Master-slave cluster-based multihop ad-hoc networking

A master-slave cluster-based mobile ad-hoc network architecture for multihop communications using the IEEE 802.11 system is presented. The proposed architecture is a mixture of two different types of networks: managed (master-and-slave) and ad-hoc (star). In this architecture, the participating nodes in each cluster communicate with each other via their respective access points (APs), which operate as mobile base stations. A network architecture is presented where APs can be utilised to communicate with other APs in an ad-hoc manner.