Patent ID: 8194576

Claim:
A method for use in controlling a wireless access point configured to provide contention-based communication access for communication devices during a plurality of dynamically-activated service intervals in each one of a plurality of superframes, the method comprising: in response to a change in a traffic requirement for communication devices operating via the wireless access point: changing, in accordance with the change in the traffic requirement, the number of activated service intervals in the superframe that are available to the communication devices for the contention-based communication access; transmitting, to the communication devices, data which identify the activated service intervals in the superframe that are made available to the communication devices for the contention-based communication access; causing a wireless transceiver of the wireless access point to be enabled for the contention-based communication access during each said activated service interval; and causing the wireless access point to be placed into a power conservation mode during each power conservation interval provided in between said activated service intervals.