Patent ID: 7136655

Claim:
A method for determining an assignment of wireless communications channels to a plurality of wireless communications transmitters, comprising: receiving an input specifying a mode of operation; determining a plurality of available wireless communications channels based upon a number of wireless communications transmitters in the plurality of wireless transmitters and the mode of operation; determining a wireless communications channel assignment based upon the plurality of available wireless communications channels and a number of wireless communications transmitters in the plurality of wireless transmitters that provides the specified mode of operations; wherein the mode of operation provides greater range of coverage relative to other modes of operation; wherein determining the wireless communications channel assignment based upon the plurality of available wireless communications channels and the number of wireless communications transmitters in the plurality of wireless transmitters further comprises: determining the wireless communications channel assignment in which the wireless communications channels have a greatest frequency separation relative to the plurality of available wireless communications channels; wherein determining the wireless communications channel assignment in which the wireless communications channels have the greatest frequency separation relative to the plurality of available wireless communications channels, further comprises: assigning the plurality of wireless communications transmitters to a shared wireless communications channel; wherein wireless communications transmitters assigned to the shared wireless communications channel use a multiple access communications protocol to determine availability of the shared wireless channel prior to transmitting on the shared wireless communications channel; and wherein the plurality of wireless transmitters are dynamically configured to use range mode as the mode of operation.