuration is generally required to achieve a protocol between the master device and the slave device, so that the master device and the slave device work normally respectively. The invention sets the slave AP to actively request the configuration file from the master AP, and automatically configures after acquiring the configuration file, thereby saving the trouble of manual configuration.

Further, after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP has a wired connection or a second wireless uplink connection with the slave AP, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP.

And after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP and the slave AP have wired connection or second wireless uplink connection, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP. Thus, the slave AP can be connected

As a preferred embodiment, the slave APs are connected to each other, and each slave AP compares the optional uplink connections and selects the uplink connection with the best network quality among the optional uplink connections.

Specifically, the slave AP detects in real time whether the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is lower than a preset threshold, and if so, establishes a second wireless uplink connection and interacts with the party with higher network quality.

And further, after the slave AP establishes the second wireless uplink connection, the slave AP is used as the master AP to interact with the slave AP.

In addition to the above situation, the slave AP assists the master AP in network transmission and management, and when the master AP still cannot provide sufficient network connection, the connection between the master AP and the slave AP may be broken. At this moment, the slave AP is used as the master AP, and the downstream slave AP interacts with the master AP, so that the problem of the above-mentioned fault can be solved, and meanwhile, when the master AP cannot meet the requirements of large network resources, management and processing, the slave AP can be actively upgraded to another master AP to help the whole network structure to process part of the network resources, so that the slave AP is more stable, the network connection is more stable, the service quality is higher, and the user experience is better.

As a preferred embodiment, the number of the master APs is plural.

A plurality of main APs can have a plurality of uplink connections, so that the network can still normally operate after one connection fails, and the stability of the network is improved. Meanwhile, the plurality of uplink connections provide wider network bandwidth and higher network quality.

Further, the slave APs are connected with each other, and each slave AP selects a higher network quality to perform interaction than its own uplink connection, where the network quality includes response time, packet drop rate, and/or network bandwidth.

As above, since the network bandwidth allocation of the master AP is performed according to the protocol between the master AP and the slave AP, if the protocol allocates the network bandwidth according to the request of the slave AP, some slave APs request more resources and occupy larger network resources, the master AP mainly manages the network connection request of the slave AP, and the network resources and network resources obtained by other slave APs may be poor. After the slave APs are connected with each other, the slave APs are allowed to have a plurality of uplink connection modes, better connection modes and interfaces are selected by themselves, new nodes are added in the whole network connection of the master AP and the slave APs, the network distribution is automatically optimized into the modes of the master AP, the slave AP and the like, and the network distribution is automatically optimized to process larger network resources. The slave AP provides WIFI access service, and the slave AP partially assists the master AP to perform network management, so that the computing resources of the master AP are saved, the processing task of the master AP is reduced, and phenomena such as jamming are not easy to occur. The auxiliary AP assists the main AP to manage network resources, so that the network structure in the networking is more stable and the service quality is higher.

Furthermore, the master AP and the slave AP are also connected with a plurality of subordinate APs, and each subordinate AP compares the uplink connection of the subordinate AP and selects the higher network quality for interaction.

As a preferred embodiment, the present invention also provides a wireless AP, comprising:

a switching module, configured to configure the AP to operate in a master AP mode or a slave AP mode: when the configured AP works in a main AP mode, activating the feedback module, and closing the synchronization module and the detection module; when the configured AP works in the slave AP mode, the feedback module is closed, and the synchronization module and the detection module are activated;

the AP is provided with a feedback module, a synchronization module and a detection module, and is configured through a switching module to perform corresponding functions as a main AP and a slave AP, so that the functions of strictly distinguishing the APs are not required, and the connection is performed according to the functions. The configuration of networking can be completed only by configuring the AP into a corresponding mode and then connecting, so that the connection and management are easier, and the use of a user is more convenient. When networking is completed and a new slave AP needs to be added or an old slave AP needs to be replaced, the new slave AP only needs to be set as the slave AP by the switching module and connected with the master AP. And the purpose can be achieved only by setting the switching module as the main AP when networking is needed or the main AP is replaced.

Further, the determining module continuously monitors whether the wired network connection is recovered, and if so, the wireless AP switches from the second wireless uplink connection to the wired network connection.

