Sounding and steering protocols for wireless communications

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a sounding packet to wireless communication devices;

receiving, in response to the sounding packet, feedback packets from the wireless communication devices, wherein the feedback packets collectively comprise beamforming feedback, the beamforming feedback being derived from received versions of the sounding packet;

determining a steering matrix based on the beamforming feedback; and

transmitting, within a frame, spatially steered data packets to the wireless communications devices,

wherein the spatially steered data packets are based on the steering matrix and data streams intended respectively for the wireless communication devices,

wherein the spatially steered data packets concurrently provide the data streams respectively within the frame to the wireless communication devices via different spatial wireless channels.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beamforming feedback respectively comprise compressed versions of beamforming matrices, the compressed versions of beamforming matrices being derived from the received versions of the sounding packet.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the steering matrix comprises using a spatial mapping matrix, and wherein the sounding packet is based on the spatial mapping matrix.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the sounding packet comprises transmitting a null data packet (NDP).

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising:

transmitting a NDP announcement packet to indicate that the NDP will be transmitted.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sounding packet comprises training fields.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a quantity of the training fields is included in a signal field of the sounding packet.

8. An apparatus comprising:

transceiver electronics to communicate with wireless communication devices; and

processor electronics coupled with the transceiver electronics and configured to

control a transmission of a sounding packet to the wireless communication devices,

receive, in response to the sounding packet, feedback packets from the wireless communication devices, wherein the feedback packets collectively comprise beamforming feedback, the beamforming feedback being derived from received versions of the sounding packet,

determine a steering matrix based on the beamforming feedback, and

control a transmission, within a frame, of spatially steered data packets to the wireless communications devices,

wherein the spatially steered data packets are based on the steering matrix and data streams intended respectively for the wireless communication devices,

wherein the spatially steered data packets concurrently provide the data streams respectively within the frame to the wireless communication devices via different spatial wireless channels.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the beamforming feedback respectively comprise compressed versions of beamforming matrices, the compressed versions of beamforming matrices being derived from the received versions of the sounding packet.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the steering matrix is determined based on a spatial mapping matrix, and wherein the sounding packet is based on the spatial mapping matrix.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the sounding packet comprises a null data packet (NDP).

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processor electronics are configured to transmit a NDP announcement packet to indicate that the NDP will be transmitted.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the sounding packet comprises training fields.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a quantity of the training fields is included in a signal field of the sounding packet.

15. A system comprising:

antennas; and

circuitry communicatively coupled with the antennas and configured to

transmit, via the antennas, a sounding packet to wireless communication devices,

receive, in response to the sounding packet, feedback packets from the wireless communication devices, wherein the feedback packets collectively comprise beamforming feedback, the beamforming feedback being derived from received versions of the sounding packet, wherein the beamforming feedback respectively comprise compressed versions of beamforming matrices, the compressed versions of beamforming matrices being derived from the received versions of the sounding packet,

determine a steering matrix based on the beamforming feedback, and

transmit, within a frame, spatially steered data packets to the wireless communications devices via the antennas,

wherein the spatially steered data packets are based on the steering matrix and data streams intended respectively for the wireless communication devices,

wherein the spatially steered data packets concurrently provide the data streams respectively within the frame to the wireless communication devices via different spatial wireless channels.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the steering matrix is determined based on a spatial mapping matrix, and wherein the sounding packet is based on the spatial mapping matrix.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the sounding packet comprises a null data packet (NDP).

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit a NDP announcement packet to indicate that the NDP will be transmitted.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the sounding packet comprises training fields, and wherein a quantity of the training fields is included in a signal field of the sounding packet.