Method for improved synchronization between a transmitter and a receiver on a wireless network

A device for estimating timing and/or frequency of a wireless signal, the device comprising:

• a receiver module configured to receive a digitally modulated signal;
• an antenna unit communicatively coupled to the receiver module;
• a packet detect module configured to analyze a PHY protocol data unit (PPDU), the PPDU having a plurality of signal samples associated therewith;
• a correlator configured to perform operations on the plurality of signal samples;
• and
• at least one processor and memory, the memory having software that when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;
• receiving the digitally modulated signal,
• extracting the plurality of signal samples associated with a short training field (STF) of the PPDU of a frame,
• performing correlation operations on the plurality of signal samples to generate a number of correlation peaks,
• comparing the generated correlation peaks with a variable dynamic threshold, and
• calculating timing and/or frequency of the digitally modulated signal using the outcome of the comparing step,
• wherein comparing the generated correlation peaks with the variable dynamic threshold is performed in time windows only, and
• within each of the time windows, the generated correlation peaks are compared with the variable dynamic threshold, whilst outside of the time windows the generated correlation peaks are compared with a highest correlation peak detected for the digitally modulated signal.