Transmitting Information Across A Communications Network

A method of transmitting information across a data network comprising at least one wireless network node,

• the information being capable of being transmitted across the network by means of data in a plurality of different formats including a first format and a second format, the second format being less demanding of the network than the first format by means of compromising, on the way in which the information is represented by the data,
• wherein the method comprises the steps of:
• a software application module running on computer hardware having information for transmission across a data network requesting the status of at least part of a route from a local node in the network to a destination node in the network, the route comprising at least one wireless link between the? two nodes within the network;
• the software application module receiving an indication of the status of said at least part of the route;
• and
• the software application module transmitting the data in a format chosen from the plurality of different formats in dependence on the indication of the status so received;
• wherein the step of the software application module requesting the status of the route is performed before any attempt is made by the software application module to initiate the sending of the data to the destination node.