Energy-efficient discovery techniques are provided for a client node to
discover at least one peer provider node in an ad hoc network. For
example, the client node can be configured to turn on its first ad hoc
interface while in a discovery mode to establish a channel for a first
time period. The client node can then transmit a first beacon to
advertise its presence to other nodes within the transmission range of
the client node to acquire service information from at least one of a
plurality of prospective peer provider nodes within the transmission
range of the client node. At least one of the prospective peer provider
nodes is configured to turn on its second ad hoc interface for a second
period of time to listen for beacons from other nodes. The second period
of time is less than or equal to the first period of time.