Multi-Channel mesh network

A method of routing data packets through a wireless mesh network, the mesh network comprising at least one gateway and a plurality of access nodes, the method comprising:

• each gateway originating and simultaneously broadcasting beacons with a plurality of radios over a plurality of channels, each channel different from other of the plurality of channels, the beacons being broadcast by each of the radios over each of the plurality of channels at a predetermined rate;
• each access node simultaneously receiving over a plurality of channels, beacons over a plurality of radios from at least one upstream device;
• if the at least one upstream device is an upstream access node, the indicators providing information of selected upstream paths between each of the upstream access nodes and upstream gateways;
• and
• each access node determining an optimal set of routing paths between the access node and at least one upstream gateway, based upon a persistence of successfully received indicators, the optimal set of routing paths including a combination of paths over multiple different channels;
• each access node simultaneously re-broadcasting beacons with the plurality of access node radios, the re-broadcast beacons corresponding to the selected routing path, over each of the plurality of channels, the rebroadcast beacons modified by the access node to include information of the selected routing path.