A control element identifies the possibility that a station will transfer to a destination AP, and prepares that destination for a handoff. The control element repurposes messages from the station which indicate a possible near-term handoff, to prepare access points to receive that handoff. The control element treats a neighbor list request as a trigger to select which AP's to identify, to restrict the neighbor list to selected AP's, and to prepare each selected AP for a handoff. In selecting a destination AP, the control element also selects a particular set of related features for the combination of that AP and BSS. When an AP receives a repurposed message, it informs the control element, which selects destination AP's for transfer. The control element treats the repurposed message like a probe request. The control element prepares more than one AP for transfer if handoff is possible to more than one AP.