Ad hoc wireless mesh network

One or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors effectuate operations comprising:

• receiving and conveying packets via a network interface of a wireless system on a communication protocol operable to communicate with a plurality of nodes in an ad hoc wireless network over a multi-hop wireless connection;
• receiving, with the wireless system, a packet transmitted from a sending node to a receiving node in the multi-hop wireless connection, the sending node and the receiving node being in a different location from the wireless system, wherein the multi-hop wireless connection specifies a route through the ad hoc network, and wherein the route comprises at least three transmitting nodes;
• identifying an identifier of the sending node and an identifier of the receiving node within contents of the received packet, wherein the received packet originates from a source node in the multi-hop wireless connection and the source node is communicatively coupled to a device from which data conveyed by the packet is obtained by a connection different from the multi-hop wireless connection;
• determining, in a first determination based on the identifier of the sending node, the identifier of the receiving node, and a record in memory of the wireless system that the wireless system is in the route of the multi-hop wireless connection including the identified sending and receiving nodes;
• determining, in a second determination, based on a packet loss rate associated with the sending node, to adjust a first portion of the route without adjusting a second portion of the route;
• and
• in response to the second determination, wirelessly transmitting a kill packet that reconfigures the multi-hop wireless connection to specify a different route through the ad hoc wireless network that bypasses the sending node without adjusting the second portion of the route, wherein the different route adjusts the ad hoc wireless connection by re-routing packets through the wireless device or another node upstream of the sending node.

A method of operating a wireless device configured to act as a node in an ad hoc wireless network, the method comprising:

• receiving, with a wireless device, a packet transmitted from a sending node to a receiving node in a multi-hop wireless connection, the sending node and the receiving node being in a different location from the wireless device, wherein the multi-hop wireless connection specifies a route through an ad hoc wireless network, and wherein the route comprises at least three transmitting nodes;
• identifying an identifier of the sending node and an identifier of the receiving node within contents of the received packet, wherein the received packet originates from a source node in the multi-hop wireless connection and the source node is communicatively coupled to a device from which data conveyed by the packet is obtained by a connection different from the multi-hop wireless connection;
• determining, in a first determination, based on the identifier of the sending node, the identifier of the receiving node, and a record in a memory of the wireless device that the wireless device is in the route of the multi-hop wireless connection including the identified sending and receiving nodes;
• determining, in a second determination, based on a packet loss rate associated with the sending node, to adjust a first portion of the route without adjusting a second portion of the route, the adjustment to the first portion removing the sending node from the route through the ad hoc wireless network;
• and
• in response to the second determination, wirelessly transmitting a kill packet that reconfigures the multi-hop wireless connection to specify a different route through the ad hoc wireless network that bypasses the sending node, wherein prior to causing the different route to bypass the sending node, the wireless device determines that a number of times the sending node has retransmitted the packet to the receiving node exceeds a threshold and the different route removes the sending node from the route through the ad hoc wireless network by re-routing packets through the wireless device or another node upstream of the sending node.