Abstract: A communications device operates in a wireless local area network (WLAN), and includes a processor operating in accordance with an operating system that includes a standardized set of object identifiers (OIDs) associated therewith. An antenna steering algorithm is executed by the processor for generating a driver query. A driver generates an antenna query in response to the driver query. A smart antenna is driven by the driver and generates antenna beams for receiving signals, and generates metrics based upon the received signals. The smart antenna provides to the driver a metric associated with the antenna query. The driver associates the metric received from the smart antenna with one of the object identifiers from the standardized set of object identifiers, and provides the same to the antenna steering algorithm.

Abstract: An access point operates in an 802.11 wireless communication network communicating with a client station, and includes a smart antenna for generating directional antenna beams and an omni-directional antenna beam. An antenna steering algorithm scans the directional antenna beams and the omni-directional antenna beam for receiving signals from the client station. The signals received via each scanned antenna beam are measured, and one of the antenna beams is selected based upon the measuring for communicating with the client station. The selected antenna beam is preferably a directional antenna beam. Once the directional antenna beam has been selected, there are several usage rules for exchanging data with the client station. The usage rules are directed to an active state of the access point, which includes a data transmission mode and a data reception mode.

Abstract: A communications device operates in a wireless local area network (WLAN), and includes a processor operating in accordance with an operating system that includes a standardized set of object identifiers (OIDs) associated therewith. An antenna steering algorithm is executed by the processor for generating a driver query. A driver generates an antenna query in response to the driver query. A smart antenna is driven by the driver and generates antenna beams for receiving signals, and generates metrics based upon the received signals. The smart antenna provides to the driver a metric associated with the antenna query. The driver associates the metric received from the smart antenna with one of the object identifiers from the standardized set of object identifiers, and provides the same to the antenna steering algorithm.