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Wireless & Mobility · Intermediate

Protection Mechanism

Methods such as RTS/CTS and CTS-to-self that make legacy stations defer during newer PHY transmissions.

Definition

Legacy radios cannot decode newer modulation and might transmit over it. Protection sends a legacy-rate control frame that sets their NAV before the newer-format frame. It consumes airtime and reduces throughput.

Example

An 802.11g AP uses CTS-to-self when an 802.11b client is present.

Exam tip

Protection reduces throughput; removing legacy clients and rates helps.

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