Implementing MANET for Trustworthy Collaboration Using OSS and Android Based COTS Devices

Abstract

Adhoc networking is not supported by Google in basic Android kernel as part of Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Various projects are in hand by different organizations to explore and implement the Mobile Adhoc Networking (MANET) feature on Android based devices due to their peculiar infrastructure-less requirements (such as disaster management, nomadic battle fields having no communication infrastructure, search and rescue operations etc). These projects carrying out research on MANETs have successfully implemented adhoc networking on few targeted devices, hence implementation of Mobile Adhoc Network (MANET) on every new Android based device is quite challenging in nature. We have researched on Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) devices (such mobile phones and tablets) to implement adhoc networking using open source software (OSS) such as Serval Mesh, MANET Manager, WiFi Tether applications. We have also modified the TrevE-Mod WiFi Tether application to work successfully with MANET Manager and Linux/ Windows based Personal Computers (PCs) in an adhoc network. The results achieved by performance evaluation tools and testing of VoIP applications have proved it to be satisfactory. We have also satisfactorily implemented, configured and tested point to point Virtual Private Network (VPN) between MANET nodes using OSS (VPN Server, OpenVPN for Android, OpenVPN Connect). The application of standards based security algorithms (for authentication and encryption in VPNs) demonstrates that these technologies can be effectively used for secure collaboration in adhoc environments as well.