Combined omni- and directional- communications in high-frequency wireless networks

An apparatus, comprising a first wireless network device containing a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a processor, the first wireless network device to:

• directionally transmit, within a first sector, a first transmission including an identifier of the first sector;
• directionally transmit, within a second sector, a second transmission including an identifier of the second sector;
• omnidirectionally receive a millimeter wave response transmission from a second wireless network device, the response including an identifier of a particular one of the first and second sectors, the response further including an identifier of a third sector, the third sector used by the second wireless network device to transmit the response transmission;
• and
• directionally transmit, within the particular one of the first and second sectors, information to the second wireless network device, the information including an identifier of the third sector.

An article comprising a tangible machine-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:

• directionally transmitting, within a first sector, a first transmission including an identifier of the first sector;
• directionally transmitting, within a second sector, a second transmission including an identifier of the second sector;
• omnidirectionally receiving a millimeter wave response transmission from a second wireless network device, the response including an identifier of a particular one of the first and second sectors, the response further including an identifier of a third sector, the third sector used by the second wireless network device to transmit the response transmission;
• and
• directionally transmitting, within the particular one of the first and second sectors, information to the second wireless network device, the information including an identifier of the third sector.

An apparatus, comprising a first wireless network device having a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a processor, the first wireless network device to:

• omnidirectionally receive a first transmission including an identifier of a first sector within which the first transmission was transmitted by a second wireless network device;
• directionally transmit to the second wireless network device, within a second sector, a first response including an identifier of the second sector;
• directionally transmit to the second wireless network device, within a third sector, a second response including an identifier of the third sector;
• omnidirectionally receive, from the second wireless network device, information containing an identifier of a particular one of the second and third sectors;
• and
• directionally transmit additional information to the second wireless network device, within the sector identified by the identifier of the particular one of the second and third sectors.

An article comprising a tangible machine-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising:

• omnidirectionally receiving a first transmission including an identifier of a first sector within which the first transmission was transmitted by a second wireless network device;
• directionally transmitting to the second wireless network device, within a second sector, a first response including an identifier of the second sector;
• directionally transmitting to the second wireless network device, within a third sector, a second response including an identifier of the third sector;
• omnidirectionally receiving, from the second wireless network device, information containing an identifier of a particular one of the second and third sectors;
• and
• directionally transmitting additional information to the second wireless network device, within the sector identified by the identifier of the particular one of the second and third sectors.