802.11ah MAC Functions
=========================


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        **What is the MAC layer in 802.11ah?**

        The MAC (Medium Access Control) layer in 802.11ah manages how devices access the wireless medium and controls frame transmission and reception.

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        **What are the primary functions of the 802.11ah MAC layer?**

        Key functions include frame delimiting, addressing, error detection, medium access control, power saving, and retransmission management.

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        **How does 802.11ah MAC handle medium access?**

        It uses a modified CSMA/CA mechanism adapted for sub-1 GHz band and low power IoT devices to reduce collisions and conserve energy.

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        **Does 802.11ah MAC support power saving?**

        Yes, it implements advanced power saving features like Target Wake Time (TWT) to schedule device wake-ups and sleep efficiently.

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        **What role does frame fragmentation play in 802.11ah MAC?**

        Fragmentation allows large packets to be split into smaller frames to improve reliability over long-range links.

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        **How does 802.11ah MAC ensure reliable delivery?**

        Through acknowledgments (ACKs), retransmissions, and error detection using CRC to confirm successful frame reception.

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        **What is Target Wake Time (TWT) in 802.11ah MAC?**

        TWT is a scheduling feature that lets devices negotiate specific times to wake up and communicate, saving battery power.

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        **How does MAC handle addressing in 802.11ah?**

        The MAC uses standardized address fields to identify source, destination, and intermediate nodes for proper frame delivery.

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        **What is the role of beacon frames in 802.11ah MAC?**

        Beacon frames synchronize devices, advertise network presence, and deliver information like buffered data and power-saving parameters.

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        **How does MAC manage large numbers of devices in 802.11ah?**

        It supports hierarchical association and grouping mechanisms to efficiently handle thousands of connected stations.

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        **What error detection method does 802.11ah MAC use?**

        It uses Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) to detect errors in transmitted frames.

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        **How does 802.11ah MAC support QoS (Quality of Service)?**

        MAC prioritizes traffic by categorizing frames and managing access accordingly, ensuring timely delivery for critical data.

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        **What is the association process in 802.11ah MAC?**

        Devices authenticate and associate with access points using MAC management frames to join the network.

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        **How are retransmissions handled by 802.11ah MAC?**

        Lost or corrupted frames are retransmitted based on ACK feedback to maintain reliable communication.

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        **Does 802.11ah MAC support multicast and broadcast?**

        Yes, it efficiently manages multicast and broadcast transmissions, including buffering and delivery indications.

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        **What is the role of contention window in 802.11ah MAC?**

        It defines the random backoff period before transmissions to reduce collisions in shared medium access.

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        **How does 802.11ah MAC support security?**

        The MAC layer works with upper layers to enforce encryption, authentication, and integrity protections.

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        **What are MAC management frames in 802.11ah?**

        These frames control network functions like association, authentication, synchronization, and disassociation.

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        **How does 802.11ah MAC differ from traditional Wi-Fi MAC?**

        It is optimized for low power, long range, large device counts, and operates in sub-1 GHz frequencies with specialized scheduling.


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        Topics in this section,

                * :ref:`Reference links <mac_functions_ah_step17>`


.. _mac_functions_ah_step17:

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    .. tab-item:: Reference links

       * Reference links