From Synapse Wireless
Physical nodes in a SNAP based network communicate wirelessly using a full mesh topology. Nodes that are in direct radio range of each other will communicate directly. When nodes are not in direct radio range, intermediate nodes will automatically forward any messages to their intended destinations. This is known as "mesh routing".
In many environments, however, it is necessary for the nodes to be powered by batteries, in which case power consumption can be a significant problem.
Even in the case of a low-power Synapse RF Engine module running SNAP, an active module will consume an average of 50 milli-amps (mA). When powered by AA batteries capable of supplying say 2,500 milli-amp-hours (mAh), this means that a node can stay active for 2,500 / 50 = 50 hours, which is a little over two days.
This is simply not acceptable in terms of resource requirements (someone changing the batteries) and expense (batteries aren't cheap) for the vast majority of installations, especially in the case of networks involving hundreds or thousands of wireless nodes. The solution is for the nodes to alternate between being "awake" for a short amount of time and then entering a "sleep" mode in which they consume dramatically less power.
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