Patent ID: 8295183

Claim:
A system for monitoring behavior and status of a wireless network, said system comprising: (a) a plurality of operational nodes, wherein at least some of said operational nodes are wirelessly connected for communication, wherein said operational nodes use repeated communication frames for said communication, and wherein each of said communication frames comprises: (i) a first period which is an active period, wherein said operational nodes communicate with each other through one or more operational messages sent and received in said active period; and (ii) a second period, wherein little or no activity occurs in said second period; (b) one or more monitoring nodes, wherein at least one of said monitoring nodes is communicatively connected to at least one of said operational nodes, wherein one or more of said operational nodes transmits a state message to be received by said monitoring nodes, wherein said state message comprises state information of said operational node transmitting said state message, wherein said state message is transmitted in said second period of said communication frame, wherein at least one of said monitoring nodes receives at least one of said state messages transmitted by said operational nodes, and wherein said state messages are for monitoring said operational nodes.