Abstract: A wireless mobile telephone (400) is operated so as manage the performance of “off-frequency searches,” that is, searches for base station pilot signals that differ in frequency from the pilot signals in the mobile station's active set. Whenever frequency searching is performed (such as responsive to emerging from a reduced-power sleep mode), the mobile station performs on-frequency pilot signal searching (902) upon a prescribed active set frequency. Only if a prescribed off-frequency searching condition (903-908) is satisfied, the mobile station additionally performs off-frequency pilot signal searching (912) upon one or more neighboring base stations' frequencies.

Abstract: A novel and improved method and apparatus provide for controlling an operation of an access terminal while processing a signal from an access point in a communication system. Various aspects of the invention provide for an access terminal to disable a handoff process when its demodulator or decoder is operating to demodulate or decode a control message received from an access point. The operation of the access terminal is controlled in a manner that prevents terminating prematurely the demodulation and decoding process of a control signal by a handoff process. As a result, the access terminal may continue operating in a normal wake up/ sleep cycle period while conserving its battery power.