PICONET - EMBEDDED MOBILE NETWORKING

Piconet is a general-purpose, low-power ad hoc radio network. It provi des a base level of connectivity to even the simplest of sensing and c omputing objects. It is our intention that a full range of portable an d embedded devices may make use of this connectivity. This article out lines the Piconet system, under development al the Olivetti and Oracle Research Laboratory (ORL). The authors discuss the motivation for pro viding this low-level ''embedded networking,'' and describe their expe riences of building such a system. Thc article concludes with a commen tary on some of the implications that power saving, and other consider ations central to Piconet, have on the design of the system.