Polling beacon

A method comprising:

• transmitting, by a wireless first access point (AP), a first information element and a second information element, wherein the first information element indicates whether the first AP currently responds to beacon poll frames and the second information element indicates that the first AP is activating or deactivating a beacon-polling process;
• receiving by the first AP a beacon poll frame from a wireless station (STA) during an identified transmission opportunity for the STA;
• and
• in response to receiving the beacon poll frame, transmitting a unicast beacon frame from the first AP to the STA, wherein the unicast beacon frame replaces a periodic broadcast beacon frame for the STA and is transmitted at a higher rate than the replaced periodic broadcast beacon frame, the STA is configured to receive both higher rate unicast beacon frames from the first AP and periodic broadcast beacon frames from a wireless second AP.

A wireless station (STA) comprising:

• a receiver to receive a first information element and a second information element from a wireless first access point (AP), wherein the first information element indicates whether the first AP currently responds to beacon poll frames and the second information element indicates that the first AP is activating or deactivating a beacon-polling process;
• a controller to identify a transmission opportunity on a wireless medium;
• a transmitter to transmit a beacon poll frame from the STA to the first AP during the identified transmission opportunity;
• and
• wherein the receiver is further to receive a unicast beacon frame from the first AP, wherein the unicast beacon frame replaces a periodic broadcast beacon frame for the STA and is transmitted at a higher rate than the replaced periodic broadcast beacon frame, and to receive a periodic broadcast beacon frame from a wireless second AP.

A wireless first access point (AP) comprising:

• a transmitter to transmit a first information element and a second information element, wherein the first information element indicates whether the first AP currently responds to beacon poll frames and the second information element indicates that the first AP is activating or deactivating a beacon-polling process;
• a receiver to receive a beacon poll frame from a wireless station (STA) during an identified transmission opportunity of the STA;
• and
• wherein the transmitter is further to transmit a unicast beacon frame to the STA in response to the beacon poll frame, wherein the unicast beacon frame replaces a periodic broadcast beacon frame for the STA and is transmitted at a higher rate than the replaced periodic broadcast beacon frame, the STA is configured to receive both higher rate unicast beacon frames from the first AP and periodic broadcast beacon frames from a wireless second AP.

A method of implementing a beacon-polling process between a wireless station (STA) and a wireless first access point (AP), comprising

• providing a frame in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard with the STA, the frame including a frame subtype field having a bit set to identify the frame as a beacon-polling frame;
• receiving, by the STA, a first information element and a second information element from the first AP, wherein the first information element indicates whether the first AP currently responds to beacon poll frames and the second information element indicates that the first AP is activating or deactivating a beacon-polling process;
• transmitting the frame from the STA to the first AP;
• receiving a unicast beacon frame by the STA, wherein the unicast beacon frame replaces a periodic broadcast beacon frame for the STA and is transmitted at a higher rate than the replaced periodic broadcast beacon frame;
• and
• receiving at least one periodic broadcast beacon frame from a wireless second AP by the STA.

A method comprising:

• identifying a transmission opportunity by a wireless station (STA);
• transmitting a beacon poll frame from the STA to a wireless access point (AP) during the identified transmission opportunity;
• receiving by the STA a unicast beacon frame in response to the beacon poll frame, wherein the unicast beacon frame is from the AP and replaces a periodic broadcast beacon frame for the STA, wherein the unicast beacon frame comprises one of a regular beacon frame and a modified beacon frame, and wherein the STA is configured to receive both higher rate unicast beacon frames and periodic broadcast beacon frames from the AP;
• and
• receiving an information element by the STA, wherein the information element is from the AP and indicates whether the AP currently responds to beacon poll frames with the periodic broadcast beacon frame or the unicast beacon frame.