Patent ID: 8009602

Claim:
A method for broadcasting a data packet in a network, the method comprising: sending information from a first radio of a first network device to a second radio of a second network device, the information comprising a sleep period value and channel information; generating instructions, in the second network device, for the second radio to monitor at least one frequency channel based on the channel information received from the first radio of the first device; generating instructions, in the second network device, for the second radio to monitor communications received from at least one network address based on the channel information; generating instructions, in the second network device, for the second radio to enter a sleep mode, the instructions for the sleep mode comprising: information to reduce an amount of energy consumption of the second radio; information to prevent the second radio from receiving a packet; and information to activate a counter involved in operations to calculate a first time period from when the second radio entered sleep mode; generating instructions, in the second network device, for the second radio to identify an energy level based on the at least one frequency channel, the instructions to identify the energy level being related to a first time when the first time period is at least equal to the sleep period value; generating instructions, in the second network device, to compare the energy level on the at least one frequency channel with a predetermined value; generating instructions, in the second network device, for increasing the energy consumption of the second radio to enable the second radio to receive a first packet, when the value of the energy level on the at least one frequency channel is determined to be at least equal to the predetermined value; generating instructions, in the second network device, for restarting the counter when the second radio determines that the value of the energy level is less than the predetermined value; and sending the generated instructions from the second device to the second radio.