A MANET Autoconfiguration System based on Bluetooth Technology

The availability of both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies on currently available devices offers the possibility to combine both in order to make the most out of their capabilities. In this paper we propose using Bluetooth technology to solve the configuration problem of the terminals conforming an IEEE 802.11-based ad-hoc network. The main objective of mobile ad- hoc networks (MANETs) is to extend the connectivity range of nodes through packet forwarding, thereby avoiding the use of a fixed infrastructure. However, since configuration of nodes is a complex issue, we provide a fast and reliable solution to auto-configure MANET terminals. Our solution is adequate for the quick setup and deployment of rescue, military or any other sort of organized team. We present the architecture of the proposed system by means of a simple example, along with the applications developed for both client and server. We conclude with some experiments to assess the performance of the proposed architecture.