Wireless messaging preambles allowing for beamforming and legacy device coexistence

A system for transmitting signals in a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless devices, the system comprising:

• an extended wireless device transmitting data as a packet, wherein the extended wireless device communicates using a standard protocol understood by each of a plurality of wireless devices and an extended protocol not understood by one or more legacy wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices, the extended wireless device determining if the packet is to be directed at another extended wireless device or a legacy wireless device, wherein upon determining that the packet is to be directed to another extended wireless device, the extended wireless device transmits a preamble of the packet that is usable in an extended mode at extended wireless devices and usable at receiving legacy wireless devices to determine that the receiving legacy wireless devices are not the destination of data to follow the preamble, wherein the preamble contains a SIG-N field, the SIG-N field containing an indicator indicating that portions of the packet following the SIG-N field are beamformed, and the extended wireless device waits until a time period when the receiving legacy wireless devices are expected to be deferring the network, and then beamforms other portions of the packet.

A system for transmitting signals in a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless devices, the system comprising:

• means for transmitting data as a packet, wherein the means for transmitting communicates using a standard protocol understood by each of a plurality of wireless devices and an extended protocol not understood by one or more legacy wireless devices of the plurality of wireless devices, the means for transmitting determining if the packet is to be directed at another extended wireless device or a legacy wireless device, wherein upon determining that the packet is to be directed to another extended wireless device, the means for transmitting transmits a preamble of the packet that is usable in an extended mode at extended wireless devices and usable at receiving legacy wireless devices to determine that the receiving legacy wireless devices are not the destination of data to follow the preamble, wherein the preamble contains a SIG-N field, the SIG-N field containing an indicator indicating that portions of the packet following the SIG-N field are beamformed, and the means for transmitting waits until a time period when the receiving legacy wireless devices are expected to be deferring the network, and then beamforms other portions of the packet.