Reverse insertion of management packet into a deterministic track

An apparatus comprising:

• a wireless interface circuit;
• and
• a processor circuit configured for identifying a deterministic receive slot reserved for reception, by the apparatus operating as a first wireless network device, of a first data packet from a second wireless network device along a deterministic track in a deterministic network;
• the processor circuit further configured for causing transmission, by the wireless interface circuit, of an acknowledgement in the deterministic receive slot to the second wireless network device in response to successful reception of the first data packet in the deterministic receive slot;
• the processor circuit further configured for causing transmission of a second data packet in the deterministic receive slot, following the acknowledgement, to the second network device.

One or more non-transitory tangible media encoded with logic for execution by a machine and when executed by the machine operable for:

• the machine, implemented as a first wireless network device, identifying a deterministic receive slot reserved for reception of a first data packet from a second wireless network device along a deterministic track in a deterministic network;
• the first wireless network device transmitting an acknowledgement in the deterministic receive slot, to the second wireless network device, in response to successful reception of the first data packet in the deterministic receive slot;
• and
• the first network device transmitting a second data packet in the deterministic receive slot, following the acknowledgement, to the second network device.