I didn't do any testing varying DTIM simply because of (a) the limited scope and timeframe of the test, and (b) the assumption that users would only rarely attempt to modify this and related parameters and (c) the implementation dependencies that would make the results of such modifications difficult to predict. So I couldn't universally say "do this and you'll see an improvement". It would certainly be worth trying a few experiements here, but the results might be specific to the particular combination of equipment being used, along with the parameters of the particular benchmark. This is basically what you note in your last paragraph.

Who was it that said that complex systems behave conterintuitively? We may have a classic example here. 802.11 is arguably one of the most complex communications protocols ever devised. But such is the price we pay for having to deal with all of the considerations and conditions under which it must operate.

Thank you for the note.

Craig.