Ad hoc networks are created for a specific purpose and consist of wireless devices that communicate directly with each other. They don’t go through a central hub and can be closed or shared with a public or private network. They are commonly used for portable video game systems and can be thought of as a wireless peer-to-peer network.
Since the inception of wireless networks there have been two types of wireless networks: the infrastructure network, including some local area networks (LANs), and the ad hoc network. Ad hoc is Latin meaning “for this purpose”. Ad hoc networks therefore refer to networks created for a particular purpose. They are often created on the fly and for occasional or temporary use. Often, these networks consist of a group of workstations or other wireless devices that communicate directly with each other to exchange information. Think of these connections as spontaneous networks, available to anyone in a given area.
An ad hoc network is one in which there are no access points that pass information between participants. Infrastructure networks pass information through a central information hub which can be a hardware or software device on a computer. Office networks, for example, generally use a server to which company workstations connect to receive their information. Ad hoc networks, on the other hand, don’t go through a central information hub.
These networks are usually closed as they do not connect to the internet and are usually created between the participants. However, if one of the participants has a connection to a public or private network, this connection can be shared among other members of the network. This will also allow other users of the spontaneous ad hoc network to connect to the Internet.
Ad hoc networks are common for portable video game systems like the Sony PSP or Nintendo DS because they allow players to connect to each other to play video games wirelessly. Some retail stores even build networks within them for customers to get new game demos through the store’s ad-hoc network.
An ad hoc network can be thought of as a peer-to-peer network for the wireless age. Peer-to-peer or workgroup style networks were used to create a networking environment for early Windows computers. This allowed these early computers to connect to each other to exchange information, usually in a smaller office environment without the need for domains and the additional management and overhead that comes with them.
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