Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described for buffer status report triggering. An access point (AP) may identify that an amount of uplink data queued in a buffer of a station is less than a predetermined threshold. The AP may determine that a buffer status report (BSR) trigger condition is satisfied by estimating that the station has data to transmit to the access point, or by identifying that the access point will schedule an uplink transmission for the station. The AP may transmit a BSR trigger to the station based at least in part on identifying that the amount of uplink data queued in the buffer is less than the predetermined threshold and determining that the BSR trigger condition is satisfied.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for wireless communications. A communication device may utilize enhanced roaming techniques to dynamically adjust signal strength thresholds in a high density AP environment. For instance, a communication device determines a signal strength of a communication link between a wireless device and an access point (AP). The communication device further compares the signal strength value to at least a low threshold and a high threshold and performs a channel scan for the communication link when the signal strength value is below the low threshold. The communication device also adjusts the low threshold when the signal strength value is greater than the high threshold.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for adaptive dwell time for scan procedures. A wireless station (STA) may identify a scan period during which a passive scan procedure is performed on a first channel. The STA may analyze a channel congestion metric during at least a portion of the scan period. The STA may transition from the passive scan procedure to an active scan procedure on the first channel during the scan period based at least in part on the analyzed channel congestion metric.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. An access point (AP) may win access to an unlicensed frequency channel for a transmission opportunity. For the transmission opportunity, the AP may dynamically schedule a duration of time to be used for uplink transmissions and a duration of time to be used for downlink transmissions. The schedule may be based on a comparison of values for a parameter monitored by the AP. The parameter may be monitored for uplink traffic and for downlink traffic. The parameter may indicate the latency experienced by each direction of traffic, or an intolerance of each direction of traffic to delay. The AP may schedule the uplink and downlink durations to compensate for the discrepancy in latency between the two directions of traffic.

Abstract: A device includes a memory, a processor, and a transceiver. The memory is configured to store capability data corresponding to a set of stations. The processor is configured to select, based at least in part on the capability data, one of a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) mode or an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) mode for wireless communication with a subset of the set of stations. The transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate with the subset in the selected one of the MU-MIMO mode or the OFDMA mode.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for communication time slot allocation in a communication network. In one aspect, a first network device may determine that a second network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a first latency, and determine that a third network device will transmit one or more packets associated with a second latency. The first network device may determine to allocate a greater quantity of communication time slots to the second network device than to the third network device based, at least in part, on the first latency being less than the second latency. The first network device may allocate a first plurality of communication time slots of a beacon period to the second network device, and allocate a second plurality of communication time slots of the beacon period to the third network device.

Abstract: A network device may transmit a short packet when the length of application data that will be transmitted does not exceed a threshold length. In some embodiments, the network device may transmit the application data in a frame control field of the short packet. The short packet may not include a payload field.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for deferral based on basic service set identification (BSSID) information. According to certain aspects, a method for wireless communications is provided. The method generally includes receiving, on a shared access medium, a packet having at least one deferral-related parameter and deciding whether to defer transmission on the shared access medium based, at least in part, on the deferral-related parameter. Another method may generally include generating a packet comprising at least one deferral-related parameter to be used by another apparatus for deciding whether or not the other apparatus should defer transmitting on a shared access medium and providing the packet to the other apparatus.

Abstract: A master network device determines to transmit data from the master network device to a plurality of client network devices of a network. In one example, the master network device can generate a data frame including a payload with a plurality of symbols. The payload may include at least one symbol allocated for each of the client network devices. The plurality of symbols may be arranged in a predefined pattern in the payload. In another example, the master network device may generate a data frame including a payload with one or more symbols. Each symbol may include a plurality of frequency carriers, and may include at least one frequency carrier allocated for each of the client network devices. The plurality of frequency carriers can be allotted to the client network devices according to a partitioning pattern. The master network device then transmits the data frame to the client network devices.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. An access point (AP) may win access to an unlicensed frequency channel for a transmission opportunity. For the transmission opportunity, the AP may dynamically schedule a duration of time to be used for uplink transmissions and a duration of time to be used for downlink transmissions. The schedule may be based on a comparison of values for a parameter monitored by the AP. The parameter may be monitored for uplink traffic and for downlink traffic. The parameter may indicate the latency experienced by each direction of traffic, or an intolerance of each direction of traffic to delay. The AP may schedule the uplink and downlink durations to compensate for the discrepancy in latency between the two directions of traffic.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for separately scheduling and grouping multiple wireless local area network (WLAN) users are disclosed. The apparatuses and methods include scheduling, at an access point (AP), multiple wireless stations (STAs) associated with the AP; identifying based at least in part on the ranking, a group of STAs from the STAs for transmission of data over a single orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) frame in a WLAN; and providing information resulting from scheduling the STAs and identifying the group of STAs to at least one of the STAs. In others aspects, the apparatuses and methods include receiving at an STA from an AP, scheduling information for a group of STAs including the STA; and transmitting based on the scheduling information, data over an OFDMA frame in an unlicensed or shared spectrum, the STA having a traffic load different from the traffic load of the at least one additional STA.

