Reduced signaling overhead is provided in an apparatus and method for communications within a mesh network. The communications involve using two different beacon signals. A peer beacon contains time synchronization and resource management information to maintain existing links among one or more neighboring peer stations, while a separate network discovery beacon contains mesh network profile information that identifies the mesh network to aid network discovery for wireless communication stations wanting to join the mesh network. Embodiments describe coordination between peer stations to determine which stations are to send the network discovery beacons, so that at any given period of time not all stations need to be transmitting the discovery beacons.