http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2003/11/6/technology/6660528&sec=technology
Has anyone had a chance to try out a working ad hoc networking system like this? Or this one in particular? Here's the story: P2P without a network By EDWIN YAPP GREEN Packet Inc, a developer of mobile Internet infrastructure, has launched what it claims to be a unique wireless networking solution that enables mobile devices to connect with each other without the need for wireless access infrastructures. Dubbed the SONbuddy, the software platform enables WiFi devices to seek, organise and maintain a peer-to-peer (P2P) or a peer-to-multi-peer (P2MP) self-organising network (SON) with each other. Members within the network may join in or terminate their links at any time. According to Green Packet Malaysia�s director and country manager Nik Mat Ismail, a typical scenario would see users connect to other users without the use of a WiFi access point. �A user would only need to load SONbuddy on his/her laptop or Pocket PC-based handheld device and wait for other SONbuddy users to come into range to start forming a �virtual� community,� said Nik. He added that for the users to hook up, they should be between 50m and 100m of each other. SONbuddy uses a patent-pending multi-hop, self-organising technology that turns each wireless device into intelligent routers, allowing for the formation of a true ad-hoc network, he told In.Tech after the launch ceremony. �When device A communicates with device B, it multi-hops over other intermediate device to create a self-organising connection,� he said, adding that the multi-hop capability also increases the range of a typical WiFi connection. Nik said that with SONbuddy, typical applications such as file swapping, instant messaging, gaming, voice over WiFi and resources sharing are some of the things users are able to do. SONbuddy, can also act as a gateway to an intranet, an external network connection, or the Internet, he added. SONbuddy is currently available for devices running on Microsoft Windows, and in the near future, Pocket PC-based devices, such as HP iPAQs. The price for SONbuddy on a Windows platform costs US$49 (RM186) for a single user licence. The price of SONbuddy for the Pocket PC-based devices has not yet been revealed. For more on Green Packet�s offerings, surf to www.greenpacket.comor call (03) 8996-6022.
