Full bandwidth protection mechanism for co-existence of single/multi-channel wide-bandwidth wireless systems
A technique to provide a protection mechanism, when operating over a plurality of channels in one's own BSS, to help avoid components in other BSSs from interfering or generating contention conflicts to those channels during its own communication. In one embodiment, a channel reservation signal, such as a Clear-To-Send-To-Self frame, is broadcast across each of a plurality of channels in order to reserve the plurality of wireless channels for a predetermined period of time. A broadcast or multicast frame may then be transmitted during the predetermined time utilizing one or more of the reserved wireless channels.
1. A method comprising:
identifying, by use of a wireless communication device operating within a first Basic Service Set (BSS), a plurality of channels to be utilized for an operating bandwidth as specified by a communication protocol, in which the plurality of channels include a primary channel and at least one sub-channel;
broadcasting a channel reservation signal, in accordance with the communication protocol, across each of the plurality of channels to reserve each of the plurality of channels for a predetermined period of time; and
transmitting, from the wireless communication device and in accordance with the communication protocol, a broadcast or multicast frame following the channel reservation signal, in which the broadcast or multicast frame utilizes one or more of the plurality of channels, but in which the plurality of channels of the operating bandwidth are reserved for the transmitting of the broadcast or multicast frame as a result of the broadcasting of the channel reservation signal by the wireless communication device to recipient communication devices within wireless communication range of the wireless communication device, including recipient communication devices operating in a second BSS.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel reservation signal is a Clear-To-Send-To-Self (CTS2SELF) frame broadcast from the wireless communication device, in which the CTS2SELF frame is transmitted across each of the plurality of channels.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel reservation signal is a Clear-To-Send-To-Self (CTS2SELF) frame broadcast from the wireless communication device prior to a broadcast or multicast transmission of the broadcast or multicast frame, in which the CTS2SELF frame is transmitted across each of the plurality of channels.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the broadcast or multicast frame following the CTS2SELF frame includes a beacon or a probe request broadcast over the primary channel.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication protocol is a version of an 802.11 protocol that utilizes multiple channels for transmission.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication protocol is an 802.11n or an 802.11ac protocol.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and a full bandwidth of 40 MHz, as the operating bandwidth, is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and one sub-channel.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and a full bandwidth of 80 MHz, as the operating bandwidth, is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and three sub-channels.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and a full bandwidth of 160 MHz, as the operating bandwidth, is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and seven sub-channels.
10. An apparatus comprising:
a baseband processor to identify a plurality of channels to be utilized for an operating bandwidth as specified by a communication protocol, in which the plurality of channels include a primary channel and at least one sub-channel, and the baseband processor is configured to generate a channel reservation signal; and
a radio front-end configured with the baseband processor to broadcast the channel reservation signal, in accordance with the communication protocol, across each of the plurality of channels to reserve each of the plurality of channels for a predetermined period of time and the radio front-end to transmit a broadcast or multicast flame following the channel reservation signal, in which the broadcast or multicast flame utilizes one or more of the plurality of channels, but in which the plurality of channels are reserved by the channel reservation signal for the transmission of the broadcast or multicast flame as a result of the broadcast of the channel reservation signal by the apparatus to recipient communication devices within wireless communication range of the apparatus, including recipient communication devices of another Basic Service Set (BSS) operating external to a BSS that includes the apparatus.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the channel reservation signal is a Clear-To-Send-To-Self (CTS2SELF) frame transmitted prior to a broadcast or multicast transmission of the broadcast or multicast frame following the channel reservation signal, in which the CTS2SELF frame is transmitted across the plurality of channels.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and a full bandwidth of 40 MHz, as the operating bandwidth, is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and three sub-channels.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and a full bandwidth of 80 MHz, as the operating bandwidth, is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and three sub-channels.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and a full bandwidth of 160 MHz, as the operating bandwidth, is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and seven sub-channels.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the communication protocol is an 802.11n or an 802.11ac protocol.
16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the broadcast or multicast frame following the CTS2SELF frame includes a beacon or a probe request broadcast over the primary channel.
17. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first device in a wireless network, a Clear-To-Send-To-Self (CTS2SELF) frame broadcast from a second device in the wireless network over a plurality of channels to be utilized for a full bandwidth transmission as specified by a communication protocol, in which the plurality of channels include a primary channel and at least one sub-channel, the CTS2SELF frame operating in accordance with the communication protocol to reserve the plurality of channels for a predetermined period of time;
delaying, in the first device, transmissions according to the communication protocol over the plurality of channels for the predetermined period of time; and
receiving broadcast or multicast data from the second device at the first device following the CTS2SELF frame, in which the broadcast or multicast data is provided over one or more of the plurality of channels in accordance with the communication protocol, but in which the plurality of channels are reserved for the transmission of the broadcast or multicast data following the CTS2SELF frame.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of channels respectively have a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz and the full bandwidth of 40 MHz, 80 MHz or 160 MHz is obtained by utilizing one primary channel and one or more sub-channels.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the communication protocol is a version of an 802.11 protocol that utilizes multiple channels for data transmission.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the broadcast or multicast data following the CTS2SELF frame includes a beacon or a probe request broadcast over the primary channel.