Systems and methods for utilizing multiple wireless communication protocols are provided. In one embodiment, the portable device includes circuitry for providing wireless communications utilizing a low power, relatively slow communications protocol, such as Bluetooth, to establish a communications path between two wireless devices. When high speed communications are preferred, the two devices can agree to switch to a different, high speed protocol, such as Wi-Fi, for communications. In this manner, power loss is minimized while one of the devices is seeking another communications node. In another embodiment, the high speed communications are performed utilizing a private network established between the two devices in which a non-standard protocol is utilized. That protocol could be, for example, a minimized subset of 802.11 instructions.