Patent ID: 8000333

Claim:
A method, comprising: transmitting a first data packet from a first station; receiving the transmitted first data packet at a plurality of second stations coupled to a node apparatus; evaluating whether the first data packet has been received successfully at each of the second stations according to a first criterion; when the first data packet has been received successfully by at least one second station in the plurality of second stations, forwarding the first data packet to the node apparatus from at least one second station at which the data packet is received successfully; transmitting at least one of: a positive acknowledgement from each of the second stations at which the first data packet is received successfully; and a negative acknowledgement from each of the second stations at which the first data packet is not received successfully; receiving the acknowledgements at the first station; comparing at least one of: a number of received positive acknowledgements with a first threshold value; and a number of received negative acknowledgements with a second threshold value; wherein at least one of the first and second threshold values is greater than unity; and employing a result of the comparison to determine whether to retransmit the first data packet or to transmit a second data packet, wherein determining whether to retransmit the first packet or to transmit a second packet further comprises applying a signal reliability criteria to the received acknowledgements, the signal reliability criteria comprising summing an indication of reliability of acknowledgements of a same type and comparing the summation with a reliability threshold value for that type.