Systems and methods for reducing power consumption in communication networks

A system for reducing power consumption in a wireless mesh communication network, comprising:

• a plurality of follower nodes;
• and
• a leader node in communication with the plurality of follower nodes, the leader node being operable to transmit a sleep command to the plurality of follower nodes thereby causing the plurality of follower nodes to transition from an awake mode to a sleep mode, the leader node and the plurality of follower nodes consuming less power in the sleep mode than when in the awake mode, wherein the leader node is configured to synchronize, via the sleep command, a transition of the plurality of nodes from the awake mode to the sleep mode, wherein the sleep command is a multicast message, and wherein each of the plurality of followers nodes is operable to transition to the sleep mode in response to the sleep command without further communicating with the leader node prior to transitioning to the sleep mode.