A computer-implemented method, comprising: identifying, by a wireless communication device, an access point (104, 106) for a wireless network through a connection procedure by: transmitting multiple probe requests, wherein at least some of the probe requests are transmitted according to different degraded sets of uplink transmission quality parameters, and wherein the probe requests are transmitted with different media access control, MAC, addresses; receiving, by the wireless communication device, responses to the probe requests from the access point, the responses corresponding to particular probe requests transmitted according to particular degraded sets of uplink transmission parameters; and assessing, by the wireless communication device, a sufficiency of the degraded sets of uplink transmission quality parameters for communicating with the access point based on the received responses; initiating, by the wireless communication device, the connection procedure to establish a wireless connection between the wireless communication device and the access point, including: (i) selecting a degraded set of uplink transmission quality parameters that correspond to a higher signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, than a baseline set of uplink transmission quality parameters, and (ii) transmitting messages from the wireless communication device to the access point during the connection procedure, according to the degraded set of uplink transmission quality parameters; and establishing the wireless connection between the wireless communication device and the access point as a result of completion of the connection procedure. identifying, by a wireless communication device, an access point (104, 106) for a wireless network through a connection procedure by: transmitting multiple probe requests, wherein at least some of the probe requests are transmitted according to different degraded sets of uplink transmission quality parameters, and wherein the probe requests are transmitted with different media access control, MAC, addresses; receiving, by the wireless communication device, responses to the probe requests from the access point, the responses corresponding to particular probe requests transmitted according to particular degraded sets of uplink transmission parameters; and assessing, by the wireless communication device, a sufficiency of the degraded sets of uplink transmission quality parameters for communicating with the access point based on the received responses; transmitting multiple probe requests, wherein at least some of the probe requests are transmitted according to different degraded sets of uplink transmission quality parameters, and wherein the probe requests are transmitted with different media access control, MAC, addresses; receiving, by the wireless communication device, responses to the probe requests from the access point, the responses corresponding to particular probe requests transmitted according to particular degraded sets of uplink transmission parameters; and assessing, by the wireless communication device, a sufficiency of the degraded sets of uplink transmission quality parameters for communicating with the access point based on the received responses; initiating, by the wireless communication device, the connection procedure to establish a wireless connection between the wireless communication device and the access point, including: (i) selecting a degraded set of uplink transmission quality parameters that correspond to a higher signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, than a baseline set of uplink transmission quality parameters, and (ii) transmitting messages from the wireless communication device to the access point during the connection procedure, according to the degraded set of uplink transmission quality parameters; and (i) selecting a degraded set of uplink transmission quality parameters that correspond to a higher signal-to-noise ratio, SNR, than a baseline set of uplink transmission quality parameters, and (ii) transmitting messages from the wireless communication device to the access point during the connection procedure, according to the degraded set of uplink transmission quality parameters; and establishing the wireless connection between the wireless communication device and the access point as a result of completion of the connection procedure.