Patent ID: 8498579

Claim:
A method of communicating among stations coupled to a shared communication medium, comprising: receiving signals from a first plurality of the stations in a first network through the shared communication medium that is shared with a second plurality of the stations in a second network, determining signal strength values for each of the received signals from the first plurality of the stations in the first network based on at least a portion of a detected preamble of a received signal, wherein the detected preamble is received at a higher signal strength than a remaining portion of the received signal, receiving an indicator of signal strength values determined for received signals among the second plurality of the stations in the second network; and based on the signal strength values for each of the received signals from the first plurality of the stations in the first network and based on the indicator of the signal strength values determined for the received signals among the second plurality of the stations in the second network, selecting a detection threshold such that, in response to a signal having a signal strength in excess of the detection threshold, the signal is processed according to a protocol of the first plurality of the stations and is not processed according to a protocol of the second plurality of the stations.