Method and apparatus for reducing power consumption of a communications device during periods in which the communications device receives idle frames from another communications device

A method of operating a first transceiver, the first transceiver operable to establish a first connection with a second transceiver over a channel, the method comprising:

• maintaining communication parameters for the first connection with the second transceiver;
• processing signals received over the channel according to the communication parameters;
• monitoring for idle frames from the second transceiver;
• beginning running of a first idle period in response to receiving a predetermined number of consecutive idle frames, wherein the predetermined number of consecutive idle frames is greater than one, and wherein the first idle period has a first predetermined length, wherein the first predetermined length is known a priori to both the first transceiver and the second transceiver, and wherein a communications protocol defines a format for the idle frames and specifies that the idle frames be transmitted in the absence of data frames being available for transmission;
• during the first idle period, suspending adaptation of the communication parameters for the first connection with the second transceiver;
• upon an end of the first idle period, (i) receiving a first frame from the second transceiver, (ii) determining present conditions of the channel based on the first frame, (iii) in response to a comparison between the present channel conditions and prior channel conditions exceeding a predetermined threshold, selectively adapting the communication parameters for the first connection with the second transceiver based on the present channel conditions, and (iv) selectively beginning running of a second idle period based on idle frames received subsequent to the end of the first idle period;
• and
• suspending transmitting frames to the second transceiver during the first idle period and the second idle period.