Patent ID: 7463644

Claim:
A method comprising: measuring a communication channel characteristic of a wireless communication channel for a local wireless network node of a network of nodes; determining a local transmission threshold for the local wireless network node based on the measured communication channel characteristic, wherein the local transmission threshold includes a physical carrier sense threshold indicating a threshold level of interference that is tolerable for a physical layer of the local wireless network node, where interference sensed in the network by the local wireless network node exceeding the local transmission threshold causes the local wireless network node to back off from transmission; receiving a transmission threshold from a remote network node, the received transmission threshold indicating a threshold level of interference that is tolerable for a physical layer of the remote network node, where interference sensed in the network by the remote network node exceeding the received transmission threshold causes the remote network node to back off from transmission; and adjusting automatically the hardware settings of the physical layer of the local wireless network node based on the local transmission threshold and the received transmission threshold, including selecting the lower transmission threshold of the local transmission threshold and the received transmission threshold, and adjusting the hardware settings to make the wireless network node responsive to the selected transmission threshold, where interference exceeding the selected transmission threshold causes the local wireless network node to back off from transmission on the wireless communication channel.