Enhanced power reduction in mesh networks

A method for a mesh network comprising a first station, a second station and one or more intermediate stations, wherein the method comprises;

• being in a sleep mode wherein the first, second and the one or more intermediate stations are idle and being in an awake mode wherein the first, second and one or more intermediate stations are awake,
• wherein the first, second and one or more intermediate stations are in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• listen by the first, second and one or more intermediate stations for a synchronization beacon during the DW;
• transmit and/or listen by the first, second and one or more intermediate for zero or more mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW, wherein the HWMP frames are at least one of a path request—PREQ—frame and/or a path reply—PREP—frame;
• initiating communication by the first station with the second station of the mesh network, wherein the first station, the second station and the one or more intermediate stations define an mesh path for the communication;
• defining by the first station a quality of service—QoS—class indicating a desired level of quality of the communication type;
• setting by the first station a limited number of mesh awake windows—MAW—as available based on the QoS class;
• defining a MAW map comprising the available MAWs;
• embedding by the first station the QoS class and the MAW map in the PREQ frame;
• and
• broadcasting by the first station the PREQ frame comprising the QoS class and the MAW map to the second station during the MMW.

A network station being a first station of a mesh network comprising a second station and one or more intermediate stations;

• wherein the first station is configured to comprise a sleep mode wherein the first station is idle and an awake mode wherein the first station is awake;
• wherein the first station is configured to be in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• and
• wherein the first station is configured to listen for a synchronization beacon during the DW and transmit and listen for zero or more mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW.

Method of a station being a first station in a mesh network comprising a second station and one or more intermediate stations;

• wherein the method comprises
• being in a sleep mode wherein the first station is idle and being in an awake mode wherein the first station is awake, wherein the first station is in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• listen for a synchronization beacon during the DW and transmit and/or listen for one or more mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW;
• initiating a communication with the second station of the mesh network by transmitting through the one or more intermediate stations a path request—PREQ—frame to the second station during the MMW, wherein the first station, the second station and the one or more intermediate stations define an mesh path for the communication;
• defining a quality of service—QoS—class indicating a desired level of quality of the communication;
• setting by the first station a limited number of mesh awake windows—MAW—as available based on the QoS class;
• defining a MAW map comprising the available MAWs;
• embedding the QoS class and the MAW map in the PREQ frame;
• and
• broadcasting the at least one PREQ frame comprising the QoS class and the MAW map to the second station during the MMW.

A network station being an intermediate station of a mesh network comprising a first station and a second station;

• wherein the intermediate station is configured to comprise a sleep mode wherein the intermediate station is idle and an awake mode wherein the intermediate station is awake;
• wherein the intermediate station is configured to be in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• and
• wherein the intermediate station is configured to listen for a synchronization beacon during the DW and transmit and/or listen for one or more mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW.

Method of a station being an intermediate station in a mesh network comprising a first station and a second station;

• wherein the method comprises
• being in a sleep mode wherein the intermediate station is idle and an awake mode wherein the intermediate station is awake,
• wherein the intermediate station is in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• listen for a synchronization beacon during the DW and transmit and/or listen for one or more mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW;
• receiving a path request—PREQ—frame from the first station in the mesh network to the second station in the mesh network for initiating a communication between the first and the second station, wherein the PREQ comprises a limited number of mesh awake windows—MAWs—defining a MAW map and a quality of service—QoS—class indicating a desired level of quality of the communication;
• indicating which of the MAWs in the MAW map that are available for communication based on the QoS class and removing congested MAWs from the MAW map;
• determining if the MAW map is sufficient for transmitting the communication in relation to the QoS class;
• and
• if it is determined that the MAW map is sufficient for transmitting the communication in relation to the QoS class:
• forwarding the PREQ to the second station;
• and if it is determined that the MAW map is not sufficient for transmitting the communication in relation to the QoS class:
• discarding the PREQ.

A network station being a second station of a mesh network comprising a first station and one or more intermediate stations;

• wherein the second station is configured to comprise a sleep mode wherein the second station is idle and an awake mode wherein the second station is awake;
• wherein the second station is configured to be in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• and
• wherein the second station is configured to listen for a synchronization beacon during the DW and transmit and/or listen for mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW.

A method for a network station being a second station of a mesh network comprising a first station and one or more intermediate stations;

• wherein the second station is configured to comprise a sleep mode wherein the second station is idle and an awake mode wherein the second station is awake;
• the method comprising:
• being in the awake mode during a duration of a discovery window—DW—and a mesh management window—MMW;
• listen for a synchronization beacon during the DW;
• transmit and/or listen for mesh path hybrid wireless mesh protocol—HWMP—frames during the MMW;
• receiving a path request—PREQ—frame from the first station through the one or more intermediate station in the mesh network, wherein the PREQ comprises a limited number of mesh awake windows—MAWs—defining a MAW map and a quality of service—QoS—class indicating a desired level of quality of the communication;
• indicating available MAWs in the MAW map based on the QoS class and remove congested MAWs from the MAW map;
• deciding which MAWs in the MAW map should be used for the communication based on the indicated available MAWs by defining a final MAW map comprising the MAWs to be used for the communication;
• and
• transmitting a Path reply—PREP—frame comprising the final MAW map through the intermediate station to the first station;
• or
• discarding the PREQ if the second station decides that no MAWs in the MAW map should be used for the communication based on the indicated available MAWs in the MAW map.