Control of antenna steering of a wireless device

A method, comprising:

• selecting at least one of a plurality of beamforming direction settings of a multiple antenna array of a radio of a wireless device;
• retrieving spatial relationships between each of different beamforming directions of the plurality of beamforming direction settings;
• receiving, by the radio of the wireless device, a wireless signal from a base station and measuring one or more signal metrics of the wireless signal;
• sensing motion of the wireless device;
• identifying a wireless connection direction for establishing a wireless connection with the base station based on the one or more signal metrics, the at least one of the plurality of beamforming direction settings used while receiving the wireless signal, and an orientation of the wireless device determined based on the sensed motion of the wireless device;
• and
• selecting a one of the plurality of beamforming direction settings for communicating with the base station based on the wireless connection direction, a one of the plurality of beamforming settings that corresponds with the wireless connection direction, and the sensed motion of the wireless device;
• wherein a timing for reselecting a one of the plurality of beamforming settings for communicating with the base station is synchronized with a sleep cycle of receive and transmit chains of the wireless device.

A wireless device, comprising:

• a radio operative to establish a wireless connection to a base station through a satellite;
• a multiple antenna array of the radio operative to form beams for facilitating the wireless connection;
• a controller, the controller operative to:
• select at least one of a plurality of beamforming direction settings of the multiple antenna array of the radio of the wireless device;
• retrieve spatial relationships between each of different beamforming directions of the plurality of beamforming direction settings;
• wherein the radio further operates to receive a wireless signal from the base station and measure one or more signal metrics of the wireless signal;
• one or more motion sensors operative to sense motion of the wireless device;
• wherein the controller is further operative to:
• identify a wireless connection direction for establishing the wireless connection with the base station based on the one or more signal metrics, the at least one of a plurality of beamforming direction settings used while receiving the wireless signal, and an orientation of the wireless device determine based on the sensed motion of the wireless device;
• and
• select a one of the plurality of beamforming direction settings for communicating with the base station based on the wireless connection direction, a one of the plurality of beamforming settings that corresponds with the wireless connection direction, and the sensed motion of the wireless device.