Using neighboring access points to provide client device location data

摘要

Techniques are presented to determine a location of a wireless client device operating in a wireless local area network. A beacon report request action frame is sent to a wireless client device, where the request frame is configured to cause the wireless client device to transmit a broadcast probe request frame. A beacon report response message is received from the wireless client device and includes one or more probe response frames transmitted by one or more wireless access points that receive the broadcast probe request frame. The wireless client device location is determined based in part on signal strength information in the probe response frames sent by the one or more wireless access points and which signal strength information indicates the signal strength observed by the one or more wireless access points with respect to the broadcast probe request frame transmitted by the wireless client device.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
providing access to a wireless local area network for a wireless client device using one of a plurality of wireless access points; storing information indicating locations of at least one of the plurality of wireless access points; sending a beacon report request action frame from a first access point among the plurality of access points to the wireless client device, the beacon report request action frame including a measurement type field and a measurement mode field, wherein the beacon report request action frame is configured to cause the wireless client device to transmit a broadcast probe request frame according to an IEEE 802.11 standard; receiving at the first access point, from the wireless client device, a beacon report response message configured according to the measurement mode field, wherein the beacon report response message includes one or more probe response frames transmitted according to the IEEE 802.11 standard by one or more wireless access points that receive the broadcast probe request frame and which probe response frames are received by the wireless client device from the one or more wireless access points; and evaluating the one or more probe response frames contained in the beacon report response message received from the wireless client device; discarding signal strength information associated with a wireless access point for which no location information is stored; and determining a location of the wireless client device based at least in part on signal strength information contained in the probe response frames sent by the one or more wireless access points and which signal strength information indicates the signal strength observed by the one or more wireless access points with respect to the broadcast probe request frame transmitted by the wireless client device.