Search code examples
wifiandroid-wifiadhoc

How can a Wi-Fi client distinguish between ad-hoc and hotspot networks?

Android does not support ad-hoc WiFi networks. My question is, how can it distinguish between ad-hoc and hotspot networks?

UPDATE

In other words, what are protocol differences between ad-hoc and hotspot networks? Or what is the key difference?

Solution

  • The BSSID of an ad-hoc network is a MAC address flagged as individual and local (i.e. the two least-significant bits of the first octet will be "10").