Patent ID: 8484386

Claim:
A method of operating a system to monitor environmental characteristics comprising: registering a plurality of wireless sensor nodes with a first central node, the first central node functioning as a communications and information gathering hub for a first region, wherein all of the registering with the first central node is via direct wireless communications with the first central node without reliance on intermediate sensor nodes to relay information; and for each wireless sensor node: automatically configuring the wireless sensor node based at least in part on wireless communications with the first central node, including setting a first limit and a second limit differing from the first limit, the first ad second limits associated with the detected environmental characteristics; registering the wireless sensor node with a second central node, the second central ode function a communications and information hub for a second region, wherein all of the registering with the second central node is via direct wireless communications with the second central node without reliance on intermediate sensor nodes to relay information; automatically reconfiguring the wireless sensor node based at least in part on wireless communications with the second central node; detecting environmental characteristics using the wireless sensor node; notifying the first central node when the detected environmental characteristics exceed the first limit; and notifying the second central node when the detected environmental characteristics exceed the second limit.