Patent ID: 7609648
Filing Date: 2009-10-27
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for operating an access point in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the access point comprising a directional antenna for communicating in a forward link with at least one remote station based upon an exchange of packet data comprising a plurality of control frames and a data frame, the directional antenna comprising a plurality of antenna patterns, the method comprising: receiving at the access point in the forward link with the at least one remote station a first control frame via a first antenna pattern of the directional antenna from the at least one remote station; transmitting at the access point a first data frame to the at least one remote station; receiving at the access point a second control frame via a second antenna pattern of the directional antenna from the at least one remote station; measuring at the access point a signal quality of the first control frame received via the first antenna pattern and a signal quality of the second control frame received via the second antenna pattern; comparing at the access point the respective measured signal qualities associated with the first and second antenna patterns; and selecting at the access point the first or second antenna pattern of the directional antenna based on the comparing.