Patent ID: 8767693

Claim:
A method for use with a vehicle comprising a standardized network bus, said method comprising: providing said vehicle with a local area network interface comprising a first wireless transceiver of a first predetermined type to provide a link to a local area network comprising a first client device; providing said vehicle with a wide area network interface comprising a second wireless transceiver of a second predetermined type to provide a link to a wide area network; providing said vehicle with a processor to control operation of said local area network interface and said wide area network interface; selectively operating one of said wide area network interface and said local area network interface to establish a wireless communication link with a network management system comprising a communication server via a corresponding one of said local area network and said wide area network, said network management system being operable to monitor, administer and manage acquired data from an operation of each said vehicle in a network of vehicles; providing a communication agent; providing an application executable by said processor; executing said application by said processor to selectively acquire predetermined data from said standardized network bus; operating said communication agent to upload said predetermined data to said network management system comprising said communications server; operating said processor to assign a priority to said predetermined data, said priority selected from a plurality of priorities; uploading said predetermined data having a first priority at a first predetermined data rate; and uploading said predetermined data having a second priority at a second predetermined data rate, said second predetermined data rate being slower than said first predetermined data rate.