Patent ID: 8358783

Claim:
A communication method, comprising: obfuscating data transmitted in a first message from a first communication device to a second communication device, wherein the first and second communication devices communicate using a unidirectional communication protocol and wherein the obfuscation of the data is effected with a predetermined code wherein the first communication device is upstream of the second communication device, the method further comprising: determining that the message received at the first communication device was transmitted by the second communication device, wherein determining is performed by one or more of (i) analyzing an out-of-band communication received at the first communication device from the second communication device and (ii) analyzing a special code that identifies the second communication device is advanced communication device in an advanced communication mode; and based on determining that the message was transmitted by the second communication device, transition the first communication device from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation, wherein the first mode comprises a Wiegand-format mode and the second mode comprises a packet-mode.