Efficient multi-group formation and communication protocol for Wi-Fi Direct

Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) has become almost a standard for peer-to-peer networking on smart devices. Typically, WFD allows a user to search for and connect to other devices, which results in creating a group of devices that can exchange data. In certain applications like alert dissemination in disaster areas, it is required to form groups dynamically and to share data across the group boundaries. However, these capabilities are not offered by the current WFD implementations. In this paper, we propose EMC, a novel protocol that allows WFD devices to dynamically cluster themselves into groups and appropriately elect group owners. EMC also allows members of distinct groups to communicate. EMC is validated through implementation on Android devices and through the realization of a chat application.