MAC cycle alignment method for neighboring network coordination

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring a network, by a node, for medium access control (MAC) cycle information at neighboring domains;

determining, by the node, a MAC cycle for a domain at the node based on a quantity of neighboring domains detected;

updating a MAC cycle alignment identification (ID) for the domain at the node based on the determining;

transmitting a MAC cycle communication including the MAC cycle alignment ID;

updating a value indicating a number of domains that are synchronized to the MAC cycle for the domain at the node; and

transmitting the MAC cycle communication including the value.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting a start for the MAC cycle for the domain at the node based on an alternating current (AC) line cycle synchronization rule when no mobile application protocol (MAP) physical layer (PHY) frames from other domains are detected by the node and the MAC cycle for the domain at the node is not aligned to another MAC cycle.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aligning the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to an access network.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aligning the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to a MAC cycle of a neighboring domain when the neighboring domain is a single other domain detected by the node and no access network is detected.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising updating the MAC cycle alignment ID to a MAC cycle alignment ID of the neighboring domain, updating a value indicating a number of domains that are synchronized to the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to 2, and transmitting an updated MAC cycle communication including the updated MAC cycle alignment ID and the updated value.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when more than one neighboring domain is detected by the node, aligning the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to a MAC cycle of another domain in a descending priority comprising:

i) aligning the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to a MAC cycle of a domain that is aligned to an access network; or

ii) aligning the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to a MAC cycle of a domain that has a larger quantity of other domains aligned to its MAC cycle; or

iii) aligning the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to a MAC cycle of a domain that has a larger MAC cycle alignment ID and is not aligned to an access network.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising updating the MAC cycle alignment ID to a MAC cycle alignment ID of the other domain, updating a value indicating a number of domains that are synchronized to the MAC cycle for the domain at the node to one more than the number of domains that were previously synchronized to the MAC cycle for the other domain, and transmitting an updated MAC cycle communication including the updated MAC cycle alignment ID and the updated value.

8. A system, comprising:

a communication network medium; and

at least two nodes coupled to the medium, the nodes arranged to communicate at least in part via the medium, the nodes arranged to align medium access control (MAC) cycles at the nodes based on a MAC cycle alignment identification at one or more of the nodes and a quantity of domains that are synchronized to a MAC cycle represented by the MAC cycle alignment identification,

wherein at least one node is arranged to periodically transmit data via the communication network medium, the data including a MAC cycle alignment identification at the at least one node and a value corresponding to a quantity of domains that are synchronized to the MAC cycle at the at least one node.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the communication network medium comprises a network of electrical power distribution conductors.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein a network based on the communication network medium comprises a single communication channel and the at least two nodes represent discrete homogeneous networks communicatively coupled to the single communication channel.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein one or more of the at least two nodes comprises an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) multicarrier apparatus including a transceiver and a controller.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least two nodes are arranged to communicate via multicarrier symbols including tones or sub-channels, the tones or sub-channels having data bits modulated thereon.

13. A method, comprising:

decoding, at a node, timing information from data detected at a neighbor network, the data comprising a mobile application protocol (MAP) physical layer (PHY) frame;

identifying a start of a medium access control (MAC) cycle at the neighbor network based on the timing information; and

determining an alignment for a MAC cycle at the node with respect to the MAC cycle at the neighbor network based at least in part on the timing information and a comparison of a quantity of domains that are synchronized to the MAC cycle at the node and another quantity of domains that are synchronized to the MAC cycle at the neighbor node, a value corresponding to the another quantity being received in a message.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising comparing a MAC cycle alignment identification at the node with a MAC cycle alignment identification at the neighbor node and determining the alignment for the MAC cycle at the node based at least in part on the comparison.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising employing a reconciliation mechanism for determining the alignment for the MAC cycle at the node with respect to the MAC cycle at the neighbor network, the reconciliation mechanism based in part on at least one of a MAC cycle start time, a network alignment, and a MAC address value.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reconciliation mechanism comprises employing a random MAC cycle start time at a network of the node.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reconciliation mechanism comprises giving priority to a network that is synchronized to an access network.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reconciliation mechanism comprises giving priority to a network that has a greater number of networks aligned to it.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reconciliation mechanism comprises giving priority to a network having a master node with a larger MAC address.