A wireless communication apparatus (490, 530), comprising: a) a wireless communication circuit configured for wirelessly communicating with other wireless communication stations; b) a computer processor (502, 542) coupled to said wireless communication circuit; c) a non-transitory computer-readable memory (498,538) storing instructions executable by the computer processor; and d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the computer processor, perform steps comprising: i) communicating with the other wireless communication stations utilizing a routing protocol; ii) exchanging a list of neighbor stations with neighbor stations and building a neighbor database; iii) identifying routes to a destination station within said neighbor database in response to receipt of a data stream at a source station to be sent to the destination station; iv) transmitting relay requests, RREQs, for both primary and secondary paths to be propagated by intermediate stations to the destination; v) selecting primary and secondary routes at the destination station and propagating primary and secondary responses, RREPs, to the request back through intermediate stations to the source station, wherein said instructions when executed by the computer processor are configured for performing primary and secondary path discovery in establishing communications with a destination wireless communication station in response to utilizing extended routing request, RREQ, and routing reply, RREP, information elements sent to neighboring stations and for utilizing said extended routing request, RREQ, and routing reply, RREP, information elements which contain a distinct extended identifier which differentiates them from a conventional, non-extended, routing request, RREQ and routing reply, RREP, and each contain a routing flag indicating a selection between a primary routing path and a secondary routing path; and vi) transmitting data on the primary path and secondary path from the source station to the destination station. a) a wireless communication circuit configured for wirelessly communicating with other wireless communication stations; b) a computer processor (502, 542) coupled to said wireless communication circuit; c) a non-transitory computer-readable memory (498,538) storing instructions executable by the computer processor; and d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the computer processor, perform steps comprising: i) communicating with the other wireless communication stations utilizing a routing protocol; ii) exchanging a list of neighbor stations with neighbor stations and building a neighbor database; iii) identifying routes to a destination station within said neighbor database in response to receipt of a data stream at a source station to be sent to the destination station; iv) transmitting relay requests, RREQs, for both primary and secondary paths to be propagated by intermediate stations to the destination; v) selecting primary and secondary routes at the destination station and propagating primary and secondary responses, RREPs, to the request back through intermediate stations to the source station, wherein said instructions when executed by the computer processor are configured for performing primary and secondary path discovery in establishing communications with a destination wireless communication station in response to utilizing extended routing request, RREQ, and routing reply, RREP, information elements sent to neighboring stations and for utilizing said extended routing request, RREQ, and routing reply, RREP, information elements which contain a distinct extended identifier which differentiates them from a conventional, non-extended, routing request, RREQ and routing reply, RREP, and each contain a routing flag indicating a selection between a primary routing path and a secondary routing path; and vi) transmitting data on the primary path and secondary path from the source station to the destination station. i) communicating with the other wireless communication stations utilizing a routing protocol; ii) exchanging a list of neighbor stations with neighbor stations and building a neighbor database; iii) identifying routes to a destination station within said neighbor database in response to receipt of a data stream at a source station to be sent to the destination station; iv) transmitting relay requests, RREQs, for both primary and secondary paths to be propagated by intermediate stations to the destination; v) selecting primary and secondary routes at the destination station and propagating primary and secondary responses, RREPs, to the request back through intermediate stations to the source station, wherein said instructions when executed by the computer processor are configured for performing primary and secondary path discovery in establishing communications with a destination wireless communication station in response to utilizing extended routing request, RREQ, and routing reply, RREP, information elements sent to neighboring stations and for utilizing said extended routing request, RREQ, and routing reply, RREP, information elements which contain a distinct extended identifier which differentiates them from a conventional, non-extended, routing request, RREQ and routing reply, RREP, and each contain a routing flag indicating a selection between a primary routing path and a secondary routing path; and vi) transmitting data on the primary path and secondary path from the source station to the destination station.