Patent ID: 8370697

Claim:
A method of transmitting a meter power status, comprising: recognizing, by a meter, a power status change at the meter at a first time; waiting, by the meter, a predetermined recognition period from the first time to a second time; determining, by the meter, that the meter is not scheduled to transmit first; waiting, by the meter, a predetermined time period from the second time to a third time to receive a notification message from at least one neighboring meter including a meter identifier of the at least one neighboring meter; responsive to receiving the notification message from the neighboring meter, adding, by the meter, the meter identifier of the meter to the received notification message including the meter identifier of the at least one neighboring meter before retransmitting the received notification message to at least one other neighboring meter; and retransmitting, by the meter, the received notification message during a random time period from the third time to a fourth time.