Patent ID: 8189506

Claim:
A method comprising: transmitting, in a wireless mesh network enabling multi-hop communication, a transmission from a first device to inform at least one second device whether the first device will operate according to a first mode or to a second mode, wherein in the first mode the first device will be active only during an active time interval that comprises a beacon transmission period of the first device and an additional period near to the beacon transmission period of the first device, and wherein in the second mode the first device will be active during the active time interval that comprises the beacon transmission period of the first device and the additional period near to the beacon transmission period of the first device, and during a beacon transmission period of the at least one second device, the first device having a separate beacon transmission period from the at least one second device; and at the completion of the active time interval, operating the first device in a lower power mode of operation until a next active time interval in the first or second mode, or until a next beacon transmission period of the at least one second device in the second mode.