SWRU423A July 2015 – May 2016 WL1801MOD , WL1805MOD , WL1807MOD , WL1831MOD , WL1835MOD , WL1837MOD
Address resolution protocol (ARP) translates IP addresses into MAC addresses and saves them in the ARP table. Because network communication is done through MAC addresses, ARP is needed to associate the specific IP address to its specific MAC address.
When any packet is sent and the destination IP address does not exist in the ARP table, an ARP request packet is sent in broadcast to link the IP address and MAC address together. The relevant party of the IP address answers with an ARP reply (not in broadcast).
Auto ARP is a mechanism that filters the ARP request packets sent in the network. These ARP request packets are filtered from the Host in order to reduce the power consumption (The Host does not need to wake up to send the reply).
When a packet is detected with an irrelevant IP address (not the station), the station drops the packet. This is done by the firmware, and is not seen in the driver. When a packet is detected with a relevant IP address, the firmware answers with an ARP reply, and no messages is seen on the driver level.