What Is A Wireless Ad Hoc Network And How Does It Work?

Types of ad hoc wireless networks

Types of WANETs vary by application need and use. Choosing a wireless ad hoc network type depends on the wireless equipment capabilities, physical environment and purpose of the communication.

MANET

A mobile ad hoc network involves mobile devices communicating directly with one another. A MANET is a network of wireless mobile devices without an infrastructure that are self-organizing and self-configuring. A MANET is sometimes referred to as an "on-the-fly" or "spontaneous network." Examples of MANETs include smart home lighting, ad hoc streetlight networks, ad hoc networks of robots, disaster rescue ad hoc networks and hospital ad hoc networks. In many cases, these networks use proprietary or non-TCP/IP networking standards for communication.

IMANET

Internet-based mobile ad hoc networks support internet protocols, such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The iMANET employs a TCP/IP network-layer routing protocol on each connected device to link mobile nodes and set up distributed routes automatically. IMANETs may also be used in the collection of sensor data for data mining for a variety of use cases, such as air pollution monitoring.

SPAN

Smartphone ad hoc networks employ existing hardware, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and software protocols built into a smartphone operating system (OS) to create P2P networks without relying on cellular carrier networks, wireless access points or other traditional network infrastructure equipment. Different from traditional hub-and-spoke networks, such as Wi-Fi Direct, SPANs support multi-hop relays. Multi-hop relay is the process of sending traffic from device A to device C using intermediary device B. Therefore, device A and C do not need to have a direct P2P connection established for traffic to reach its destination. Because SPANs are fully dynamic in nature, there is no group leader in this type of application and, thus, peers can join or leave without harming the network.

Vehicular ad hoc network

This network type involves devices in vehicles that are used for communicating between them and roadside equipment. An example is the in-vehicle safety and security system OnStar.

WMN

Wireless mesh networks are comprised of radio networks set up in a mesh topology and frequently consist of mesh clients, mesh routers and gateways. In mesh networking, the devices -- or nodes -- are connected so at least some, if not all, have many paths to other nodes. This creates many routes for information between pairs of users, increasing the resilience of the network if a node or connection fails. WMNs are useful in situations where a temporary wireless network is required or in more permanent scenarios where network cabling cannot be run to create an infrastructure-based wireless network.