In a wireless system comprising at least one transceiver configurable for communication over a wireless communication channel, the transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver, a method for controlling a data transmission rate of the at least one transceiver comprises the steps of: (i) determining a signal quality characteristic corresponding to a signal received at the receiver by measuring a difference between one or more reference constellation points and one or more received constellation points, the signal quality characteristic representing an estimation of signal degradation; and (ii) modifying a data transmission rate of the transmitter based, at least in part, on the signal quality characteristic.