Patient support apparatuses with reconfigurable communication

A wireless headwall unit adapted to be mounted to a headwall of a room and to process communication between a patient support apparatus and a nurse call system, the wireless headwall unit comprising:

• a first transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus via short range communication;
• a second transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus via long range communication;
• a multi-pin connector adapted to be electrically coupled to a wall outlet of the nurse call system;
• an interface electrically coupled to the multi-pin connector, the interface including a plurality of electrical leads, each lead of the plurality of electrical leads being electrically coupled to a particular pin of the multi-pin connector;
• a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches electrically coupled to a corresponding pair of the plurality of electrical leads;
• a memory containing mapping data indicating how communication signals received from the patient support apparatus via at least one of the first or second transceivers are to be mapped to the plurality of electrical leads;
• configuration circuitry adapted to map the communication signals received from the patient support apparatus to the plurality of electrical leads in accordance with the mapping data;
• and
• a controller adapted to read the mapping data from the memory and use the mapping data to change a state of at least one of the plurality of switches from a normally open state to a closed state, or from a normally closed state to an open state, in response to the communication signals from the patient support apparatus.