In a wireless or hybrid mesh communication system, radio frequencies are managed by assigning an in-use frequency channel to each local family of nodes, distributing spare frequency channel(s) among the local families of nodes, and changing the in-use frequency channel of at least one selected local family of nodes to a new frequency channel selected among its spare frequency channel(s), if any, or among the spare frequency channel(s) of another local family of nodes if said at least one selected local family of nodes has no spare frequency channel(s), and/or as the in-use frequency channel of another local family of nodes if none of said local families of nodes has spare frequency channel(s).