Patent ID: 8270342

Claim:
A method, comprising: following a communications schedule in a first wireless network, the communications schedule including collision-free time periods that occur at repeating regular intervals; determining a value for a nominal beacon interval equal to the repeating regular interval; determining first and second beacon intervals to announce to client devices in a second wireless network, each of the first and second beacon intervals being an integer multiple of a predetermined time unit that are closest to the nominal beacon interval, one of the first or second beacon interval being less than the nominal beacon interval, the other of the first or second beacon interval being greater than the nominal beacon interval; determining third and fourth beacon intervals for transmitting beacons to the client devices, one of the third or fourth beacon interval being an average of the first and second beacon intervals, the other of the third or fourth beacon interval be equal to one of the first and second beacon intervals that is closer in value to the nominal beacon interval; transmitting, to the client devices, a value for the first beacon interval to announce the first beacon interval; transmitting the beacons to the client devices at the third beacon interval for a first predetermined period of time; transmitting, to the client devices, a value for the second beacon interval to announce the second beacon interval; transmitting the beacons to the client devices at the third beacon interval for a second predetermined period of time, the first and second predetermined periods of time being selected so that the transmitted beacons will be in sync with the announced second beacon interval after the second predetermined period of time; transmitting, to the client devices, a value for the fourth beacon interval to announce the fourth beacon interval; and transmitting the beacons to the client devices at the fourth beacon interval for a third predetermined period of time, the third predetermined period of time selected so that the announced fourth beacon interval will be in sync with the nominal beacon interval after the third predetermined period; wherein each of the beacons transmitted at the third and fourth beacon intervals occurs during the collision-free time periods.