Patent ID: 7664055

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving a first message at least one of a plurality of routers in a mesh network; synchronizing the plurality of routers to a plurality of time slots using the first message; repeatedly incrementing a network reference value at each of multiple time slots up to a maximum value and then repeatedly decrementing the network reference value at each of multiple time slots down to a minimum value, wherein the maximum value corresponds to the number of routers; and broadcasting a second message at the router when the network reference value matches a specific value that is associated with a unique identifier of the router; wherein the network reference value is incremented up to the maximum value in alternate sequences of a plurality of sequences and is decremented down to the minimum value in remaining sequences of the plurality of sequences, and wherein broadcasting the second message comprises broadcasting subsequent second messages at each of the plurality of routers in each of at least some of the sequences when the network reference value matches the specific value of the router during the sequences.