This document describes techniques and devices to reduce energy consumption and network traffic related to polling for buffered data packets (e.g., messages) between devices in a wireless mesh network. Based on the requirements of an end device that sleeps to conserve power, a parent device receives and buffers data packets addressed to the end device until the end device is awake. The end device periodically wakes-up to transmit application data, such as a sensor reading or a status message, to the parent device. By including an indication of pending data at the parent device in an acknowledgement the transmission of by end device, additional data request messages and acknowledgements can be reduced or eliminated to improve the battery life of the end device and reduce network traffic on the mesh network.

This document describes techniques and devices to reduce energy consumption and network traffic related to polling for buffered data packets (e.g., messages) between devices in a wireless mesh network. Based on the requirements of an end device that sleeps to conserve power, a parent device receives and buffers data packets addressed to the end device until the end device is awake. The end device periodically wakes-up to transmit application data, such as a sensor reading or a status message, to the parent device. By including an indication of pending data at the parent device in an acknowledgement the transmission of by end device, additional data request messages and acknowledgements can be reduced or eliminated to improve the battery life of the end device and reduce network traffic on the mesh network.

A repeater configured to be connected to a network is provided. The repeater includes an uplink wireless transmission interface, a downlink wireless transmission interface, and a processing unit. The uplink wireless transmission interface is configured to establish an external wireless connection with the network. The downlink wireless transmission interface is configured to perform data transmission with the uplink wireless transmission interface and has an external wireless transmission function. The processing unit is configured to turn off the external wireless transmission function of the downlink wireless transmission interface when the connection between the uplink wireless transmission interface and the network is disconnected.

A repeater configured to be connected to a network is provided. The repeater includes an uplink wireless transmission interface, a downlink wireless transmission interface, and a processing unit. The uplink wireless transmission interface is configured to establish an external wireless connection with the network. The downlink wireless transmission interface is configured to perform data transmission with the uplink wireless transmission interface and has an external wireless transmission function. The processing unit is configured to turn off the external wireless transmission function of the downlink wireless transmission interface when the connection between the uplink wireless transmission interface and the network is disconnected.

A wireless communication device according to an embodiment is a wireless communication device included in a multi-hop network in which data is relayed in multiple stages in time division communication. A decision unit decides an additional slot, based on identification information received from a child node that transmits data to the wireless communication device. A communication processing unit transmits and receives data using the additional slot and a basic slot assigned based on frame information in the time division communication.

A method performed by a radio network node for reducing energy consumption in communications with wireless devices is provided. The radio network node includes a dual-polarized antenna array, which dual-polarized antenna array has a first sub-set antenna array and a second sub-set antenna array for communication with the wireless devices. The radio network node decides whether to (a) deactivate or (b) not deactivate the second sub-set antenna array, to reduce the energy consumption, based on ongoing communications in the radio network node with wireless devices. The first sub-set antenna array and the second sub-set antenna array have a total antenna pattern that has a deviation that is below a threshold value.

A wireless mesh network comprises a controller and a plurality of wireless networked devices arranged to transmit messages to and receive messages from the controller. The plurality of devices are arranged in zones, such that a device that is arranged to communicate directly with the controller is designated a “Zone 1” device and a device that is arranged to communicate with the controller via a “Zone 1” device is designated a “Zone 2” device. One or more or each of the plurality of devices periodically sends a positioning message to the controller to determine its zone and if it can communicate directly with the controller it determines that it is a “Zone 1” device and if it cannot communicate directly with the controller, but it can communicate with the controller via a “Zone 1” device and therefore arranged to do so, it determines that it is a “Zone 2” device.

A setting unit sets the operating mode of an aerial vehicle to a first operating mode that transmits, data generated by a host aerial vehicle and data received from another aerial vehicle to a processing device, or a second operating mode that transmits data generated by a host aerial vehicle to another aerial vehicle. At this time, setting unit sets the operating modes of each of a plurality of aerial vehicles using a setting method corresponding to the attributes of an airspace in which aerial vehicle flies, from among a plurality of setting methods that set the operating mode of aerial vehicle. The attributes of an airspace include attributes determined in accordance with a degree of importance pertaining to the process of transmitting data from aerial vehicle to a server device and/or attributes determined in accordance with the extent to which processes are distributed among a plurality of aerial vehicles.

A setting unit sets the operating mode of an aerial vehicle to a first operating mode that transmits, data generated by a host aerial vehicle and data received from another aerial vehicle to a processing device, or a second operating mode that transmits data generated by a host aerial vehicle to another aerial vehicle. At this time, setting unit sets the operating modes of each of a plurality of aerial vehicles using a setting method corresponding to the attributes of an airspace in which aerial vehicle flies, from among a plurality of setting methods that set the operating mode of aerial vehicle. The attributes of an airspace include attributes determined in accordance with a degree of importance pertaining to the process of transmitting data from aerial vehicle to a server device and/or attributes determined in accordance with the extent to which processes are distributed among a plurality of aerial vehicles.

A method of operating an access control system including a plurality of access controls each operating as a node including: receiving a node information from one or more nodes of the access control system, the one or more nodes including an origination node and a destination node; determining one or more routes between the origination node and the destination node in response to the node information or a minimum hop distance between the originating node and the head node and a minimum hop distance between any intermediate routing node and the head node; receiving a reroute message indicating a failed node between the destination node and the origination node; and determining an alternate path from the origination node to the destination node around the failed node in response to the one or more routes.