Multi-channel, multi-modulation, multi-rate communication with a radio transceiver

摘要

Techniques for communicating via a control channel, determining a particular data channel based on the communicating, and transferring data via the particular data channel are described. One or more messages are communicated via the control channel between first and second nodes. The one or more messages may indicate a particular data channel from multiple data channels that may be utilized to transfer data between the first and second nodes. The one or more messages may also indicate a modulation technique and/or data rate that may be implemented on the particular data channel. The one or more messages may be utilized to determine the particular data channel that will be utilized to transfer the data. The first and second nodes may switch to the particular data channel based on the determination and transfer the data via the particular data channel.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
communicating, between nodes of a network that include at least one different communication capability, one or more messages via a control channel, the at least one different communication capability being due to the nodes comprising different types of devices, different generations of devices, different versions of devices, and/or different models of devices, the one or more messages indicating a maximum data rate that is supported by at least one of the nodes, each of the nodes being associated with a utility meter; determining, based at least in part on the communicating the one or more messages, a particular data channel from multiple data channels, the control channel and the multiple data channels being channels of the network; determining a maximum common data rate that is supported by the nodes based at least in part on the one or more messages; switching to the particular data channel based at least in part on the determining the particular data channel; sending or receiving, by one of the nodes, data via the particular data channel at the maximum common data rate; and switching to the control channel upon completion of sending or receiving the data via the particular data channel.