COEXISTENCE OF DEVICES OPERATING AT DIFFERENT DATA RATES IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

A receiver including a physical layer module and a processing module. The physical layer module is configured to receive a packet via a medium. The packet includes a first preamble followed by a second preamble. The first preamble is generated based on a first data rate. The second preamble is generated based on a second data rate. Each of the first preamble and the second preamble includes a duration of the packet. The processing module is configured to process (i) the first preamble in response to the receiver operating at the first data rate or (ii) the second preamble in response to the receiver operating at the second data rate. The processing module is configured to determine whether to defer accessing the medium for the duration of the packet based on the processing of the first preamble or the second preamble.