Abstract: A wireless network device includes a physical layer module configured to send and receive packets wirelessly. The wireless network device includes a mesh routing module configured to receive a first packet from a second wireless network device via the physical layer module. The first packet includes a metric and a source address. The mesh routing module is further configured to determine a cumulative metric based on (i) the metric from the first packet and (ii) a link metric. The mesh routing module is further configured to transmit a second packet to a third wireless network device via the physical layer module. The second packet includes the cumulative metric. The mesh routing module is further configured to determine the link metric based on (i) a state of charge of a power supply of the wireless network device and (ii) a transmission parameter of the second packet.

Abstract: A method includes generating first and second data units corresponding to first and second PHY modes, respectively. Generating the first data unit includes FEC encoding first information bits, mapping the FEC-encoded bits to first constellation symbols, and generating first OFDM symbols to include the first constellation symbols. The first OFDM symbols utilize a first tone spacing, and include a first number of non-zero tones collectively spanning a first bandwidth. Generating the second data unit includes FEC encoding second information bits, block encoding the FEC-encoded bits, mapping the block-encoded bits to second constellation symbols, and generating second OFDM symbols to include the second constellation symbols. The second OFDM symbols utilize the first tone spacing, and include a second number of non-zero tones collectively spanning a second bandwidth less than the first bandwidth. The second number of non-zero tones is less than the first number of non-zero tones.

Abstract: In a method for generating a preamble of a data unit for transmission via a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) communication channel, a first field of the preamble is generated. The first field provides a plurality of indicators to a plurality of receivers. Each one of the plurality of indicators indicates a set of a plurality of training sequences that corresponds to transmission of the data unit to a corresponding one of the plurality of receivers. The plurality of training sequences is included in a second field of the preamble. The preamble is formatted such that the first field of the preamble will be transmitted prior to the second field of the preamble being transmitted.

Abstract: An access point including a snoop circuit to generate a table including a plurality of entries, each entry associating a MAC address of a wireless client with a multicast IP address; to enable multicast traffic for a first wireless client in response to receiving a first message from the first wireless client by i) adding an entry to the table for the first wireless client in response to the entry not existing in the table, and ii) starting a timeout timer for the first wireless client, or by restarting the timeout timer in response to the entry for the first wireless client existing in the table; and to keep the multicast traffic for the first wireless client enabled as long as the timeout timer is reset before expiring. An output circuit transmits a packet to the first wireless client if the multicast traffic for the first wireless client is enabled.

Abstract: In a communication system that utilizes at least a primary channel, a secondary channel. and a tertiary channel, it is determined whether the primary channel is idle, and it is determined that a composite channel includes a set of one or more channels chosen from at least i) the primary channel, ii) the secondary channel, and iii) the tertiary channel based at least on a determination of whether the primary channel is idle. A signal is transmitted via the composite channel after determining the composite channel.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with bandwidth switching are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a transceiver configured to operate at a first bandwidth. A bandwidth controller is configured to detect an operating condition of the apparatus and select a second bandwidth from a plurality of available bandwidths based on the operating condition, and cause the transceiver to temporarily operate at the second bandwidth and then cause the transceiver to subsequently operate at the first bandwidth.

Abstract: In a method of determining an available channel bandwidth in a communication system, wherein the communication system utilizes i) a set of component channels for transmitting data streams and ii) a set of access control channels, and wherein each of at least some of the access control channels partially overlaps, in frequency, at least one of the component channels, whether a primary channel of the access control channels is idle is determined. The primary channel partially overlaps, in frequency, at least a first one of the component channels. That a composite channel includes one or more of the component channels is determined based at least on a determination of whether the primary channel is idle. A signal is caused to be transmitted via the composite channel after determining that the composite channel includes one or more of the component channels.

Abstract: In a method implemented in a first communication device, a control frame having a bandwidth is generated. The control frame is transmitted via a first composite communication channel, wherein the first composite communication channel comprises a plurality of communication channels. A bandwidth of a response frame, received from a second communication device in response to transmitting the control frame, is determined. A second composite communication channel based on the bandwidth of the response frame is determined, wherein the second composite communication channel comprises at least one communication channel from the plurality of communication channels. One or more data frames are transmitted to the second communication device via the second composite communication channel.

Abstract: To determine a location of a client device in a wireless network having at least first and second network devices, with known locations, one of the network devices transmits a message to the other network device and the other network device responds with an acknowledgement message. A client device receives the message and the acknowledgement message as well as respective times indicating actual times at which the message and the acknowledgement message were processed by one of the first and second network devices. The client device determines its location based on the times at which it received the message and the acknowledgement message and the difference between the actual processing times. This location may be refined by determining an angle between the client device and at least one of the network devices having multiple antennas and being configured for steered beam communications.

Abstract: A method for beamforming in a communication network includes generating a plurality of beamforming training (BFT) units associated with a beamforming session between a pair of devices, where each of the plurality of BFT units corresponds to a different beamsteering vector, causing a first non-zero subset of the plurality of BFT units to be transmitted during a first timeslot, and causing a second non-zero subset of the plurality of BFT units to be transmitted during a second timeslot, where the first time timeslot and the second timeslot are not contiguous.

