The earliest wireless ad-hoc networks were called "packet radio"
networks, and were sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) in the early 1970s. Bolt, Beranek and Newman Technologies
(BBN) and SRI International designed, built, and experimented with
these earliest systems. Experimenters included Jerry Burchfield, Robert
Kahn, and Ray Tomlinson of later TEN-EXtended (TENEX), Internet and
email fame. Similar experiments took place in the Ham radio community.
It is interesting to note that these early packet radio systems predated the Internet, and indeed were part of the motivation of the original Internet Protocol suite. Later DARPA experiments included the Survivable Radio Network (SURAN) project, which took place in the 1980s. Another third wave of academic activity started in the mid-1990s with the advent of inexpensive 802.11 radio cards for personal computers. Current wireless ad-hoc networks are designed primarily for military utility
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It is interesting to note that these early packet radio systems predated the Internet, and indeed were part of the motivation of the original Internet Protocol suite. Later DARPA experiments included the Survivable Radio Network (SURAN) project, which took place in the 1980s. Another third wave of academic activity started in the mid-1990s with the advent of inexpensive 802.11 radio cards for personal computers. Current wireless ad-hoc networks are designed primarily for military utility
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