Patent ID: 8401586

Claim:
A method for transmitting information in a communications network comprising a plurality of communications controllers, the method comprising: determining if an ad hoc communications controller is compatible with the communications network, wherein; when the ad hoc communications controller is compatible with the communications network, joining the ad hoc communications controller with the communications network, setting a transmit power level for a subset of communications controllers in the communications network, wherein the subset of communications controllers comprises the ad hoc communications controller, and wherein the setting is performed in a distributed manner, and transmitting information to a communications device served by the ad hoc communications controller at the transmit power level set for the ad hoc communications controller; and when the ad hoc communications controller is incompatible with the communications network, changing a network operating parameter of the communications controller, and repeating the determining if the ad hoc communications controller is compatible with the communications network, the when the ad hoc communications controller is compatible, and the when the ad hoc communications controller is incompatible steps.