A new system and method is described, utilizing a scheduler based on a
transmission power consumption calculation and prioritizing algorithm.
The system utilizes the (APSD) protocol specified in the 802.11e draft
for saving power in wireless local area networks. The system comprises an
access point having a priority queue, one or more stations, an APSD frame
comprising an association ID for identifying one of the stations and a
scheduled wake-up time for the identified station. An algorithm is
employed for calculating the total transmission power consumption of
downlink data for the stations. The AP originates and transmits to the
one or more stations the APSD frame of the scheduled activation delay
time. The current data to be transmitted to each station is accessed by
the algorithm to determine the total transmission power consumption to
each station. A priority queue in the AP is ordered from the lowest to
the highest receiving power consumption, assigning the highest priority
to the lowest power consumption transmission to minimize total power
consumption to the PS stations in the AP queue.