Patent ID: 8416726

Claim:
A network device for communicating with a low-power wireless network, the network device comprising: a battery; a wireless interface; and a processing unit coupled with the battery and the wireless interface, wherein the processing unit configured to cause the network device to: periodically switch between operating in a first mode and operating in a second mode, wherein the network device uses less power while operating in the second mode than while operating in the first mode; detect, using the wireless interface, a packet of information from the low-power wireless network, wherein the detection occurs while the network device is operating in the first mode; operate in the second mode for a certain amount of time, wherein the certain amount of time is based, at least in part, on information of the packet of information; send data toward the low-power wireless network; determine that a condition has occurred with respect to the sending of the data; and increase the time in which the network device operates in the second mode, wherein the increase is based, at least in part, on the determination that the condition has occurred.