System and method for implementing relay nodes in a wireless network

A computer system, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
• obtaining relay-state information associated with a plurality of neighboring nodes of a respective node in a wireless network, which comprises receiving a relay-state message from a respective neighboring node, and wherein the relay-state message comprises address information, a relay-state indicator, and neighbor information associated with the respective neighboring node;
• identifying, among the plurality of neighboring nodes, a set of relay neighbors capable of relaying messages based on the obtained relay-state information;
• determining a connectivity status of the set of relay neighbors;
• determining an expected relay state of the respective node based on a count and the connectivity status of the set of relay neighbors;
• and
• adjusting a relay state of the respective node based on the expected relay state.