High bandwidth channel in a frequency hopping system

A building automation system comprising:

• a plurality of client devices;
• a host device, the host device including;
• a memory configured to store a frequency hopping sequence, the frequency hopping sequence including a plurality of predetermined frequencies arranged in a predetermined order from a first predetermined frequency to a last predetermined frequency;
• a controller operatively coupled to the memory;
• and
• a receiver operatively coupled to the controller and configured to accept from the controller a frequency selection input that selects one of the predetermined frequencies of the frequency hopping sequence and the receiver listens for a message on the selected one of the predetermined frequencies;
• the controller is configured to provide a sequence of frequency selection inputs to the receiver that repeatedly cycles through the frequency hopping sequence stored in the memory, wherein each cycle through the frequency hopping sequence is defined as a channel, and wherein the controller repeatedly cycles through two or more channels from a first channel to a last channel;
• any of the plurality of client devices may become a reserving client device and reserve one or more of the channels, resulting in one or more reserved channels, the remaining client devices are informed of the reservation and in response the remaining client devices do not transmit during the one or more reserved channels, such that the controller of the host device receives via the receiver a communication from only the reserving client device during the one or more reserved channels;
• and
• the controller is configured to receive via the receiver a communication from one or more of the plurality of client devices during one or more of the channels that are not part of the one or more reserved channels.

A method for wirelessly communicating between a host device and a plurality of client devices, the method comprising:

• the host device and the plurality of client devices each repeatedly cycling through a frequency hopping sequence that comprises a plurality of frequencies, wherein each cycle through the frequency hopping sequence is defined as a channel;
• the host device and the plurality of client devices each repeatedly cycling through two or more channels from a first channel to a last channel;
• allowing a reserving client device of the plurality of client devices to reserve one or more of the two or more channels, resulting in one or more reserved channels;
• informing the remaining client devices of the reservation and in response the remaining client devices not transmitting during the one or more reserved channels;
• only the reserving client device communicating with the host device during the one or more reserved channels;
• and
• receiving a communication from one or more of the plurality of client devices during one or more of the channels that are not part of the one or more reserved channels.