Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for group formation and sounding for distributed multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). Some implementations include a method of wireless communication. The method includes transmitting, from a first access point of a plurality of access points, an announcement frame for performing a beamforming procedure for a distributed transmission. The distributed transmission includes a transmission from the plurality of access points. The announcement frame includes at least one identifier of a user terminal in a different basic service set than a basic service set of the first access point. The method further includes transmitting a packet for measuring a channel. The method further includes receiving feedback information from the user terminal based on the packet for measuring the channel.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for wireless communication with partial channel puncturing. Using partial channel puncturing, a wireless local area network (WLAN) device may modulate data on a first portion of a wireless channel while refraining from modulating data on a second portion of the wireless channel. The partial channel puncturing can be used with an exclusion bandwidth zone defined for the WLAN. The exclusion bandwidth zone prevents transmissions on portions of channels so that the WLAN transmissions do not interfere with an incumbent system transmission in the exclusion bandwidth zone.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for a link adaptation protocol in a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one aspect, the link adaptation protocol may be used to select a transmission rate option (such as a modulation and coding scheme (MCS)) for communications from a first WLAN device to a second WLAN device based on wireless channel conditions. This disclosure includes several example message sequences for the link adaptation protocol which can accommodate a variety of uplink or downlink data transmission designs, including single user (SU) and multi-user (MU) transmissions. The example message sequences may be used with orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), and beamformed transmissions.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems for wireless communications. In some systems, an access point (AP) may assign a resource unit (RU) including a non-contiguous set of tones of a channel to a wireless node, such as a station (STA). The non-contiguous set of tones includes at least some tones that are non-contiguous in the frequency domain with all other tones of the set. The AP may generate an indicator for this RU and may transmit the indicator to the wireless node. The wireless node may receive the indicator, determine the non-contiguous set of tones for the indicated RU, and transmit data over the non-contiguous set of tones for the RU. The AP may receive the data via the RU (over the non-contiguous set of tones).

Abstract: Certain aspects relate to methods and apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus generally includes a first interface configured to output one first frame for transmission to solicit CSI feedback from each of one or more first wireless nodes associated with a first BSS and from each of one or more second wireless nodes associated with a second BSS, a second interface configured to obtain the CSI feedback solicited from the first and second wireless nodes, and a processing system configured to generate data frames for the first wireless nodes based on the CSI feedback solicited from the first wireless nodes, and one or more nulling frames based on the CSI feedback solicited from the second wireless nodes. The first interface is configured to simultaneously output the data frames for beamformed transmission to the first wireless nodes, and the nulling frames for beamformed transmission to the second wireless nodes.

