Facebook eyes making local connections with mesh networks

August 17, 2013

Facebook has designed a system that would allow individuals and advertisers to make direct connections to those physically nearby that share similar interests or are open to receiving certain advertisements. The company’s work was outlined in a U.S. patent filing for a “wireless social networking” system that was published this week and represents a further step towards advertising and communication that is locally targeted. USPTOSample screens of an instant messenger app based on a proximity wireless mesh network, as shown in a Facebook patent application. Under the envisaged system, a wireless device would establish a connection with other wireless devices nearby. The communication wouldn’t run via the Internet but would be based on a direct link between the devices. Each device might be linked to one or many other devices, depending on the density of people in a certain area, and each would be open to sending, receiving and relaying messages as part of the mesh network. Because the network is based on direct connections, the approximate location of users can be determined. For example, if a device has a 100-meter-range then all other devices it is in direct contact with could be determined to be within 100 meters. If those devices acted as relays, then a second level of devices could be determined to be within 200 meters and so on. The number of relays, or “hops,” lies at the heart of the envisaged system. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046851/facebook-eyes-making-local-connections-with-mesh-networks.html#tk.rss_all