A method of operating a wireless communication system based on a number of available communication channels comprising: a) transmitting with a transceiver in a first slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) a first message to a master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) during a first predetermined time slot; b) transmitting with a transceiver in a second slave wireless node (716, 824, 1210) a second message to a first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) during the first predetermined time slot; and c) transmitting with a transceiver in the first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) a third message including the second message to the master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) during a second predetermined time slot, the second predetermined time slot being longer than the first predetermined time slot, wherein d) each of the plurality of slave wireless nodes (712, 716, 732, 812, 822, 824, 1206, 1208, 1210) is configured to transmit messages to the master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) according to assignment data, wherein the assignment data comprises the assignments including the channels that each slave radio node should use for transmission, the time slots for transmission, and the parent-child relationships to assign each slave radio node as a leaf node or as an intermediate slave radio node with one or more levels of intermediate slave radio nodes leading to the master radio node e) the master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) and a plurality of slave wireless nodes (712, 716, 732, 812, 822, 824, 1206, 1208, 1210) are configured to transmit data using at least two independent channels; and f) wherein the second slave wireless node (716, 824, 1210) transmits data to the first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) using a first independent channel concurrently to a first slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) transmitting data to the master wireless node using a second independent channel during the first time slot, the transmission from the first slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) including a fixed overhead time, the first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) transmitting the data from the second slave wireless node (716,824,1210) and additional data from the first intermediate slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) to the master wireless node during the second time slot and the transmission from the first intermediate node (732, 822, 1208) including the fixed overhead time. a) transmitting with a transceiver in a first slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) a first message to a master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) during a first predetermined time slot; b) transmitting with a transceiver in a second slave wireless node (716, 824, 1210) a second message to a first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) during the first predetermined time slot; and c) transmitting with a transceiver in the first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) a third message including the second message to the master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) during a second predetermined time slot, the second predetermined time slot being longer than the first predetermined time slot, wherein d) each of the plurality of slave wireless nodes (712, 716, 732, 812, 822, 824, 1206, 1208, 1210) is configured to transmit messages to the master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) according to assignment data, wherein the assignment data comprises the assignments including the channels that each slave radio node should use for transmission, the time slots for transmission, and the parent-child relationships to assign each slave radio node as a leaf node or as an intermediate slave radio node with one or more levels of intermediate slave radio nodes leading to the master radio node e) the master wireless node (704, 804, 1204) and a plurality of slave wireless nodes (712, 716, 732, 812, 822, 824, 1206, 1208, 1210) are configured to transmit data using at least two independent channels; and f) wherein the second slave wireless node (716, 824, 1210) transmits data to the first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) using a first independent channel concurrently to a first slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) transmitting data to the master wireless node using a second independent channel during the first time slot, the transmission from the first slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) including a fixed overhead time, the first intermediate slave wireless node (732, 822, 1208) transmitting the data from the second slave wireless node (716,824,1210) and additional data from the first intermediate slave wireless node (712, 812, 1206) to the master wireless node during the second time slot and the transmission from the first intermediate node (732, 822, 1208) including the fixed overhead time.