Patent ID: 7346369

Claim:
A distributed wireless communication system comprising: a base station or access point covering a first network; and a plurality of communication devices each including: a first communication unit configured to communicate with the base station or access point over the first network; a second communication unit configured to communicate with other communication devices over a second network in which a short-range wireless link is established between the communication device and lower power consumption is required than that when the first communication unit communicates with the base station or access point over the first network; and a monitoring-device managing unit configured to select at least one of the other communication devices as at least one monitoring device; wherein the at least one monitoring device receives network information specifying details of the first network from the base station or access point over the first network and sends the network information over the second network to communications devices that were not selected as the at least one monitoring device, and the first communication units in the communication devices that were not selected as the at least one monitoring device have suspended communication over the first network, wherein each of the communication devices that were not selected as the at least one monitoring device and the first communication units with suspended communication over the first network periodically return to a monitoring mode in which the first communication units restart the communication over the first network and receive the network information from the base station or access point, and wherein the communication device that periodically returns to the monitoring mode compares the network information received from the at least one monitoring device and the network information which the communication device itself received.