Abstract: In a method for detecting, at a first communication device, a clock rate of a physical layer (PHY) data unit, the PHY data unit is received, at the first communication device, from a second communication device via a communication channel. The PHY data unit includes (i) a first portion and (ii) a second portion following the first portion. At the first communication device, the first portion of the PHY data unit is processed. Processing the first portion of the PHY data unit includes performing one or more autocorrelations to generate one or more respective autocorrelation outputs. At the first communication device and based on at least one of the one or more autocorrelation outputs, a clock rate of the second portion of the PHY data unit is determined.

Abstract: A network device includes a first interface that receives multicast packets and a control module that determines that N of the multicast packets have a common multicast address. The network device also includes a packet aggregation module that uses the N of the multicast packets to form aggregate data. The network device also includes a packet format module that adds a header to the aggregate data to form a unicast packet. The network device also includes a second interface that transmits the unicast packet. N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for sharing power load in a network. The method includes identifying a first device to serve as an AP of the network in a next time interval, providing network information from a second device that presently serves as the AP to the first device. When the first device starts to serve as the AP of the network, the second device can be configured to enter into a power save state in order to reduce power consumption by the second device in the next time interval.

Abstract: Enhancements are provided to lower power consumption in a wireless communication device. A traffic indicator message is designated to be positioned at or near a first burst to be transmitted to a subscriber station. Further, a clock signal provided to a decoder in the subscriber station has a variable frequency, the frequency being chosen based on the nature of the data to be decoded. Data needing immediate decoding is processed with a high speed clock. Other data are processed with a lower speed clock to reduce power consumption. Also, control information that is demodulated when the subscriber station is in sleep mode is batch processed when the subscriber station becomes active again.

Abstract: Systems and techniques relating to wireless communications are described. A described technique includes monitoring wireless communication channels, including a first channel and a second channel, to produce a monitoring output, determining a first transmission period for the first channel by applying a first waiting period duration and a second waiting period duration to the monitoring output, determining a second transmission period for the second channel by applying the first waiting period duration and the second waiting period duration to the monitoring output, causing, based on the first transmission period, a first transmission on the first channel to reserve the group of wireless communication channels; causing, based on the second transmission period, a second transmission on the second channel; and monitoring, after the end of the first transmission period, for an acknowledgement(s). An end of the second transmission period can be aligned with an end of the first transmission period.

Abstract: In a method implemented in a communication device an available bandwidth for transmitting one or more data frames is determined, wherein the available bandwidth corresponds to a first composite communication channel comprising a plurality of communication channels. A control frame to indicate a request to transmit via the first composite communication channel is generated, wherein the control frame includes a header, and wherein a portion of the header includes information indicating the bandwidth of the first composite channel. The control frame is transmitted via the first composite communication channel, wherein at least the portion of the header is duplicated in a plurality of bandwidth portions of the first composite communication channel.

Abstract: A wireless network device includes a forwarding table and a mesh routing module. The forwarding table is configured to store direct and reverse entries, each including a destination address, a next hop address, and a metric. The metric of the direct entries corresponds to a route from the wireless network device to the destination address. The metric of the reverse entries corresponds to a route from the destination address to the wireless network device. The mesh routing module is configured to (i) wirelessly receive route discovery packets, including a first route discovery packet, and (ii) create, based on the route discovery packets, corresponding direct entries and reverse entries in the forwarding table. The mesh routing module is configured to, in response to receiving the first route discovery packet, create a corresponding direct entry in the forwarding table and create a corresponding reverse entry in the forwarding table.

Abstract: A network device including a first transceiver and a second transceiver. The first transceiver is configured to receive, in accordance with a first wireless protocol, first data during a first time period, and transmit, in accordance with the first wireless protocol, second data during a second time period. The second transceiver is configured to receive, in accordance with a second wireless protocol, a block of packets during the first time period in which the first transceiver receives the first data. The second wireless protocol is different from the first wireless protocol. Subsequent to receiving all packets in the block of packets, the second transceiver is configured to transmit, in accordance with the second wireless protocol, a single acknowledgement during the second time period in which the first transceiver transmits the second data. The single acknowledgement is configured to indicate receipt of all the packets in the block of packets.

Abstract: In a method for transmitting channel feedback data from a receiver to a transmitter, channel data for a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) tones for one or more spatial streams corresponding to a communication channel is determined. A plurality of angle values associated with the one or more spatial streams and one or more OFDM tones is determined. For each of the one or more spatial streams, a per-tone signal to noise ratio (PT-SNR) associated with one or more OFDM tones is determined, and an average signal to noise ratio (avg-SNR) is determined by averaging the signal to noise ratio (SNR) values. A feedback report is generated to include at least i) the plurality of angle values, ii) the PT-SNRs, and iii) the avg-SNR. The feedback report is included in a data unit to be transmitted from the receiver to the transmitter.

Abstract: In a method for generating a preamble of a data unit for transmission via a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) communication channel, a first field of the preamble is generated. The first field provides a plurality of indicators to a plurality of receivers. Each one of the plurality of indicators indicates a set of a plurality of training sequences that corresponds to transmission of the data unit to a corresponding one of the plurality of receivers. The plurality of training sequences is included in a second field of the preamble. The preamble is formatted such that the first field of the preamble will be transmitted prior to the second field of the preamble being transmitted.