Standards

• Existing Routing Protocols for Ad Hoc Networks are still under development. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is retrospectively working on the publication of open standards. This project is known as 802.11s. Until an agreement on standards is reached, proprietary systems are developed. This has resulted in the existence of more than 70 routing protocols.
  
  

Features

• A distinctive feature of Ad Hoc Networks is the absence of a central mediator. Devices with radio transmitters announce their presence and detect the announcements of other devices. This enables them to discover each other and connect directly without a gateway or router. Where a router is involved, the wireless network is operating in "Infrastructure mode."
  
  

Function

• A direct connection between two computers within signaling range of each other is not a network. The Ad Hoc methodology enables wireless devices to link through. Immediately detectable devices can pass on connections to reach devices which are not in range of the originating transmitter.