Intra-BSS forward

Intra-BSS forwarding, also known as intra-basic service set (BSS) forwarding, refers to the communication mechanism within a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a Basic Service Set, which is the smallest unit of an IEEE 802.11 network. It enables data transmission between stations (STAs) that are directly connected to the same wireless access point (AP). This type of forwarding occurs when a station sends a packet intended for another station within the same BSS, and the AP acts as a bridge to forward the packet instead of broadcasting it.

Here's how it works:

1. **Data transmission**: When a station A wants to send data to station B within the same BSS, it sends the packet to the AP.
2. **AP as router**: The AP receives the packet, determines the destination's MAC address, and checks if the frame is addressed to a station in its own BSS.
3. **Forwarding decision**: If the destination is within the BSS, the AP encapsulates the packet in a new frame and forwards it directly to station B, avoiding unnecessary broadcast or multiple hops.
4. **Efficiency**: Intra-BSS forwarding reduces the traffic on the entire network and improves the overall efficiency by minimizing the number of frames that travel through the entire network.