Patent ID: 8605579

Claim:
A method of controlling a flow of data within a mesh network that includes a plurality of mesh nodes, comprising: receiving a transmit specification including a flow rate and a delay bound of a data flow at a first of the plurality of mesh nodes from a second of the plurality of mesh nodes to negotiate admission of the data flow through the first and second mesh nodes, wherein each of the plurality of mesh nodes functions as a wireless repeater that is separated from a given mesh portal within the mesh network by a given number of hops to other mesh nodes, the given mesh portal corresponding to a gateway between the plurality of mesh nodes and one or more external networks; measuring, at the first mesh node, a channel characteristic of a channel on which the data flow associated with the received transmit specification will be transmitted on by the second mesh node to the first mesh node; determining, at the first mesh node, a desired transmission rate based at least in part on the channel characteristic; and determining, at the first mesh node, a transmission opportunity duration to achieve the flow rate at the desired transmission rate for a transmission of the data flow by the second mesh node to the first mesh node.