Abstract: A slotted message access protocol can be implemented for transmitting short packets. Each beacon period may be divided into multiple time slots. At least one time slot may be assigned to a network device per beacon period based, at least in part, on latency specifications of packets that the network device is configured to transmit. In one example, some of the unassigned time slots may be designated as contention-based time slots. Network devices may contend with each other to gain control of and transmit packets during a contention-based time slot based on the priority level of the packets to be transmitted. Network devices may also use an encryption key and an initialization vector for securely exchanging short packets. Furthermore, a repeater network device may be designated to retransmit a packet, received from an original transmitting network device, during a communication time slot assigned to the original transmitting network device.

Abstract: The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices for deferral based on transmission opportunity (TXOP) information. One aspect of the present disclosure provides An apparatus configured to wirelessly communicate. The apparatus includes a processing system configured to obtain a deferral-related parameter from a packet transmitted on a shared wireless access medium and decide whether to defer transmission on the shared wireless access medium based, at least in part, on the at least one deferral-related parameter.

Abstract: A network device may transmit a short packet when the length of application data that will be transmitted does not exceed a threshold length. In some embodiments, the network device may transmit the application data in a frame control field of the short packet. The short packet may not include a payload field. In other embodiments, the network device may support multiple short payload field lengths and may transmit the application data in a short payload field with an appropriate short payload field length. The network device may also support communication techniques to transmit the application data in the short packet.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that may adjust the likelihood and/or frequency with which a wireless device performs scanning operations to reduce power consumption without degrading the ability of the wireless device to identify the best available access point with which to associate. In some aspects, the wireless device may adjust the likelihood and/or frequency of performing scanning operations based on a motion state of the wireless device, a change in the motion state of the wireless device, a signal strength of an associated access point, and/or the connection status of the wireless device.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe various techniques for handling data stall in wireless local area networks (WLANs). These techniques include, for example, a method in which wireless communications are switched at a wireless station from a first network device associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) (e.g., WLAN technology) to a second network device associated with a second RAT (e.g., wireless wide area network (WWAN) technology). The wireless station may then monitor network devices associated with the first RAT, including the first network device. The wireless station may filter results from the monitoring based at least in part on one or more threshold value and identify, based on the filtered results, one of the network devices as suitable for the wireless communications. The wireless communications may then be switched at the wireless station from the second network device to the one network device identified as suitable for the wireless communications.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for managing multi-user multiple-input multiple-out (MU-MIMO) groups by a wireless device. For at least some embodiments, a wireless communication device may determine a MU-MIMO group by identifying a plurality of MU-MIMO capable stations, determine a plurality of MU-MIMO group candidates from the plurality of MU-MIMO capable STAs based, at least in part, on a predicted data throughput of an MU-MIMO group including at least one of the plurality of MU-MIMO capable STAs, and create a MU-MIMO group from the plurality of MU-MIMO candidates. The predicted data throughput may be based, at least in part, on media access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layer parameters. In some embodiments, the PHY layer parameters may include historic group size and/or historic multi-user signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio data.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for wireless communications. More particularly, the described features relate to techniques for adjusting a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to account for different airtime utilizations (available airtime actually utilized by a device for transmissions) resulting from different MCSs. In one example, a method for wireless communication may involve: determining a media access control (MAC) efficiency for a station of a plurality of stations based at least in part on a real-time multi-user (MU) physical protocol data unit (PPDU) length, a real-time physical layer service data unit (PSDU) length of each of the plurality of stations, and a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the station; adjusting a goodput estimate of the station using the MAC efficiency; and, adjusting the MCS of the station using the adjusted goodput estimate.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a pre-fetching architecture and scheduler for multi-station APs. An example method generally includes fetching, from a plurality of host buffers, descriptive information for a set of packets based, at least in part, on an amount of descriptive information already cached for transmission to one or more target devices; using the fetched descriptive information to obtain the set of packets; and transmitting the set of packets to the one or more target devices.

Abstract: A method includes determining, at a first transmitter, a clear channel access (CCA) threshold associated with reuse of a first transmit opportunity (TXOP) of a message. The method further includes sending, from the first transmitter to a first receiver, at least a portion of the message, wherein the portion of the message indicates the CCA threshold.