Sounding packet format for long range WLAN

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface configured to
• generate a signal field, wherein generating the signal field comprises including in the signal field a sub-field that indicates a number of spatial or space-time streams corresponding to the NDP sounding packet, wherein the sub-field corresponds to a portion of the signal field that, when included in regular packets that are not NDP sounding packets, is used for a purpose other than indicating a number of spatial or space-time streams,
• generate one or more long training fields,
• modulate the preamble portion using a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, wherein symbol duration of each OFDM symbol of the plurality of OFDM symbols is at least 8 μs, and
• generate the NDP sounding packet to include the plurality of OFDM symbols, wherein the NDP sounding packet does omits a data payload portion.

A method comprising:

• generating a regular data unit that includes a data payload portion, wherein the data unit is to be transmitted in an extended range physical layer (PHY) mode;
• generating a signal field including generating a first subfield and a second subfield, wherein the signal field is to be included in one of i) a preamble of the regular data unit or ii) a first null data packet (NDP) to be transmitted in the extended range mode;
• generating a second NDP sounding packet according to a first PHY sounding packet format specified by a communication protocol, wherein the second NDP sounding packet is to be transmitted in a normal PHY mode;
• and
• generating the first NDP sounding packet according to a second PHY sounding packet format defined by the communication protocol, wherein the NDP sounding packet is to be transmitted in the extended range PHY mode.

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface configured to
• generate a regular data unit that includes a data payload portion, wherein the regular data unit is to be transmitted in an extended range physical layer (PHY) mode,
• generate a signal field including generating a first subfield and a second subfield, wherein the signal field is to be included in one of i) a preamble of the regular data unit or ii) a first null data packet (NDP) sounding packet to be transmitted in the extended range mode,
• generate a second NDP sounding packet according to a first PHY sounding packet format specified by a communication protocol, wherein the second NDP sounding packet is to be transmitted in a normal PHY mode, and
• generate the first NDP sounding packet according to a second PHY sounding packet format defined by the communication protocol, wherein the first NDP sounding packet is to be transmitted in an extended range PHY mode.