diff --git a/net/mac80211/Kconfig b/net/mac80211/Kconfig
index 9f8663b..297f4d9 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/Kconfig
+++ b/net/mac80211/Kconfig
@@ -13,29 +13,75 @@
 	This option enables the hardware independent IEEE 802.11
 	networking stack.
 
-config MAC80211_RCSIMPLE
-	bool "'simple' rate control algorithm" if EMBEDDED
+config MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_CHOICE
+	bool "Choose default rate control algorithm" if EMBEDDED
 	default y
 	depends on MAC80211
-	help
-	  This option allows you to turn off the 'simple' rate
-	  control algorithm in mac80211. If you do turn it off,
-	  you absolutely need another rate control algorithm.
+	---help---
+	  This options enables selection of a default rate control
+	  algorithm to be built into the mac80211 module.  Alternate
+	  rate control algorithms might be built into the mac80211
+	  module as well.
 
-	  Say Y unless you know you will have another algorithm
-	  available.
+choice
+	prompt "Default rate control algorithm"
+	default MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_PID
+	depends on MAC80211 && MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_CHOICE
+	---help---
+	  This option selects the default rate control algorithm
+	  mac80211 will use. Note that this default can still be
+	  overriden through the ieee80211_default_rc_algo module
+	  parameter.
 
-config MAC80211_RCPID
-	bool "'PID' rate control algorithm" if EMBEDDED
+config MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_PID
+	bool "PID controller based rate control algorithm"
+	select MAC80211_RC_PID
+	---help---
+	  Select the PID controller based rate control as the
+	  default rate control algorithm. You should choose
+	  this unless you know what you are doing.
+
+config MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_SIMPLE
+	bool "Simple rate control algorithm"
+	select MAC80211_RC_SIMPLE
+	---help---
+	  Select the simple rate control as the default rate
+	  control algorithm. Note that this is a non-responsive,
+	  dumb algorithm. You should choose the PID rate control
+	  instead.
+
+endchoice
+
+config MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT
+	string
+	depends on MAC80211
+	default "pid" if MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_PID
+	default "simple" if MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT_SIMPLE
+	default ""
+
+config MAC80211_RC_PID
+	bool "PID controller based rate control algorithm"
 	default y
 	depends on MAC80211
-	help
+	---help---
 	  This option enables a TX rate control algorithm for
 	  mac80211 that uses a PID controller to select the TX
 	  rate.
 
-	  Say Y unless you're sure you want to use a different
-	  rate control algorithm.
+	  Say Y or M unless you're sure you want to use a
+	  different rate control algorithm.
+
+config MAC80211_RC_SIMPLE
+	bool "Simple rate control algorithm (DEPRECATED)"
+	default n
+	depends on MAC80211
+	---help---
+	  This option enables a very simple, non-responsive TX
+	  rate control algorithm. This algorithm is deprecated
+	  and will be removed from the kernel in near future.
+	  It has been replaced by the PID algorithm.
+
+	  Say N unless you know what you are doing.
 
 config MAC80211_LEDS
 	bool "Enable LED triggers"
diff --git a/net/mac80211/Makefile b/net/mac80211/Makefile
index 62c01ca..a375f04 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/Makefile
+++ b/net/mac80211/Makefile
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_MAC80211_LEDS) += ieee80211_led.o
 mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_MAC80211_DEBUGFS) += debugfs.o debugfs_sta.o debugfs_netdev.o debugfs_key.o
 mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_NET_SCHED) += wme.o
-mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_MAC80211_RCSIMPLE) += rc80211_simple.o
-mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_MAC80211_RCPID) += rc80211_pid.o
+mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_SIMPLE) += rc80211_simple.o
+mac80211-objs-$(CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_PID) += rc80211_pid.o
 
 mac80211-objs := \
 	ieee80211.o \
diff --git a/net/mac80211/ieee80211.c b/net/mac80211/ieee80211.c
index 3d7b434..c0dbf77 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/ieee80211.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/ieee80211.c
@@ -1312,13 +1312,13 @@
 
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(sizeof(struct ieee80211_tx_packet_data) > sizeof(skb->cb));
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RCSIMPLE
+#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_SIMPLE
 	ret = ieee80211_rate_control_register(&mac80211_rcsimple);
 	if (ret)
 		goto fail;
 #endif
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RCPID
+#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_PID
 	ret = ieee80211_rate_control_register(&mac80211_rcpid);
 	if (ret)
 		goto fail;
@@ -1338,10 +1338,10 @@
 
 fail:
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RCSIMPLE
+#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_SIMPLE
 	ieee80211_rate_control_unregister(&mac80211_rcsimple);
 #endif
-#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RCPID
+#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_PID
 	ieee80211_rate_control_unregister(&mac80211_rcpid);
 #endif
 
@@ -1350,10 +1350,10 @@
 
 static void __exit ieee80211_exit(void)
 {
-#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RCSIMPLE
+#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_SIMPLE
 	ieee80211_rate_control_unregister(&mac80211_rcsimple);
 #endif
-#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RCPID
+#ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_PID
 	ieee80211_rate_control_unregister(&mac80211_rcpid);
 #endif
 
diff --git a/net/mac80211/ieee80211_rate.c b/net/mac80211/ieee80211_rate.c
index e495b09..65fc9ad 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/ieee80211_rate.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/ieee80211_rate.c
@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@
 static LIST_HEAD(rate_ctrl_algs);
 static DEFINE_MUTEX(rate_ctrl_mutex);
 
+static char *ieee80211_default_rc_algo = CONFIG_MAC80211_RC_DEFAULT;
+module_param(ieee80211_default_rc_algo, charp, 0644);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(ieee80211_default_rc_algo,
+		 "Default rate control algorithm for mac80211 to use");
+
 int ieee80211_rate_control_register(struct rate_control_ops *ops)
 {
 	struct rate_control_alg *alg;
@@ -89,21 +94,27 @@
 	return ops;
 }
 
-/* Get the rate control algorithm. If `name' is NULL, get the first
- * available algorithm. */
+/* Get the rate control algorithm. */
 static struct rate_control_ops *
 ieee80211_rate_control_ops_get(const char *name)
 {
 	struct rate_control_ops *ops;
+	const char *alg_name;
 
 	if (!name)
-		name = "simple";
+		alg_name = ieee80211_default_rc_algo;
+	else
+		alg_name = name;
 
-	ops = ieee80211_try_rate_control_ops_get(name);
+	ops = ieee80211_try_rate_control_ops_get(alg_name);
 	if (!ops) {
-		request_module("rc80211_%s", name);
-		ops = ieee80211_try_rate_control_ops_get(name);
+		request_module("rc80211_%s", alg_name);
+		ops = ieee80211_try_rate_control_ops_get(alg_name);
 	}
+	if (!ops && name)
+		/* try default if specific alg requested but not found */
+		ops = ieee80211_try_rate_control_ops_get(ieee80211_default_rc_algo);
+
 	return ops;
 }
 
@@ -244,3 +255,4 @@
 	local->rate_ctrl = NULL;
 	rate_control_put(ref);
 }
+