802.11s Physical Rates

What are physical rates in 802.11s?

Physical rates refer to the data transmission speeds supported by the wireless physical layer in mesh networks.

Does 802.11s define new physical rates?

No, 802.11s uses physical rates defined by base 802.11 standards like 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.

How do physical rates affect mesh performance?

Higher physical rates improve throughput and reduce latency in mesh data transmissions.

What modulation schemes are used for physical rates?

Modulation schemes such as DSSS, OFDM, and MIMO techniques from base standards are used.

Can physical rates adapt dynamically in 802.11s?

Yes, mesh points dynamically select rates based on link quality and environmental conditions.

What role do physical rates play in mesh routing?

They influence path selection by affecting link throughput and reliability in routing decisions.

Are physical rates consistent across all mesh links?

No, physical rates may vary per link depending on distance, interference, and device capability.

How does 802.11s handle rate adaptation?

It leverages base standard rate adaptation algorithms to optimize transmission rates per link.

Is there a minimum physical rate requirement in 802.11s?

No strict minimum, but practical communication depends on sufficient rate for control and data frames.

Do physical rates impact mesh network scalability?

Yes, better physical rates improve capacity, enabling larger mesh deployments.

Can physical rates vary with different 802.11s hardware?

Yes, different hardware supports different maximum physical rates based on chipset and antennas.

How do interference and environment affect physical rates?

Interference can reduce link quality, causing devices to drop to lower physical rates.

Are physical rates fixed for management frames in 802.11s?

Management frames often use robust lower rates to ensure delivery reliability.

Does 802.11s support multiple frequency bands?

Yes, physical rates vary depending on whether 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands are used.

How does physical rate selection impact power consumption?

Higher rates generally reduce transmission time but may increase power during active transmissions.

Are physical rates related to channel bandwidth?

Yes, wider channels (e.g., 40 MHz) can support higher physical rates than narrower ones.

How do mesh devices negotiate physical rates?

Rate negotiation occurs implicitly via link quality assessments during communication.

Can physical rates affect latency in mesh networks?

Yes, higher rates typically reduce transmission delays, lowering overall latency.

What happens if physical rate drops too low on a mesh link?

Mesh may reroute traffic or experience degraded throughput and increased retransmissions.

Topics in this section,

Modulation

BW

Tsc

FSP=BW/Tsc

Tdata=1/FSP

GI=Tdata/4

Symbol=Tdata+GI

1/Symbol

Bits/Symbol

Code rate

Usable sc

Rate

BPSK

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

1

1/2

48

1.5

BPSK

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

1

3/4

48

2.25

QPSK

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

2

1/2

48

3

QPSK

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

2

3/4

48

4.5

16-QAM

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

4

1/2

48

6

16-QAM

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

4

3/4

48

9

64-QAM

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

6

2/3

48

12

64-QAM

5

64

78.125

12.8

3.2

16

0.0625

6

3/4

48

13.5

BPSK

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

1

1/2

48

3

BPSK

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

1

3/4

48

4.5

QPSK

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

2

1/2

48

6

QPSK

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

2

3/4

48

9

16-QAM

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

4

1/2

48

12

16-QAM

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

4

3/4

48

18

64-QAM

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

6

2/3

48

24

64-QAM

10

64

156.25

6.4

1.6

8

0.125

6

3/4

48

27

BPSK

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

1

1/2

48

6

BPSK

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

1

3/4

48

9

QPSK

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

2

1/2

48

12

QPSK

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

2

3/4

48

18

16-QAM

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

4

1/2

48

24

16-QAM

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

4

3/4

48

36

64-QAM

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

6

2/3

48

48

64-QAM

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

6

3/4

48

54

64-QAM

20

64

312.5

3.2

0.8

4

0.25

6

5/6

48

57.6

  • Reference links