A computing device configured to communicate over a network with an access point while limiting a total amount of power expended during operation of one or more low power devices, wherein the computing device is configured to act as a proxy for the one or more low power devices, the computing device comprising: an input/output (I/O) interface; a memory; and a controller coupled to the I/O interface and the memory, wherein the controller is configured to: communicate over a network with the one or more low power device, wherein each of the one or more low power devices is configured to switch itself between a low power mode and a higher power mode; receive, via the I/O interface and from the one or more low power devices connected to the network: one or more details about the one or more low power devices; and periodic state information updates automatically from the one or more low power devices; store, in the memory, the received one or more details and the periodic state information updates about the one or more low power devices; listen, as the proxy for the one or more low power devices, for a beacon (58, 66, 76) from the access point, wherein the beacon incorporates a multicast packet of data for the one or more low power devices for which the controller stores one or more details; and broadcast, as the proxy for the one or more low power devices, one or more stored details about the one or more low power devices to the access point in response to identifying and receiving from the access point a query request for said low power device via the multicast packet of data incorporated in the beacon. an input/output (I/O) interface; a memory; and a controller coupled to the I/O interface and the memory, wherein the controller is configured to: communicate over a network with the one or more low power device, wherein each of the one or more low power devices is configured to switch itself between a low power mode and a higher power mode; receive, via the I/O interface and from the one or more low power devices connected to the network: one or more details about the one or more low power devices; and periodic state information updates automatically from the one or more low power devices; store, in the memory, the received one or more details and the periodic state information updates about the one or more low power devices; listen, as the proxy for the one or more low power devices, for a beacon (58, 66, 76) from the access point, wherein the beacon incorporates a multicast packet of data for the one or more low power devices for which the controller stores one or more details; and broadcast, as the proxy for the one or more low power devices, one or more stored details about the one or more low power devices to the access point in response to identifying and receiving from the access point a query request for said low power device via the multicast packet of data incorporated in the beacon. communicate over a network with the one or more low power device, wherein each of the one or more low power devices is configured to switch itself between a low power mode and a higher power mode; receive, via the I/O interface and from the one or more low power devices connected to the network: one or more details about the one or more low power devices; and periodic state information updates automatically from the one or more low power devices; one or more details about the one or more low power devices; and periodic state information updates automatically from the one or more low power devices; store, in the memory, the received one or more details and the periodic state information updates about the one or more low power devices; listen, as the proxy for the one or more low power devices, for a beacon (58, 66, 76) from the access point, wherein the beacon incorporates a multicast packet of data for the one or more low power devices for which the controller stores one or more details; and broadcast, as the proxy for the one or more low power devices, one or more stored details about the one or more low power devices to the access point in response to identifying and receiving from the access point a query request for said low power device via the multicast packet of data incorporated in the beacon.