A wireless access point broadcasts a unique RF domain identifier for each supported service set per radio. Within a wireless local area network (“WLAN”) the RF domain identifier is unique for each supported service set, and hence identifies the service set. In addition to identifying the service sets supported by the access point, RF domain identifiers may be used to adjust transmit power in order to differentiate service sets. For example, if a first access point receives a beacon with an RF domain identifier transmitted by a second access point, the transmit power of communications associated with the service set associated with the received RF domain identifier is reduced at the first access point if that service set is also supported on the same radio by the first access point. In one embodiment the first and second access points both reduce transmit power until the beacons are no longer received by the respective nearby access point. The transmit power of communications associated with other service sets and other radios are not effected by the transmit power reduction, i.e., the access point may reduce transmit power of overlapping service set communications while contemporaneously transmitting communications of non-overlapping service sets at full power.
1. Apparatus for providing radio frequency (“RF”) access in support of at least one service to a client device, comprising:
a receiver operable to receive communications from the client device and to receive an RF domain identifier transmitted by another device;
processing logic operable to determine whether the service associated with the received RF domain identifier has a higher priority than supported services, and to reduce transmit power of communications associated with supported services having lower priority than the service associated with the received RF domain identifier; and
a transmitter operable to transmit communications to the client device, the transmitter being further operable to support multiple services, and to transmit an RF domain identifier associated with each supported service,
wherein the supported service includes at least one of:
all service types provided by a communications service provider;
a subset of service types provided by the service provider;
a particular service type associated with a service provider; and
at least one service type provided by multiple communications service providers; and
wherein the service types include at least one of voice, video, data, Internet access, and local area network (“LAN”) access to applications.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is further operable to transmit a unique RF domain identifier for each supported service per radio.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the RF domain identifier is included in a beacon.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including processing logic operable to reduce transmit power of communications associated with a service following detection of overlapping support for the service by the other device.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein communications associated with two different services are transmitted at different power levels.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 further including processing logic operable to transmit communications associated with a supported service having lower priority at a relatively lower power than a service having a relatively higher priority.
7. A method for providing radio frequency (“RF”) access in support of at least one service to a client device, comprising: receiving communications from the client device; transmitting communications to the client device; supporting multiple services by broadcasting an RF domain identifier associated with each supported service, wherein the supported service includes at least one of:
all service types provided by a communications service provider;
a subset of service types provided by the service provider;
a particular service type associated with a service provider; and
at least one service type provided by multiple communications service providers; and wherein the service types include at least one of voice, video, data, Internet access, and local area network (“LAN”) access to applications; and
receiving an RF domain identifier transmitted by another device; and determining whether the service associated with the received RF domain identifier has a higher priority than supported services; and reducing transmit power of communications associated with supported services having lower priority than the service associated with the received RF domain identifier.
8. The method of claim 7 further including the step of broadcasting a unique RF domain identifier per radio for each supported service.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the RF domain identifier is included in a beacon.
10. The method of claim 7 further including the step of reducing transmit power of communications associated with the service associated with the received RF domain identifier, provided that service is supported via the same radio, i.e., service support overlaps.
11. The method of claim 10 further including the step of transmitting at different power levels communications associated with two different services.
12. The method of claim 7 further including the step of reducing transmit power of communications associated with supported services having lower priority than the service associated with the received RF domain identifier.
13. The method of claim 7 wherein transmit power of communications associated with supported services having equal or higher priority than the service associated with the received RF domain identifier are not reduced.