Reduction of power consumption in wireless communication terminals

A method in a wireless communications terminal for decreasing power consumption, comprising:

• selecting a peer wireless communications terminal and a plurality of peer wireless communications terminals in an ad-hoc wireless communications system based on user input;
• determining a signal quality variable based on link parameters to a link for the selected peer wireless communications terminal and to each link for the selected peer wireless communications terminals;
• determining if there is a need to transmit by the wireless communications terminal;
• in response to determining there is no need for transmission, entering the wireless communications terminal to a listening mode, in which mode the wireless communications terminal does not transmit to the peer wireless communications terminal nor to any of the peer wireless communications terminals and adjusts receiver sensitivity of the wireless communications terminal by degrading the receiver sensitivity based on both
• the signal quality variable to decrease power consumption while ensuring reception of respective signals from the peer wireless communication terminal, and
• the link with tightest sensitivity requirement to decrease power consumption while ensuring reception of respective signals from the peer wireless communications terminals;
• in response to determining there is need for transmission, entering the wireless communications terminal to a media access control mode, wherein the mode defines a transmission power value for the link based on the link parameters and adjusts receiver sensitivity of the wireless communications terminal by increasing the receiver sensitivity based on the link parameters to a sensitivity level enabling detection of other transmitting communication devices within a coverage area of the transmission, and in which mode the wireless communications terminal transmits to
• the peer wireless communications terminal, or
• at least one of the peer wireless communications terminals, or both;
• receiving an indication that one of the selected peer wireless communications terminals enters a sleep mode;
• and
• adjusting receiver sensitivity of the wireless communications terminal according to requirements of at least one selected peer wireless communications terminal not entering the sleep mode.