The wired connection has better performance in the aspects of transmission medium materials, crosstalk prevention and data safety compared with the wireless connection, so that the wired connection is detected after the second wireless uplink connection is established, and the wired connection is recovered under the condition of recovering the wired connection, thereby improving the network quality and the user experience.

It is to be noted that the foregoing is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles employed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of various obvious changes, rearrangements and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in greater detail by the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include other equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Generally, the wireless networking method, system and wireless AP provided in the embodiments of the present invention establish a network connection between a master AP and a slave AP, and backup the network configuration of the master AP to the slave AP, so that a simpler, more stable and easier-to-detect network structure can be established compared to the conventional techniques and the like.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for networking a wireless network, comprising:

when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP uses the network configuration to establish a second wireless uplink connection;

the network formed by the master AP and the slave AP does not comprise the AC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network configuration comprises a wireless network configuration of the master AP, and wherein the slave AP establishes a second wireless uplink connection with the master AP when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is broken.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless network configuration comprises a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, and the wireless connection point with better network quality is selected from the AP for connection; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of a master AP and an upper network device, the wireless network configuration includes a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP selects a wireless connection point with better network quality to establish a second wireless uplink connection, and the second wireless uplink connection can be between the slave AP and the master AP or between the slave AP and the upper network device; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein: and after the secondary AP establishes the second wireless uplink connection, detecting whether the wired network connection is recovered in real time, and if the wired network connection is recovered, switching from the second wireless uplink connection to the wired network connection.

6. The method according to any of claims 2-4, wherein after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP has a wired connection or a second wireless uplink connection with the slave AP, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the slave AP detects in real time whether the wired network connection between itself and the master AP is lower than a preset threshold, and if so, compares the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection and connects to a higher party.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network configuration information comprises a configuration file for configuring a slave AP that initially establishes a connection with a master AP.

9. A wireless networking system, comprising:

the slave AP is used for sending a configuration synchronization request to the master AP after establishing wired network connection with the master AP, and when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP establishes a second wireless uplink connection by using the network configuration;

the system does not include an AC.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the slave AP detects in real time whether the wired network connection between itself and the master AP is lower than a preset threshold, and if so, compares the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection and connects to the higher party.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein: the network configuration information includes a configuration file for configuring a slave AP that initially establishes a connection with a master AP.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein: the network configuration comprises wireless network configuration of the master AP, and when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP and the master AP establish second wireless uplink connection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the wireless network configuration comprises a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, and the wireless connection point with better network quality is selected from the AP for connection; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the network configuration includes a wireless network configuration of a master AP and an upper network device, the wireless network configuration includes a network configuration of a plurality of wireless connection points, when the wired network connection between the slave AP and the master AP is interrupted, the slave AP selects a wireless connection point with better network quality to establish a second wireless uplink connection, and the second wireless uplink connection can be between the slave AP and the master AP or between the slave AP and the upper network device; and periodically detecting the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection from the AP, and if the network quality of the second wireless uplink connection is poor, switching to other wireless connection points.

15. The system of any one of claims 9,12-14, wherein: and after the secondary AP establishes the second wireless uplink connection, detecting whether the wired network connection is recovered in real time, and if the wired network connection is recovered, switching from the second wireless uplink connection to the wired network connection.

16. The system according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein after the wireless network configuration is changed, if the master AP has a wired connection or a second wireless uplink connection with the slave AP, the master AP sends the updated wireless network configuration to the slave AP.

17. A wireless AP, comprising:

a feedback module, configured to return a network configuration to a corresponding AP after receiving an AP configuration synchronization request for which a first uplink connection is not established, where the first uplink connection is a connection established with an upper network device, and the network configuration is used, after the network is interrupted, for the AP for which the first uplink connection is not established, to establish a second wireless uplink connection using the network configuration;

a synchronization module, configured to send a configuration synchronization request to an AP that has established a first uplink connection and receive network configuration;

18. The wireless AP of claim 17, wherein: the wireless AP further comprises a judging module, wherein the judging module continuously monitors whether wired network connection is recovered, and if yes, the wireless AP is switched to the wired network connection from a second wireless uplink connection.