Overview

 

What is multi-hop messaging?

  • Most regular wireless connections are single hop.
  • Devices act as both clients and access points.
  • Data is passed from one wireless device to another whenever a connection is available.
  • Devices act as mobile routers, exchanging data until it reaches it destination

 

What is Wifi-direct

  • Allows Android devices to act as both clients and access points and exchange data via a wifi connection, but leaves implementation of multi-hop routing up to the developer.

 

Many Different Ways Todo The Same Thing

  • There have been many different routing schemes proposed for multi-hop wireless communication, similarly many different possible applications.
  • A multilayer design abstracts components such that they can be easily swapped

 

 

Our Multilayer Design

 

  • Connection Manager – initiate and manage Wifi-Direct connections between peers.
  • Routing Manager – stores and forwards messages using an epidemic routing protocol.
  • File Manager – submits and handles file requests from other mobile devices.

 

Future Applications of Wireless Multi-hop Communications

  • Mobile device to mobile device (and also vehicle to vehicle) communications in the absence of a static infrastructure.
  • Mobile device to mobile device communications that coexist within larger cell infrastructure (free text messaging in a local area).