Patent ID: 7099689

Claim:
A computer-readable medium having a program module with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by an energy-constrained computing device having at least two radios—a low-power radio (LPR) and a high-power radio (HPR)—for wireless data communications over a wireless network, perform a method comprising: obtaining a power-status indication of the remaining power still available from a power resource of the energy-constrained computing device, the power resource having a limited maximum power capacity; determining whether the power-status indication indicates that the remaining power still available from the power resource of the energy-constrained computing device is relatively low; responsive to the power-status indication determination, switching active communication from the HPR to the LPR when the power-status indication indicates that the remaining power is relatively low; obtaining a permissive indication from a wireless access point (AP) on the wireless network; determining whether the permissive indication indicates that the AP permits the energy-constrained computing device on the wireless network to utilize a LPR channel of the LPR; responsive to the permissive indication determination, switching active communication from the HPR to the LPR when the permissive-indication indicates that the AP permits the energy-constrained computing device on the wireless network to utilize the LPR channel of the LPR.