Abstract: At a first computer connected to a medical monitoring device, first data are received from the monitoring device repetitively. The first computer is within a first local network, the monitoring device is configured to monitor characteristics of a patient, and the first data represent monitored characteristic(s) of the patient or associated metadata. The first data are sent from the first computer to a second computer via the local area network and a public network. The second computer is outside the first local area network and connected to the public network, and the first data is sent from the first computer to the second computer based on an IP address stored at the first computer. A value of one of the monitored characteristics is determined as within a predetermined range, and a polling frequency for each of the monitored characteristics is set to a common frequency based on that determination.