Patent ID: 7756942

Claim:
A system communicating with a first home network, in a first dwelling, the first home network having plural components, one of which is a first master, the system further communicating with a second home network in a second dwelling, the second home network having plural components, one of which is a second master, the system comprising: a digital processing circuit executing in the first home network to transfer a master function away from the first master if the first master cannot detect the second master because signals between the masters are obstructed such that the first master no longer has any master function, wherein the first master transmits a query signal, and if the first master does not detect a response from the second master and a detecting component in the first home network detects a response from the second master, the master function is transferred to the detecting component, wherein the digital processing circuit resides on the first master, after transferring the master function away, assuming a role of slave searching for other masters; wherein the first and second masters communicate with each other for bandwidth management; wherein the components in the first home network communicate with each other over a power line communication network and the components in the second home network communicate with each other over a power line communication network.