AP transmitting broadcast packets

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

I have a basic question about how an AP talks to its clients. If an AP is sending out a broadcast to the 255.255.255.255 address does it (at a lower level) have to send one of those for each station? If you have 40 CPEs, they truly can’t all be listening and acking a single broadcast packet that is directed at all of them right?

My guess is that 1 packet in is really n+1 packets going out. I know RouterOS isn’t doing this, Im assuming the radio itself is maybe?

Or - am I completely wrong and it really is 1 tx on the AP per broadcast.

2

1 packet are sent over the air and all clients in same subnet accepts the packet. Clients in different subnet does not accept or reply to the packet. They just ignore it.