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Move Wi-Fi access point section below client section. authored by akwizgran's avatar akwizgran
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Public-Mesh-Research-Report.md
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## Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is widely supported by smartphones and other mobile devices, and allows for easy interoperation between platforms.
Wi-Fi networks are available worldwide and may be usable (without internet access) even during internet shutdowns.
### Wi-Fi Access Point
Some Android devices can act as Wi-Fi access points.
The system UI allows the user to enable an access point and configure its network name and password.
Connected clients can access the internet via the access point.
Some devices require a SIM card to be inserted before this feature can be used.
On Android versions 5.1 and earlier (API level 22), applications can use reflection to access a hidden API for enabling an access point, including specifying the network name and password.
Android versions 8 and later (API level 26) have an API for creating a "local-only hotspot", which is an access point that doesn't provide internet access to connected clients.
<https://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/wifi/WifiManager#startLocalOnlyHotspot(android.net.wifi.WifiManager.LocalOnlyHotspotCallback,%20android.os.Handler)>
A local-only hotspot is similar to a Wi-Fi Direct legacy mode access point, which is described in the Wi-Fi Direct section.
With all of these methods of providing an access point, clients connected to the access point can typically connect to each other, and to the device providing the access point, via TCP and UDP.
The device providing the access point may not be able to connect to clients, however, because Android treats the access point interface differently from other network interfaces.
We still need to test whether LAN multicast and the NSD API can be used (by clients and/or the device providing the access point) on networks where the access point is provided through each of these methods.
Although Wi-Fi communication typically requires an access point (with some exceptions, see below), access points are available worldwide, are under local control, and may be usable (without internet access) even during internet shutdowns.
### Wi-Fi Client
......@@ -701,6 +682,26 @@ The authors of [Nearby Threats: Reversing, Analyzing, and Attacking Google’s
This security concern is relevant for mesh applications that connect to access points without user interaction, even if they don't use Google Nearby.
### Wi-Fi Access Point
As well as acting as Wi-Fi clients, some mobile devices can act as Wi-Fi access points.
Android's system UI allows the user to enable an access point and configure its network name and password.
Connected clients can access the internet via the access point.
Some devices require a SIM card to be inserted before this feature can be used.
On Android versions 5.1 and earlier (API level 22), applications can use reflection to access a hidden API for enabling an access point, including specifying the network name and password.
Android versions 8 and later (API level 26) have an API for creating a "local-only hotspot", which is an access point that doesn't provide internet access to connected clients.
<https://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/wifi/WifiManager#startLocalOnlyHotspot(android.net.wifi.WifiManager.LocalOnlyHotspotCallback,%20android.os.Handler)>
A local-only hotspot is similar to a Wi-Fi Direct legacy mode access point, which is described in the Wi-Fi Direct section.
When using any of these methods to create an access point, clients connected to the access point can typically connect to each other, and to the device providing the access point, via TCP and UDP.
The device providing the access point may not be able to connect to clients, however, because Android treats the access point's network interface differently from other network interfaces.
We still need to test whether LAN multicast and the NSD API can be used (by clients and/or the device providing the access point) on networks where the access point is created through each of these methods.
### Wi-Fi Direct
#### Peer Advertisement
......