Android Wifi direct multiple connection ad-hoc

Question

I try to create an ad-hoc network between many Android devices, but I can't find documentation to do that.

I thought Wifi direct could work for what I want, but is it possible to have multiple connection on one device ? I saw that we could do a device acting like an access point and communicate with many devices, but can we communicate from one client device to two access point devices ?

I have for example 3 devices: A -> B -> C

The "A" device need to communicate with "C" device but he's too far away, so I want to have ad-hoc wifi direct connection between A&B and ad-hoc wifi direct connection between B&C, so A can communicate with C. It should also work with more than 3 devices.

Thanks !

Answer 1

Here is the link to the Wifi Direct Demo http://developer.android.com/resources/samples/WiFiDirectDemo/index.html

Answer 2

Android does not have support for ad-hoc WiFi at this time -- sorry!

Answer 3

At this time only Galaxy S 2 support Wi-Fi Direct

Answer 4

The wifi direct supports concurrent hosting and client capabilities on single interface. Which means, the device will act as an AP, allowing other devices to connect to it as clients, And also connect to another AP as a client. And can share internet connection by driving the internet traffic between the interfaces. However, current implementations of wifi direct on android are specific to the phone and not part of andorid sdk. So there is not much clarity if they support concurrency. This capability is not limited by hardware.

Answer 5

The Serval Project, based in part on WiFi Tether, is the only place I've found this functionality. It's still alpha phase, but seems to be the forerunner in the field. The wiki is much more useful than the main project page linked above, with installation instructions and a bit of documentation.

Serval may or may not be right for your needs, but I felt it should be pointed out that ad-hoc networking is not impossible on Android. It might be better to wait until Google gets around to implementing it as standard API, though (if you believe they ever will :) ).

Answer 6

I have been working on establishing ad hoc communication over Android phones for a month. I am trying to create an app that could work without having 3G or access point. Main idea is to let the clients to be able transfer voice or data in a close range.

There are some guys implemented a basic system regarding almost the same topic. It basically works with Wi-Fi access point. So you need an access point in order to establish the connection. Although this is not what I am looking for, it might be helpful for others. You might need to contact them for more details.

https://sites.google.com/site/androidwalkietalkie/home