Patent ID: 7230933

Claim:
A method for reducing the power consumption of a wireless computing device capable of accessing a network, the method comprising: generating a wake up signal by a host transceiver component that is communicably linked to the wireless computing device via a two-way low power channel that enables two-way exchange of control information, on the two-way low power channel, between the host transceiver component and the wireless computing device, the host transceiver component residing on a host computer that is connected to the network; transmitting the wake up signal over the low power channel by the host transceiver; receiving the wake up signal by the wireless computing device over the low power channel indicating that the wireless computing device is to be powered up from an idle period of operation; activating the wireless computing device from an idle period of operation in response to the wake up signal; and communicating by the wireless computing device over a high power channel following activation of the wireless computing device from the idle period of operation, wherein the wireless computing device does not communicate over the high power channel during the idle period of operation.