Static addressing of devices in a dynamically routed network

In a network in which a first node can register with two or more other nodes that provide access to and from said first node, a method comprising the following steps:

• at each other node with which the first node is registered, broadcasting advertisements that said other node can provide a path to the first node, said advertisements comprising messages that are transmitted during a sequence of time intervals over a period of time while the first node is registered, wherein a time interval earlier in said sequence has a duration that is shorter than a time interval that is later in said sequence, each said message containing a metric designating a cost associated with the path to the other node, and wherein the designated cost increases in value for successive intervals of time in said sequence;
• upon receiving an advertisement at one of said other nodes that another node can provide a path to said first node, determining whether the metric contained in the received advertisement designates a lower cost than the metric being broadcast by said one node for its path to the first node;
• and
• terminating the broadcast of the advertisements from said one node if the metric contained in the received advertisement designates a lower cost than the metric being broadcast by said one node.

In a network in which a first node can register with two or more other nodes that provide access to and from said first node, a method comprising the following steps:

• at each other node with which the first node is registered, broadcasting advertisements that said other node can provide a path to the first node, said advertisements comprising messages that are transmitted during a sequence of time intervals over a period of time while the first node is registered, wherein a time interval earlier in said sequence has a duration that is shorter than a time interval that is later in said sequence, each said message containing a metric designating a cost associated with the path to the other node, and wherein the designated cost increases in value for successive intervals of time in said sequence;
• receiving said advertisements from two or more other nodes at a transmitting node, and selecting one of said other nodes based upon the respective metrics contained in the received advertisements;
• and
• transmitting a message to the first node from the transmitting node, via the selected one of said other nodes.