A system and method which enables access points in a wireless ad-hoc communications network to effectively and efficiently determine the approximate location of a mobile node without performing a broadcast flood. The system and method enables a message to be efficiently communicated from an access point of the network, which provides access to a portion of the network or access to another network, to a wireless mobile node in the network. The system and method employ the operations of determining the access point with which the wireless mobile node is affiliated, storing information in a routing table at the affiliated access point pertaining to a routing path from the affiliated access point to the wireless mobile node, and updating the routing path when the wireless mobile node moves by a certain amount. The wireless mobile node can provide this routing path information to the affiliated access point in data packets sent to the affiliated access point. The frequency at which the updating of the routing path information occurs can be based on the degree of mobility of the wireless mobile node. The system and method further perform the operations of providing the message to the affiliated access point, sending the message from the access point to the wireless mobile node by attempting to send the message along the routing path if the routing path is unchanged, and adaptively sending the message along at least one other routing path if the routing path has changed. The frequency of occurrence of the routing path updating is based on a degree of mobility of the wireless mobile node.