Patent ID: 8660008

Claim:
A method comprising: (a) providing an access point supporting at least a communication session of a plurality of communication sessions, each communication session associated with a client station of a plurality of client stations operating according to a first predetermined standard and comprising a plurality of frames, the access point comprising a first receiver operating according to a second predetermined standard, a first transmitter operating according to a third predetermined standard, an over-the-air measurement circuit, a load distribution control circuit, and a microprocessor; (b) determining with the over-the-air measurement circuit for each communication session at least one load utilization of a plurality of load utilizations, each load utilization associated with at least a predetermined traffic class of a plurality of traffic classes; (c) determining with the microprocessor for each traffic class an accumulated load utilization in dependence upon at least the plurality of load utilizations relating to the plurality of communication sessions associated with that traffic class; (d) determining with the microprocessor whether a predetermined threshold of a plurality of thresholds has been exceeded, the predetermined threshold relating to a predetermined traffic class or a plurality of traffic classes; and (e) performing an action of a plurality of actions with the load distribution control circuit when the determination made by the microprocessor is that a predetermined threshold of the plurality of thresholds has been exceeded; wherein performing an action comprises at least one of selectively reducing to a first predetermined level the output power of the first transmitter beacon transmissions; and selectively reducing to a first predetermined level the output power of the first transmitter for transmissions for frames intended only for each station within a predetermined subset of client stations.