An ad hoc network allows a laptop user to send messages directly to another computer.
An ad hoc network exists whenever several devices are in communication range with one another. For example, if several people bring their laptops to a park, they can form an ad hoc network with one another, sending messages between the laptops without the involvement of a central service provider such as a phone company.
Number of Users
An ad hoc network does not always have a fixed number of participants. For example, if one laptop user decides he is tired and leaves the park, removing his laptop from the network, other laptop users can still use the ad hoc network. New members can join the ad hoc network as long as their equipment allows them to send messages across the network.
Mobility
Ad hoc networks can be created in remote locations. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, campers in a wildlife refuge can set up an ad hoc network using their cellphones. Using portable wireless devices to create a network is convenient because the campers don't need to be in range of a phone tower to get information about wild animals and trail outages in other parts of the park.
Redundancy
Redundancy is an advantage of many ad hoc networks. If several cellphone users receive information from a single phone tower, the network no longer functions if the phone tower's power goes out. If one cellphone's battery is depleted, an individual cellphone user can connect to his neighbor's cellphone instead.
Cost
Ad hoc networks can save their users money. A cable company charges a computer user subscription fees to use a cable connection, which grants access to the Web. With an ad hoc network, a computer user can transmit data to his neighbor's computer without paying a bill each month.
Privacy
Privacy can be an issue with ad hoc networks. Many ad hoc networks require the user to enter a password so a person walking past a house can't use a wireless device to download data from a computer inside the house. Location secrecy is also important. Each device on an ad hoc network broadcasts its current coordinates so other devices can get the best connection. A soldier on a battlefield does not want to provide his location to enemy soldiers, so some types of ad hoc networks can disguise the user's location.
Tags: phone tower, computer user, laptop user, send messages, with another
