Patent ID: 7085292

Claim:
A device for use as a station in a wireless communications system comprised of a cluster of such devices operating according to a predetermined communications protocol, the device comprising control means coupled with an address data store and a transceiver, the control means being operable to transmit and receive data and control messages via said transceiver and to effect an installation procedure whereby each device of a cluster obtains a different device address; wherein the control means is arranged, on receipt of a command to effect an installation procedure: a) to generate and broadcast a first message requesting a network address, to store a network address if received in reply, else to generate a network address; b) if a network address is received at step a) to generate a device address and broadcast said device address in combination with said network address, to repeat the step of device address generation and transmission if a response is received, else to store said device address; c) if a network address is generated at step a), to broadcast the generated network address, to repeat the step of network address generation and transmission if a response is received, else to store said network address then to generate and store a device address.