A method of identifying a group owner for a network, the network comprising a current group owner and two or more devices (110, 110a, 110b, 110d), the method comprising: monitoring for a group ownership change condition to initiate transfer of network function from a current group owner to a new group owner comprising one of the two or more devices, the group ownership change condition being determined by evaluating a combination of one or more conditions of the current group owner and the two or more devices to determine a group ownership change condition; wherein exemplary group ownership change conditions for the current group owner include one or more of: a battery level of the current group owner; an elapsed time that the current group owner has been the group owner; an amount of data traffic that the current group owner has managed during its time as group owner; a battery capacity of current group owner; change in battery level of the current group owner during its time as group owner; an indication that one of the two or more devices has yet to be the group owner of the network; a transmission bandwidth capacity of current group owner; upon detection of a group ownership change condition: identifying a new group owner from the devices; transferring network management functions from the current group owner to the replacement group owner; the method further comprising establishing and using a signaling protocol to signal group ownership change;and modifying a signaling negotiation frame to be sent as a broadcast frame with one of (i) a timer value or (ii) a count value, to indicate when the replacement group owner is to be sought for the network monitoring for a group ownership change condition to initiate transfer of network function from a current group owner to a new group owner comprising one of the two or more devices, the group ownership change condition being determined by evaluating a combination of one or more conditions of the current group owner and the two or more devices to determine a group ownership change condition; wherein exemplary group ownership change conditions for the current group owner include one or more of: a battery level of the current group owner; an elapsed time that the current group owner has been the group owner; an amount of data traffic that the current group owner has managed during its time as group owner; a battery capacity of current group owner; change in battery level of the current group owner during its time as group owner; an indication that one of the two or more devices has yet to be the group owner of the network; a transmission bandwidth capacity of current group owner; a battery level of the current group owner; an elapsed time that the current group owner has been the group owner; an amount of data traffic that the current group owner has managed during its time as group owner; a battery capacity of current group owner; change in battery level of the current group owner during its time as group owner; an indication that one of the two or more devices has yet to be the group owner of the network; a transmission bandwidth capacity of current group owner; upon detection of a group ownership change condition: identifying a new group owner from the devices; transferring network management functions from the current group owner to the replacement group owner; identifying a new group owner from the devices; transferring network management functions from the current group owner to the replacement group owner; the method further comprising establishing and using a signaling protocol to signal group ownership change;and modifying a signaling negotiation frame to be sent as a broadcast frame with one of (i) a timer value or (ii) a count value, to indicate when the replacement group owner is to be sought for the network