oh, the reason for my answer is that I implicitly assumed that something like `a flow control layer for wireless IP` capable of solving the problem could not ex

oh, the reason for my answer is that I implicitly assumed that something like `a flow control layer for wireless IP` capable of solving the problem could not exist. Or better I cannot even imagine how it could work. My understanding is that a important property is that the device does not receive network packets that are not "replies". So that it has control on when it is fine to power down the network (in a very gross simplification) So maybe something like what you are describing would be a protocol where the client can say "pin me back with this for this category of events but no sooner than X minutes", but at a network level, like a tagged TCP sleep function. I never thought of this possibility. In the form I have imagined it it is technically inferior, but it would be an interesting approach to decentralization and surely could be improved.