Patent ID: 7587173

Claim:
A method for operating an access point in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the access point comprising a directional antenna for communicating with at least one remote station based upon an exchange of packet data comprising a preamble and a data frame, the method comprising: communicating with the at least one remote station using a current angle of the directional antenna; scanning during a preamble a plurality of alternate angles of the directional antenna for communicating with the at least one remote station; measuring during the same preamble respective signals received via the current angle and each alternate angle from the at least one remote station; selecting during the same preamble the current angle or one of the alternate angles as a preferred angle based upon the measured signals for continuing communications with the at least one remote station, with the communications being continued during the data frame using the selected preferred angle without repeating the steps for selecting a new preferred angle; and storing the selected preferred angle of the at least one remote station, and during a next preamble, the stored preferred angle becomes a new current angle and the steps are repeated for selecting the new current angle or the alternate angle.