Object tracking by establishing a mesh network and transmitting packets

1. A communication device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communication device to:

form a cluster with other communication devices based on a proximity of the other communication devices to the communication device;

establish a mesh network with at least one of the other communication devices;

monitor a presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices based at least in part on communications received via the mesh network; and

communicate information about the presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices to a remote device that is not part of the cluster.

2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the other communication devices include at least one device that is not configured to communicate via the mesh network.

3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions to monitor the presence of the other communication devices causes the communication device to:

transmit query messages to the other communication devices; and

listen for responses from the other communication devices.

4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions to monitor the presence of the other communication devices causes the communication device to:

receive periodic presence updates from the other communication devices; and

determine that a particular communication device has left the cluster if no presence update is received from the particular communication device.

5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

configure an identity associated with one or more of the other communication devices; and

communicate the identity to the remote device.

6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

receive, from one or more of the other communication devices in the cluster, information relevant to a condition of the cluster; and

communicate the information to the remote device.

7. The communication device of claim 6 , wherein the information is relevant to the cluster as a whole.

8. The communication device of claim 6 , wherein the information includes different types of information from different ones of the other communication devices.

9. A communication device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communication device to:

monitor a presence of the communication device in a cluster with other communication devices based at least in part on communications received via a mesh network formed with at least one of the other communication devices; and

communicate information about the presence of the communication device in the cluster to a remote device that is not part of the cluster.

10. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein execution of the instructions to communicate information about the presence of the communication device further causes the communication device to:

transmit an alert to the remote device when the communication device joins or leaves the cluster.

11. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

identify the cluster based at least in part on communications received via the mesh network; and

select a network key to be used for communicating with the other communication devices based on the identified cluster.

12. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the communication device to:

determine a location of the communication device; and

communicate information about the location to the remote device.

13. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the communication device uses a different communications protocol to communicate with the remote device than with the other communication devices in the cluster.

14. A method for tracking a plurality of communication devices, the method being performed by a first communication device of the plurality of communication devices and comprising:

forming a cluster with others of the plurality of communication devices in its vicinity by based at least in part on a proximity of the other communication devices to the first communication device;

establishing a mesh network with at least one of the other communication devices;

monitoring a presence, in the cluster, of the other communication devices based at least in part on communications received via the mesh network; and

communicating information about the presence of the other communication devices in the cluster to a remote device that is not part of the cluster.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the information about the presence of the other communication devices includes a notification that a particular communication device is leaving or joining the cluster.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

communicating information about the first communication device leaving or joining the cluster.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

establishing a network with communication devices belonging to one or more other clusters.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

determining a status of the one or more other clusters from the remote device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the remote device forms part of the network with the communication devices belonging to the one or more other clusters.