Patent ID: 8743903

Claim:
A method for adding a join device to a hybrid network comprising a plurality of member devices including at least an add device and a forwarding device, wherein the join device communicates using a first communication protocol and the add device communicates using a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol, the method comprising: activating the join device to send a non-encapsulated connect message, in the first communication protocol, to the add device; determining, in the join device, whether a response to the connect message is received from the add device; broadcasting an encapsulated connect message from the join device if the response is not received by the join device, wherein the encapsulated connect message is formed by: encapsulating the connect message in the join device according to the first communication protocol to generate a first encapsulated connect message; and encapsulating the connect message in the join device according to the second communication protocol to generate a second encapsulated connect message; employing the forwarding device to forward the encapsulated connect message to the add device; and allowing the add device to join the join device to the hybrid network in response to the encapsulated connect message, wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are selected from powerline communication protocols, wireless protocols, and wired protocols.