Various methods are known for routing network packets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,726 entitled “Method for routing packets in a packet communication network,” which is incorporated by this reference, describes forwarding packets from a source node to a target node via a series of intermediates using the target node's geographic coordinates. Each intermediate node selects a successor node using, among other things, the maximum forward geographic progress attainable, which is determined by calculating a metric incorporating the geographical distance between the coordinates of the target node and the coordinates of each potential successor node. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,216, entitled “Method for translating IP addresses to other distributed network addressing schemes,” which is incorporated by this reference, describes using a network specific local address of a target node that incorporates the target's geographic coordinates.
Some networks are configured to determine and use radio nodes with latitude and longitude coordinates, which are shared amongst the radios of the network, for example, as radios discover one another. A radio uses the coordinate information about its neighbors to independently determine how to best route each packet based on the packet's final destination, for example by attempting to determine to which of the neighbors a packet should be sent in order to move it closest to the final destination. Various problems arise when one or more radio nodes in a network have different range patterns such as asymmetrical patterns. Such patterns may occur when a radio is under glass or otherwise obstructed within a utility meter.
Wireless mesh networks using geo-routing are more reliable than other types of networks but their main problem is that each node needs to be configured to have their geographical location. Getting such location information can be burdensome and inaccurate. One technique for addressing these issues involves routing packets using node virtual locations. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/165,996, entitled “Systems and Methods for Network Routing Using Virtual Network Node Locations,” which is incorporated by this reference, describes determining a virtual location, for example, by determining a geographic location that is central to other nodes with which a given node can communicate. Such a virtual location may more accurately represent an approximate center point of a node's communication range. Such virtual locations can then be used to make routing determinations. Alternative and complementary techniques for determining and using geographic and virtual locations are desirable for a variety of reasons.