Methods and apparatus for dynamic, adaptive scanning of communication channels are provided. A device alternates between scan cycles and rest cycles. A scan cycle includes interleaved intervals of scanning and resting. A scan interval may involve active or passive scanning, and a rest interval may be active or inactive. An active rest interval is spent tending to a communication requirement other than scanning (e.g., an infrastructure connection, a peer-to-peer connection). An inactive rest interval may be spent in a low-power mode of operation. Rest cycles, like rest intervals, may also be active or inactive. Durations of rest cycles and rest intervals increase each time a scan cycle completes without detection of any significant event or signal (e.g., until they reach a maximum). Upon detection of a significant event, they decrease, possibly by being reset to default durations.