A wireless communication device comprises an input/output terminal configured to communicate data with a processor. A memory (112) is configured to store parameters relevant to a wireless communication protocol. A modem (110) is coupled to the input/output terminal and the memory (112) and configured to operate a wireless protocol over a wireless channel with other modems (120) based at least in part on the parameters stored in the memory (112). A logic circuit (114) is coupled to the modem and the memory (112) and configured to receive information related to wireless channel conditions and update at least one parameter in the memory (112). In one aspect of the invention, the wireless protocol is 802.11. Advantages of the invention include the ability to achieve higher wireless communication throughput due to the dynamic setting of the communication parameters, for example, the fragmentation threshold.