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beaconing - technical definition

In wireless networks the transmission by a base station of precisely timed signals as a clearto-send indicator, essentially advertising the presence of the base station and the availability of a time slot for use by a sender, or source. Beaconing is a contention method used in some wireless protocols, including slotted Aloha. See slotted Aloha, clear to send, signal, and time slot.
In a Token Ring local area network (LAN), the continuous transmission of small frames if a network failure is detected. A beacon frame identifies the transmitting station, the nearest active upstream neighbor, and everything in between.This triggers a process of autoreconfiguration, in which nodes within the failure domain automatically initiate diagnostic measures in an attempt to identify, isolate, and bypass the point of failure. See also LAN, node, and Token Ring.

See beaconing in Computer

(1) A continuous signaling of error conditions on a local network (LAN). In a token ring network, a beacon frame is sent by the adapter if a failure in the line is detected. See beacon removal.

(2) In a wireless network, the continuous transmission of small packets (beacons) that advertise the presence of a base station (access point). The mobile units sense the beacons and attempt to establish a wireless connection. See hotspot and wireless LAN.

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