Multi-link communication
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatuses for associating a wireless communication device such as a wireless station (STA) of a STA multi-link device (MLD) with an access point (AP) MLD that includes a first AP associated with a first communication link of the AP MLD and includes one or more secondary APs associated with one or more respective secondary communication links of the first AP MLD. The first AP includes one or more virtual APs, and the first AP and the one or more virtual APs of the first AP belong to a first multiple basic service set identifier (BSSID) set associated with the first communication link. The AP MLD transmits a frame including a first element carrying discovery information for the first AP and the one or more virtual APs belonging to the first multiple BSSID set, and including a second element carrying discovery information for the one or more secondary APs of the first AP MLD associated with the one or more respective secondary communication links of the first AP MLD.
1 . A method for wireless communication performed by a non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
receiving first information from an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), the AP MLD comprising a plurality of APs corresponding to a first communication link and one or more second communication links;
transmitting, based at least in part on the first information, a multi-link (ML) request to the AP MLD, the ML request comprising a multi-link element that comprises one or more per-STA profile subelements, each per-STA profile subelement comprising second information for a second communication link of the one or more second communication links associated with a respective STA of the non-AP MLD;
receiving association information or discovery information for the plurality of APs that corresponds to the first communication link and the one or more second communication links and that is based at least in part on the second information;
associating the non-AP MLD with the AP MLD based at least in part on the association information or the discovery information; and
communicating with the AP MLD on one or more of the first communication link or the one or more second communication links.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a common information field that comprises information common to the one or more second communication links.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises a data field that indicates the information for a corresponding second communication link of the one or more second communication links.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises a control field that indicates a link identifier for a respective second communication link of the one or more second communication links.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises an identifier for each respective per-STA profile.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises a timing synchronization offset field.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, in response to the ML request, an ML response that indicates the association information or discovery information and comprises a second multi-link element that includes information for confirming or renegotiating one or more capabilities of the non-AP MLD.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first information comprises capability information, one or more communication parameters, or both, that correspond to the first communication link and at the one or more communication links, and wherein the second information comprises an indication of the first communication link or one of the one or more second communication links as an anchor link.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ML request is an ML association request or an ML reassociation request.
10 . A non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
a processing system that includes processor circuitry and memory circuitry that stores code, the processing system configured to cause the non-AP MLD to:
receive first information from an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), the AP MLD comprising a plurality of APs corresponding to a first communication link and one or more second communication links;
transmit a multi-link (ML) request to the AP MLD, the ML request comprising a multi-link element that comprises one or more per-STA profile subelements, each per-STA profile subelement comprising second information for a second communication link of the one or more second communication links associated with a respective STA of the non-AP MLD;
receive association information or discovery information for the plurality of APs that corresponds to the first communication link and the one or more second communication links;
associate the non-AP MLD with the AP MLD based at least in part on the association information or the discovery information; and
communicate with the AP MLD on one or more of the first communication link or the one or more second communication links.
11 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a common information field that comprises information common to the one or more second communication links.
12 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises a data field that indicates the information for a corresponding second communication link of the one or more second communication links.
13 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises a control field that indicates a link identifier for a respective second communication link of the one or more second communication links.
14 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises an identifier for each respective per-STA profile.
15 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein each respective per-STA profile comprises a timing synchronization offset field.
16 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the non-AP MLD to:
receive, in response to the ML request, an ML response that indicates the association information or discovery information and comprises a second multi-link element that includes information for establishing a common security context for communications between the non-AP MLD and the AP MLD.
17 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein the first information comprises capability information, one or more communication parameters, or both, that correspond to the first communication link and at the one or more communication links, and wherein the second information comprises an indication of the first communication link or one of the one or more second communication links as an anchor link.
18 . The non-AP MLD of claim 10 , wherein the ML request is an ML association request or an ML reassociation request.
19 . A non-access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), comprising:
means for receiving first information from an access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD), the AP MLD comprising a plurality of APs corresponding to a first communication link and one or more second communication links;
means for transmitting a multi-link (ML) request to the AP MLD, the ML request comprising a multi-link element that comprises one or more per-STA profile subelements, each per-STA profile subelement comprising second information for a second communication link of the one or more second communication links associated with a respective STA of a non-access point (AP) MLD;
means for receiving association information or discovery information for the plurality of APs that corresponds to the first communication link and the one or more second communication links;
means for associating the non-AP MLD with the AP MLD based at least in part on the association information or the discovery information; and
means for communicating with the AP MLD on one or more of the first communication link or the one or more second communication links.
20 . The non-AP MLD of claim 19 , wherein the multi-link element comprises a common information field that comprises information common to the one or more second communication links.