Motorola WS2000 System Reference Manual page 112

5-28 WS2000 Wireless Switch System Reference Guide
RTS Threshold Set the Request to Send Threshold (RTS Threshold) by specifying a number.
RTS is a transmitting station's signal that requests a Clear To Send (CTS) response from a
receiving station. This RTS/CTS procedure clears the air when many mobile units (MUs) are
contending for transmission time. Modifying this value allows the administrator to control the
number of data collisions and thereby enhance communication with nodes that are hard to
find due to other active nodes in the transmission path.
In this field, the administrator can specify a Request To Send (RTS) threshold (in bytes) for use
by the WLAN's adopted Access Ports.
This setting initiates an RTS/CTS exchange for data frames that are larger than the threshold,
and sends (without RTS/CTS) any data frames that are smaller than the threshold.
Consider the tradeoffs when setting an appropriate RTS threshold for the WLAN's Access
Ports. A lower RTS threshold causes more frequent RTS/CTS exchanges. This consumes more
bandwidth because of the additional latency (RTS/CTS exchanges) before transmissions can
commence. A disadvantage is the reduction in data-frame throughput. An advantage is
quicker system recovery from electromagnetic interference and data collisions. Environments
with more wireless traffic and contention for transmission make the best use of a lower RTS
threshold.
A higher RTS threshold minimizes RTS/CTS exchanges, consuming less bandwidth for data
transmissions. A disadvantage is less help to nodes that encounter interference and
collisions. An advantage is faster data-frame throughput. Environments with less wireless
traffic and contention for transmission make the best use of a higher RTS threshold.