Abstract: In some aspects, methods and apparatus for wireless communications are configured to generate a packet for wireless communication where the packet includes a mark symbol in a preamble of the packet where the mark symbol includes a signature or stamp field in the mark to provide protocol information that indicates the protocol of the packet, such as an 802.11 EHT packet. In some other aspects, a cyclic redundancy check field in the mark symbol may be manipulated in various ways to indicate the protocol of the packet in lieu of providing the signature or stamp field.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for link adaptation in a wireless local area network (WLAN). A link adaptation test packet from a first WLAN device to a second WLAN device may be formatted as a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) transmission and may include one or more test portions for link quality estimation of the MIMO transmission. A link quality estimation portion of the test packet may permit measurement of link quality for various spatial streams of the MIMO transmission. The link adaptation test packet may enable a fast rate adaptation of a communication link based on the impact of interference to the various spatial streams. The second WLAN device may provide feedback information regarding the one or more test portions. The feedback information may be used to determine a transmission rate for a subsequent transmission from the first WLAN device to the second WLAN device based on wireless channel conditions.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for link adaptation in a wireless local area network (WLAN). A link adaptation test packet from a first WLAN device to a second WLAN may include a plurality of link adaptation test portions that are generated using a corresponding plurality of transmission rate options. For example, the plurality of link adaptation test portions may be modulated using different modulation and coding scheme (MCS) options. Thus, a single test packet may be used to evaluate different transmission rate options. The second WLAN device may provide feedback information regarding the link adaptation test portions. The feedback information may be used to determine a transmission rate for a subsequent transmission from the first WLAN device to the second WLAN device based on wireless channel conditions.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for link adaptation in wireless communications. Some implementations more specifically relate to transmitter-based modulation and coding scheme (MCS) selection. A transmitting device transmits a test packet, over a wireless channel, to a receiving device. The receiving device generates one or more signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) estimates for the wireless channel based on the received sounding packet. In some aspects, each SINR estimate may be associated with a particular modulation order. In some other aspects, each SINR estimate may be generated based on a transmitter configuration or a receiver type to be used for subsequent communications between the transmitting device and the receiving device. The receiving device transmits feedback, including the SINR estimates, to the transmitting device.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for group formation and sounding for distributed multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). Some implementations include a method of wireless communication. The method includes a sounding preparation phase that includes transmitting, to the plurality of access points, a first frame inviting the plurality of access points to perform a beamformed distributed transmission from the plurality of access points to a group of stations; receiving a second frame from at least one of the plurality of access points based on transmitting the first frame, the second frame including at least one identifier of at least one station in a different basic service set than a basic service set of the first access point; and identifying the group of stations based on the at least one identifier included in the second frame.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable media, for implementing a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocol in a wireless local area network (WLAN). A station (STA) may send a HARQ transmission to another STA. The HARQ protocol may support the use of different types of feedback from the receiving STA to control the HARQ retransmission process. This disclosure provides example message formats to support HARQ transmission and HARQ feedback in a WLAN.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for managing high volumes of space-time-streams in Wi-Fi systems. An access point (AP) may transmit packets including long training field (LTF) sections using a number of space-time-streams greater than eight. Mobile stations (STAs) in the system may or may not be capable of processing this number of streams. The AP may modulate an LTF section using a matrix with dimensions smaller than the number of streams by using tone-interleaving or by performing modulation with separate matrices in time and frequency. In some other implementations, the AP may split the antennas for transmission into groups, each group transmitting either different packets in a subset of streams or a same packet in a subset of tones. In further implementations, the AP may combine multiple space-time-streams into a super stream that supports reception at different types of STAs.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for generating packet preambles. Some implementations more specifically relate to preamble designs for special cases such as, for example, full-bandwidth multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO), single-user (SU) preamble puncturing, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and multi-AP coordination. Multi-AP coordination may refer to coordinated beamforming (CoBF), joint transmission (JT), or coordinated orthogonal frequency division multiple access (C-OFDMA). Additionally, or alternatively, some implementations more specifically relate to preamble designs that accommodate signal fields of different cases.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for orthogonal multiplexing of high efficiency (HE) and extremely high throughput (EHT) wireless traffic. Devices in a wireless local area network (WLAN) may operate under HE or EHT conditions. An access point (AP) may support both HE and EHT communications with WLAN devices. To enable substantially simultaneous downlink HE and EHT transmissions and substantially simultaneous uplink HE and EHT transmissions, the AP may support orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) of HE and EHT transmissions. For example, pre-HE and pre-EHT modulated fields, HE and EHT modulated fields, and payloads may be aligned in time for the HE and EHT transmissions. The AP may ensure orthogonality for multiplexing the HE and EHT transmissions based on the alignment. In some implementations, a trigger frame may be utilized to indicate uplink transmission alignments.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for wireless communication, and particularly, methods, devices and systems for implementing a joint transmission feature in a wireless communication system. Using the joint transmission feature, multiple access points (APs) may use an aggregated collection of antennas of multiple APs to simultaneously transmit a joint beamformed transmission to one or more stations (STAs). The techniques in this disclosure may prevent or reduce variations in relative gain adjustments by the APs that could otherwise negatively impact the joint transmission. In some implementations, a network device may determine a normalized gain adjustment value based on power parameters associated with each of the multiple APs. In some other implementations, each AP may determine the normalized gain adjustment value based on power parameters shared between the APs.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for wireless communication, and particularly, methods, devices and systems for including signaling regarding enhanced features of new wireless communication protocols. The signaling may be included in various portions of a physical layer preamble of a wireless transmission. In some implementations, the physical layer preamble may be used to indicate puncturing of subbands or content channels that may carry further signaling in accordance with preamble signaling designs of this disclosure. The physical layer preamble signaling be parallelized for different subchannels of a wireless channel that consists of multiple subchannels. Some implementations of the physical layer preambles may be used to multiplex different types of wireless local area network communications into different subsets of the plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel.

Abstract: This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for wireless communication, and particularly, methods, devices and systems for including signaling regarding enhanced features of new wireless communication protocols. The signaling may be included in various portions of a physical layer preamble of a wireless transmission. In some implementations, the physical layer preamble may be used to indicate puncturing of subbands or content channels that may carry further signaling in accordance with preamble signaling designs of this disclosure. The physical layer preamble signaling be parallelized for different subchannels of a wireless channel that consists of multiple subchannels. Some implementations of the physical layer preambles may be used to multiplex different types of wireless local area network communications into different subsets of the plurality of subchannels of the wireless channel.

Abstract: Certain aspects relate to methods and apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus generally includes a first interface configured to output one first frame for transmission to solicit CSI feedback from each of one or more first wireless nodes associated with a first BSS and from each of one or more second wireless nodes associated with a second BSS, a second interface configured to obtain the CSI feedback solicited from the first and second wireless nodes, and a processing system configured to generate data frames for the first wireless nodes based on the CSI feedback solicited from the first wireless nodes, and one or more nulling frames based on the CSI feedback solicited from the second wireless nodes. The first interface is configured to simultaneously output the data frames for beamformed transmission to the first wireless nodes, and the nulling frames for beamformed transmission to the second wireless nodes.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for group formation and sounding for distributed multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). Some implementations include a method of wireless communication. The method includes transmitting, from a first access point of a plurality of access points, an announcement frame for performing a beamforming procedure for a distributed transmission. The distributed transmission includes a transmission from the plurality of access points. The announcement frame includes at least one identifier of a user terminal in a different basic service set than a basic service set of the first access point. The method further includes transmitting a packet for measuring a channel. The method further includes receiving feedback information from the user terminal based on the packet for measuring the channel.

Abstract: Certain aspects relate to methods and apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus generally includes a processing system configured to generate a first frame including an indication of unused resources in a first basic service set (BSS) available to be shared with one or more wireless nodes in one or more second BSSs. The apparatus also includes a first interface configured to output the first frame for transmission to the one or more wireless nodes.