Wireless network adjustment is a routine operation performed daily by wireless network operators to design a new wireless network or to optimize an existing network. Changes in a network may be made for many reasons including the need to improve coverage, quality of service, and capacity. Such changes are generally necessitated by many factors, including performance issues from customer complaints, field test data, switch or other network operational measurement, changing antenna setting requirements or constraints, including zoning, leasing or structural changes, increasing or shifting usage including movement of high usage areas. Depending upon the values of any of these factors, network engineers may be required to change antenna parameters to increase the capacity, coverage, and quality of service offered to users of the network. Network engineers may also be required to change antenna parameters to compensate for changes in environmental parameters determined by attributes of a received signal.
Antenna parameters may include any one or combination of antenna discrimination pattern, either by changing the antenna model or adjusting the discrimination parameters of an adjustable antenna, azimuth, mechanical down-tilt, electrical down-tilt, and twist, power, and changes in antenna height.
Presently, network engineers utilize a radio-frequency (RF) planning tool for determining required changes to a network. For each network change, the network engineer may be required to perform multiple steps of manually recording alternations in various configuration dialogs/tables, performing several network analysis steps, and generating and examining the results that indicate if the alteration(s) compensated for the changes in environmental parameters and/or increased the capacity, coverage, and quality of service. Network engineers may also employ a polling system to compensate for changes in environmental parameters. Typical prior art polling systems introduce lag because the systems request data every N seconds. Due to the delay between requests, a spike in received signal level (RSL) values or other signal attribute values may occur between polls, and there may not be an indication of this event. Thus, appropriate updates to the system may be lost and a full record of values cannot be captured and/or maintained.
It is apparent that the aforementioned processes are inefficient, inaccurate and time-consuming. Further, the processes may result in less than optimal network changes and a reluctance to utilize the full potential of available predictive tools. Therefore, a need exists for real-time monitoring of environmental parameters.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for a novel method and system that would overcome the deficiencies of the prior art. There is also a need for real-time RSL monitoring control. Therefore, an embodiment of the present subject matter provides a method for monitoring an attribute of a received signal in a wireless network having plural radios wherein one of the radios includes a monitoring module operatively connected to a second network. The method comprises the steps of monitoring substantially continuously an attribute of a radio at the monitoring module and providing a display device operatively connected to the second network. The method further comprises the steps of transmitting via the second network to the display device a value representative of the current state of the attribute wherein the transmitting occurs upon a change in the state of the attribute from a previous state of the attribute, and displaying the value on the display device.
Another embodiment of the present subject matter provides a system for monitoring an attribute of a received signal in a wireless network having plural radios. The system comprises a monitoring module operatively connected to a radio in the wireless network and operatively connected to a second network wherein the monitoring module substantially continuously monitors an attribute of the radio. A display device may be operatively connected to the second network. The monitoring module may transmit, via the second network to the display device, a value representative of the current state of the attribute wherein the monitoring module transmitter transmits upon a change in the state of the attribute from a previous state of the attribute.
These embodiments and many other objects and advantages thereof will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the embodiments.