Patent ID: 8213338

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, at a first device, a dynamic host configuration protocol discover message from a second device on a first upstream channel of the second device; determining, at the first device, to switch the second device to a second upstream channel based on receiving the dynamic host configuration protocol discover message, the determining occurring before a registration of the second device; causing, by the first device, the second device to switch to the second upstream channel, the second upstream channel being different than the first upstream channel; receiving, at the first device, a second dynamic host configuration protocol discover message from the second device; and determining, at the first device and based on receiving the second dynamic host configuration protocol discover message, whether to switch the second device to a third upstream channel, the third upstream channel being different than the first upstream channel and being different than the second upstream channel and the determining whether to switch the second device to the third upstream channel occurring before the registration of the second device.