Processes to achieve low power discovery and wake-up in the presence of desired 802.11 coverage are disclosed. In one aspect, probabilistic scanning for 802.11 SSID triggers is provided. In another aspect, the 802.11 Access Point (AP) is equipped with a Bluetooth inquiring device, which initiates the wake-up process with a special inquiry access code (IAC). The special IAC can comprise the AP's 802.11 channel. Additional optional sensors (GPS, Gyroscope, odometer, etc) are provided such that probabilistic scanning reduces power consumption and improves the likelihood that an 802.11 channel scan will find a desired SSID. A Bluetooth inquiry allows a discovery process to either wake-up immediately, or ascertain the need for host wake-up by exchanging further information with the AP. Probabilistic scanning allows the use of sensors and historical or pre-loaded information to improve the probability that 802.11 scanning is not required on individual channels, further driving down power needs.