Detecting airwave congestion and using variable handshaking granularities to reduce airwave congestion

1. A wireless sensing system comprising:

a gateway node configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of wireless nodes in an environment; and

a first set of the plurality of wireless nodes, each wireless node of the first set configured to wirelessly communicate with the gateway node and to wirelessly communicate with other wireless nodes of the plurality of wireless nodes, each wireless node of the first set comprising a same first group identifier, wherein

the gateway node is configured to address the first set of the plurality of the wireless nodes by addressing all wireless nodes in the environment that broadcast the first group identifier.

2. The wireless sensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second set of the plurality of wireless nodes, each wireless node of the second set configured to wirelessly communicate with the gateway node and to wirelessly communicate, each wireless node of the second set comprising a same second group identifier.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein each wireless node of the second set is configured to perform steps comprising:

receiving a first communication from the gateway node;

performing a handshake protocol with the gateway node; and

transmitting a second communication to the gateway node, the second communication confirming completion of the handshake protocol with the gateway node.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein each wireless node of the first set reduces a wireless activity level while the wireless nodes of the second set are performing the handshake protocol with the gateway node.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein each wireless node of the first set temporarily enters a sleep mode while the wireless nodes of the second set are performing the handshake protocol with the gateway node.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each wireless node of the first set exits the sleep mode in response to the wireless nodes of the second set completing the handshake protocol with the gateway.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein each wireless node of the first set is configured to perform steps comprising:

receiving a first communication from the gateway node;

performing a handshake protocol with the gateway node;

transmitting a second communication to the gateway node, the second communication confirming completion of the handshake protocol with the gateway node.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein based on a received communication from the gateway node, each of the wireless nodes in the first set generates or receives one of: an instruction to pause communications; an instruction to execute a handshaking protocol; an instruction to execute an action; an instruction to transmit information; an instruction to capture and transmit sensor data; an instruction to initiate communications; an instruction to modify a means of communication; and an instruction to enter a sleep mode.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein each wireless node's group identifier is based on a unique identifier of the wireless node.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein each wireless node's group identifier is based on a compressed or truncated version of the unique identifier of the wireless node.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway node is configured to:

receives one or more signals associated with airwave congestion from one or more wireless nodes of the plurality of wireless nodes;

determines one or more actions to prevent gridlock; and

transmits to one or more wireless nodes of the first set, an instruction to execute the one or more actions.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more signals comprise one or more of: A frequency and severity of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) failures; latency times of nodes of the wireless sensing system; and heartbeat signals of entities of the wireless sensing system; handshaking signals of entities of the wireless sensing system.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more actions to prevent gridlock comprise one or more of: reducing communication frequencies; increasing lossy compression; entering hibernation or sleep mode; setting a busy signal; and grouping nodes into communications groups to reduce overall communications in the system.

14. A method comprising:

detecting, by a wireless sensing system, one or more signals associated with airwave congestion;

determining, by the wireless sensing system, one or more actions to prevent gridlock; and

transmitting, by the wireless sensing system to one or more wireless nodes of the wireless sensing system, an instruction to execute the one or more actions.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more signals comprise one or more of: A frequency and severity of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) failures; latency times of nodes of the wireless sensing system; heartbeat signals of entities of the wireless sensing system; and handshaking signals of entities of the wireless sensing system.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more actions to prevent gridlock comprise one or more of: reducing communication frequencies; increasing lossy compression; entering hibernation or sleep mode; setting a busy signal; and grouping nodes into communications groups to reduce overall communications in the system.

17. A method comprising:

communicating, by a gateway node with a plurality of wireless nodes deployed in an environment, wherein each wireless node of the plurality of wireless nodes comprises a group identifier;

receiving, by the gateway node, a respective group identifier broadcasted from each of the plurality of wireless nodes; and

addressing, by a gateway node, a first set of wireless nodes of the plurality of wireless nodes, by addressing all wireless nodes in the environment that broadcast a first group identifier, wherein each wireless node of the first set comprises the same first group identifier and is configured to wireless communicate with the gateway node and with other wireless nodes.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

addressing, by the gateway node, a second set of wireless nodes of the plurality of wireless nodes, by addressing all wireless nodes in the environment that broadcast a second group identifier, wherein each wireless node of the second set comprises the second group identifier.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein each wireless node of the first set reduces a wireless activity level while the wireless nodes of the second set are performing a handshake protocol with the gateway node.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

receiving, by a wireless node of the first set, a first communication from the gateway node;

performing, by the wireless node of the first set, a handshake protocol with the gateway node; and

transmitting, by the wireless node of the first set, a second communication to the gateway node, the second communication confirming completion of the handshake protocol with the gateway node.