An apparatus, comprising: a wireless transceiver; packet processing logic coupled to the wireless transceiver; wherein the packet processing logic is configured to: determine the number of hops away the wireless transceiver is from a first node; exchange data comprising the number of hops with neighbouring wireless transceivers to determine that the wireless transceiver is the furthest wireless transceiver from the first node that can receive a signal directly from the first node; receive, via the wireless transceiver, a packet directly from the first node on a first path addressed to a node on a second path, forward the packet on the second path towards the node on the second path via the wireless transceiver; determine from the determined number of hops that the wireless transceiver is more than one hop away from the first node on the first path and therefore has insufficient power to communicate directly with the first node on the first path; and send a reply to the packet to the first node on the first path via the wireless transceiver to a second node on the first path that is within range of the wireless transceiver and on an uplink path to the first node responsive to determining that the wireless transceiver is unable to communicate directly with the first node on the first path. a wireless transceiver; packet processing logic coupled to the wireless transceiver; wherein the packet processing logic is configured to: determine the number of hops away the wireless transceiver is from a first node; exchange data comprising the number of hops with neighbouring wireless transceivers to determine that the wireless transceiver is the furthest wireless transceiver from the first node that can receive a signal directly from the first node; receive, via the wireless transceiver, a packet directly from the first node on a first path addressed to a node on a second path, forward the packet on the second path towards the node on the second path via the wireless transceiver; determine from the determined number of hops that the wireless transceiver is more than one hop away from the first node on the first path and therefore has insufficient power to communicate directly with the first node on the first path; and send a reply to the packet to the first node on the first path via the wireless transceiver to a second node on the first path that is within range of the wireless transceiver and on an uplink path to the first node responsive to determining that the wireless transceiver is unable to communicate directly with the first node on the first path. determine the number of hops away the wireless transceiver is from a first node; exchange data comprising the number of hops with neighbouring wireless transceivers to determine that the wireless transceiver is the furthest wireless transceiver from the first node that can receive a signal directly from the first node; receive, via the wireless transceiver, a packet directly from the first node on a first path addressed to a node on a second path, forward the packet on the second path towards the node on the second path via the wireless transceiver; determine from the determined number of hops that the wireless transceiver is more than one hop away from the first node on the first path and therefore has insufficient power to communicate directly with the first node on the first path; and send a reply to the packet to the first node on the first path via the wireless transceiver to a second node on the first path that is within range of the wireless transceiver and on an uplink path to the first node responsive to determining that the wireless transceiver is unable to communicate directly with the first node on the first path.