if (!sband)
                return -EINVAL;
 
+       if (params->basic_rates) {
+               if (!ieee80211_parse_bitrates(link->conf->chandef.width,
+                                             wiphy->bands[sband->band],
+                                             params->basic_rates,
+                                             params->basic_rates_len,
+                                             &link->conf->basic_rates))
+                       return -EINVAL;
+               changed |= BSS_CHANGED_BASIC_RATES;
+               ieee80211_check_rate_mask(link);
+       }
+
        if (params->use_cts_prot >= 0) {
                link->conf->use_cts_prot = params->use_cts_prot;
                changed |= BSS_CHANGED_ERP_CTS_PROT;
                changed |= BSS_CHANGED_ERP_SLOT;
        }
 
-       if (params->basic_rates) {
-               ieee80211_parse_bitrates(link->conf->chandef.width,
-                                        wiphy->bands[sband->band],
-                                        params->basic_rates,
-                                        params->basic_rates_len,
-                                        &link->conf->basic_rates);
-               changed |= BSS_CHANGED_BASIC_RATES;
-               ieee80211_check_rate_mask(link);
-       }
-
        if (params->ap_isolate >= 0) {
                if (params->ap_isolate)
                        sdata->flags |= IEEE80211_SDATA_DONT_BRIDGE_PACKETS;