Energy-Efficient Detection of Network Connection Requests

A wireless device configured to detect requests to connect to a wireless communications network, the device comprising one or more receivers and one or more processing circuits configured to:

• determine a receiver sensitivity that is sufficient, given channel conditions at the device, for the device to detect said requests;
• dynamically select, from among different receiver sensitivity configurations of the device, a configuration that has a receiver sensitivity at least as good as the determined receiver sensitivity and that has less energy consumption than at least one other configuration;
• and
• use the selected configuration to detect said requests.

A method implemented by a wireless node for requesting a wireless device to connect to a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

• generating, using a first set of transmit parameters, a first connection request signal targeted for receipt by the wireless device at a first receiver sensitivity;
• generating, using a second set of transmit parameters different from the first set, a second connection request signal targeted for receipt by the wireless device at a second receiver sensitivity different from the first receiver sensitivity;
• and
• transmitting the first and second connection request signals to the wireless device for requesting that the device connect to the network.

A wireless node configured to request a wireless device to connect to a wireless communications network, the node comprising one or more transmitters and one or more processing circuits configured to:

• generate, using a first set of transmit parameters, a first connection request signal targeted for receipt by the wireless device at a first receiver sensitivity;
• generate, using a second set of transmit parameters different from the first set, a second connection request signal targeted for receipt by the wireless device at a second receiver sensitivity different from the first receiver sensitivity;
• and
• transmit the first and second connection request signals to the wireless device for requesting that the device connect to the network.