A plurality of tape agents includes an autonomous master wireless tape agent. The autonomous wireless tape agent includes a first wireless communications interface type operative to communicate over a wireless communications link with an associated secondary wireless agent. The autonomous master wireless tape agent corresponds to a child node in a wireless agent hierarchy. The secondary wireless agent includes a second wireless communications interface type that has a longer wireless communications range than a wireless communications range of the first wireless communications interface type. The secondary wireless agent corresponds to a parent node in the wireless agent hierarchy. The master wireless tape agent governs the wireless communications link and traffic between the master wireless tape agent and the secondary wireless agent. The master wireless tape agent is operative to schedule a designated time slot for each secondary wireless agent transmission. The secondary wireless agent is operative to synchronize its transmit and receive timing with that of the master wireless tape agent and respond to requests received from the master wireless tape agent.