A wireless communication network supports 802.11b/g and a range extension mode, which supports at least one data rate lower than the lowest data rate in 802.11b/g. A transmitting station (which may be an access point or a user terminal) includes first and second processors. The first processor performs differential modulation and spectral spreading for a first set of at least one data rate (e.g., 1 and 2 Mbps) supported by 802.11b/g. The second processor performs forward error correction (FEC) encoding, symbol mapping, and spectral spreading for a second set of at least one data rate (e.g., 250, 500, and 1000 Kbps) supported by the range extension mode. The transmitting station can send a transmission at a data rate supported by either 802.11b/g or the range extension mode, e.g., depending on the desired coverage range for the transmission. A receiving station performs the complementary processing to recover the transmission.