Abstract: Mobile devices may be associated with access points other than their current access point based on load-balancing objectives of a wireless, local area network during an iterative time period.

Abstract: Unique identifiers are assigned to sets of adjacent access points in a wireless, local area network (WLAN). Thereafter, a unique identifier may be forwarded to a mobile device which uses the identifier to associate itself with one of the adjacent access points. Associating a mobile device with an adjacent access point using unique identifiers allows a WLAN to meet its load balancing objectives.

Abstract: Channels are allocated to access points (APs) within a wireless, local area network (WLAN) in a reasonable time period using approximation methods. One approximation method guarantees channel allocations will be no less than ? of an optimal channel allocation scheme provided the interference pattern associated with APs within a given WLAN conform to a unit disk graph interference pattern.

Abstract: By decomposing (i.e., dividing) an interference graph into subgraphs, it becomes feasible to compute close approximations of an optimal channel allocation scheme within a reasonable amount of time. The channel allocation scheme may be used to allocate specific channels to access points (APs) in a wireless, local area network (WLAN).

Abstract: Channels are allocated to one or more cells within a wireless LAN (WLAN) without causing unacceptable interference. The allocation involves dividing an allocation time period into frames, each frame having a substantially short duration, and then allocating one or more channels to one or more WLAN cells during each such frame according to an allocation vector. The vector assures that each cell allocated a channel is sufficiently distant from every other cell allocated the same channel to minimize cross interference. Only those cells allocated a channel are allowed to transmit during a given frame. The allocation vectors are determined in such a way that the performance of a WLAN is optimized.