Patent ID: 8665841

Claim:
A mesh network comprising: a first mesh node and a second mesh node, wherein the first mesh node comprises: a data interface configured to receive a data frame that includes data comprising one of voice data or image data, the data frame to be transmitted from the first mesh node to the second mesh node along one of a plurality of routes discovered with a plurality of route request frames; and a route request frame generation module configured to: determine a type of the data included in the data frame as voice data or image data, the type of the data included in the data frame being determined for generation of the plurality of route request frames; select a route attribute for generation of the plurality of route request frames, the route attribute being selected based on whether the type of the data included in the data frame comprises voice data or image data, the route attribute being indicative of a quality of transmission for the type of the data; and generate the plurality of route request frames based on the selected route attribute, wherein, for each route request frame, the route request frame generation module is configured to: include a route attribute value associated with the selected route attribute in the route request frame, and include a route metric value associated with the route attribute value in the route request frame, the route metric value representing an evaluation of the route attribute, and wherein the second mesh node comprises: a transceiver configured to receive a subset of the plurality of route request frames, the subset of the plurality of route request frames having a common route attribute and each route request frame of the subset having a respective route metric value, each respective route metric value being based on a distinct evaluation of the common route attribute within a respective route; and a route selection module configured to select at least one route of the plurality of routes based on the common route attribute and the respective route metric values indicated in the subset of route request frames.