Abstract: A system (105) determines a power level for transmitting to a neighboring node in a wireless network. The system (105) receives a message indicating a three-dimensional position and orientation of the neighboring node and a type of directional antenna of the neighboring node that transmitted the message. The system (105) determines the power level for transmitting to the neighboring node based on the three-dimensional position and orientation of the neighboring node and the type of the directional antenna.

Abstract: A communications network (100) includes a first node (110) and a group of neighboring nodes (110). The first node (110) includes at least one transceiver (340). The first node (110) may observe one or more conditions in at least one of the communications network (100) and the first node (110) and select a sleep mode of a group of sleep modes based on the observed one or more conditions. Each sleep mode of the group of sleep modes may be associated with a different procedure. The first node (110) may power down the at least one transceiver (340) according to the procedure associated with the selected sleep mode.

Abstract: A system (105) determines a power level for transmitting to a neighboring node in a wireless network. The system (105) receives a message indicating a three-dimensional position and orientation of the neighboring node and a type of directional antenna of the neighboring node that transmitted the message. The system (105) determines the power level for transmitting to the neighboring node based on the three-dimensional position and orientation of the neighboring node and the type of the directional antenna.

Abstract: A manager node (105) controls access to a shared network communication medium by a number of nodes. A first node (101) transmits a request to the manager node (105). The request includes information indicating that the first node (101) requires a QoS link to a second node. The manager node (105) determines whether the QoS link from the first node (101) to the second node can be supported and sends an accept message to the first node (101) when the QoS link can be supported. Prioritized media access control may also be used in a distributed network without using a manager node to control access to a shared communication medium. A node with high priority data may reduce the duration of its contention window so that it will have a better chance of gaining control of the shared communication medium than a node with low priority data.

Abstract: A method is provided to operate a communications node (2) in a network including a plurality of nodes. The communications node (2) includes a transceiver (6) to transmit and receive messages. The communications node (2) has at least one communications link with a first node of the plurality of nodes. The method includes the steps of: (i) determining path loss information across the at least one communications link by evaluating power data corresponding to a received signal from the first node; (ii) distributing the path loss information to the network; and (iii) routing messages to the network based on path loss information.

Abstract: A method is provided to operate a communications node (2) in a network including a plurality of nodes. The communications node (2) includes a transceiver (6) to transmit and receive messages. The communications node (2) has at least one communications link with a first node of the plurality of nodes. The method includes the steps of: (i) determining path loss information across the at least one communications link by evaluating power data corresponding to a received signal from the first node; (ii) distributing the path loss information to the network; and (iii) routing messages to the network based on path loss information.