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[STDS-802-11-TGBP] Response to comments on DCN 11-26-0303-01

Hi Rojan,

I want to elaborate on your concerns: 

  1. Why the vendor-specific IE it needed? 
  2. What are existing examples for vendor-specific IE in the 802.11 standard, and how does it work to communicate with non-802.11-compatible devices?

Responses

1.       We need it for several reasons, the first one being to control a non-collocated AMP Energizer via BLE or UART connections.

2.       In relation to the 802.11 [IEEE P802.11-REVmf/D2.0, February 2026]: The Vendor Specific element is defined in 9.4.2.24

The Vendor Specific element is used to carry information not defined in this standard so that interoperability is achieved in the presence of nonstandard information.

 

The example below shows how this element is used in an IoT hub to communicate using 802.11 protocol on one side and non-802.11 protocols on the other side (UART, BLE, Zigbee, etc.).

 

The general flow is as follows:

802.11 Action Frame (Vendor IE)
↓
Wi-Fi chipset / firmware
↓
chipset-level signaling
↓
Host driver / gateway logic
↓
UART / Ethernet / BLE
↓
Non-Wi-Fi device

An IoT hub is a multi-protocol gateway that:

  • Speaks Wi-Fi (802.11) on one side
  • Speaks non-Wi-Fi protocols on the other (UART, BLE, Zigbee, etc.)
  • Translates between them
  • Runs logic (rules, provisioning, control)

In this case, the hub is the bridge that makes this work:

802.11 Action Frame (Vendor IE)
        ↓
Wi-Fi chipset / firmware
        ↓
driver / OS
        ↓
IoT Hub logic   
        ↓
UART / BLE / Ethernet
        ↓
Non-Wi-Fi device

An example of the products where this approach can be deployed:

  • Amazon Echo
  • Samsung SmartThings Hub
  • Home Assistant (running on a gateway device)

These are the kinds of payloads that make sense given:

  • small size (~200 bytes practical)
  • low latency
  • control-plane nature (not bulk data)

Used for Parameter Updates / Tuning

What is delivered:

Operational parameters

Example payload

TYPE=CONFIG
ID=sensor_123
THRESHOLD=75
INTERVAL=10

 

 

Best Regards,

Solomon Trainin

+972547885738

 


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