A method includes generating, at a first station, a security key that is usable for authentication with an access point associated with a wireless network. The method includes switching from an infrastructure mode to an ad hoc communication mode, and while in the ad hoc communication mode, broadcasting a beacon frame and receiving a request, from a second station, to join the wireless network. The method includes determining that the second station is an approved device and sending a first authentication request to the access point on behalf of the second station. The method includes receiving a first authentication response, including challenge text, from the access point. The method includes encrypting the challenge text based on the security key and sending the encrypted challenge text as part of a second authentication request to the access point to authenticate the second station with the access point.

Methods and apparatus relating to use of actual and/or virtual beacons are described. Virtual beacons are virtual in that an actual beacon need not be transmitted but a rather a virtual beacon transmitter at a desired location maybe considered to transmit virtual beacons. In some embodiments a set of beacon transmitter information for one or more beacons is supplied to devices in a communications system. The beacon transmitter information indicates transmission power and location of actual and virtual beacon transmitters as well as information to be communicated by virtual beacons. Devices with access to beacon information can determine based on the location of a wireless terminal whether the wireless terminal is within coverage area of a virtual beacon and report reception of the virtual beacon to the wireless terminal or a component of the wireless terminal which acts upon receiving an indication of beacon reception.

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and devices for time of arrival estimation in wireless systems and devices. Devices include a packet detector configured to identify a data packet included in a received signal having a symbol frequency. Devices also include a time stamping unit configured to generate an initial time stamp in response to the packet detector identifying the data packet. Devices further include an IQ capture unit configured to acquire a plurality of IQ samples representing phase features of the received signal. Devices additionally include a processing unit that includes one or more processors configured to generate an estimated time of arrival based on the initial time stamp and the plurality of IQ samples.

A method performed by STA may comprise receiving, from a first AP, a first beacon frame comprising a first relay information element including a first field that indicates whether a root AP BSSID field is included in the first relay information element, determining that a first root AP BSSID field is included in the first relay information element and determining that the first AP is a relay AP of a root AP identified by the first root AP BSSID field. The method may further comprise receiving, from a second AP, a second beacon frame comprising a second relay information element including a second field that indicates whether a root AP BSSID is included in the second relay information element and determining that a root AP BSSID field is not included in the second information element and determining that the second AP is a root AP.

Methods and apparatus for obtaining status from an isolated AP that cannot connect to a remote management server are described. The status information is obtained from a second device and then provided, via the second device, to the remote management server. At least some of the disclosed embodiments are utilized in a system including a plurality of access points, which can provide alternate pathways to the remote management server. The remote management server determines a remedial action based on the status information.

Methods, systems, and devices for relay path selection in wireless communications are described, where multiple relay paths are available between a source and a destination. A first node (e.g., a source node or destination node) may determine reference signal resources for a set of reference signals to be transmitted between the first node and a second node through a corresponding relay path of a set of relay paths. The first node may receive the set of reference signals measure one or more parameters for each reference signal. Alternatively, the first node may transmit the set of reference signals and receive an indication of one or more measured parameters from the second node. The first node may determine a set of end-to-end metrics for the set of relay paths, and select a relay path for communications with the second node based on the set of end-to-end metrics.

A non-personal basic service set control point/access point (non-PCP/AP) communication apparatus includes a reception circuit, an estimation circuit, and a transmission circuit. The reception circuit receives a Directional Multi-Gigabit (DMG) Beacon frame including a sector sweep (SSW) field, the SSW field including a Parameter subfield indicating a value obtained by using a transmission Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of a PCP/AP communication partner apparatus and a reception antenna gain of the PCP/AP communication partner apparatus. The estimation circuit estimates an expected reception power at the PCP/AP communication partner apparatus by using the value of the Parameter subfield, and checks inequality between the estimated expected reception power and a receiver sensitivity value. The transmission circuit transmits a frame for Association Beamforming Training (A-BFT) if the estimated expected reception power is larger than the receive sensitivity value.

A method includes generating, at a first station, a security key that is usable for authentication with an access point associated with a wireless network. The method includes switching from an infrastructure mode to an ad hoc communication mode, and while in the ad hoc communication mode, broadcasting a beacon frame and receiving a request, from a second station, to join the wireless network. The method includes determining that the second station is an approved device and sending a first authentication request to the access point on behalf of the second station. The method includes receiving a first authentication response, including challenge text, from the access point. The method includes encrypting the challenge text based on the security key and sending the encrypted challenge text as part of a second authentication request to the access point to authenticate the second station with the access point.

A first communication device determines whether a group-addressed frame is to be transmitted via multiple WLAN communication links. In response to determining that the group-addressed frame is to be transmitted via the multiple WLAN communication links, the first communication device i) transmits a first instance of the group-addressed frame via a first WLAN communication link, the first instance of the group-addressed frame having a sequence number set to a value, and ii) transmits a second instance of the group-addressed frame via a second WLAN communication link, the second instance of the group-addressed frame having a sequence number set to the value. In response to determining that the group-addressed frame is to be transmitted via only a single WLAN communication link, the first communication device transmits the group-addressed frame only via the single WLAN communication link.

Disclosed is a method for selecting a path in a communication network. The method comprises transmitting, through a device connected to a target node, a beacon, to one or more nodes in the communication network. The beacon comprises a set of informative parameters. The method comprises calculating, by each node, a selective score towards one more paths to be selected for reaching the target node in the communication network. The method further comprises identifying, by each node, a target path from the one or more path. The target path is a path having a highest value of the selective score as compared to selective score for other paths in the one or more paths. The method further comprises selecting, by each node, the target path from the one or more paths for reaching the target node.