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Independent basic service set

As explained in Acing the CCNA Exam: Volume 2 Advanced Networking and Security

An independent basic service set is a wireless network in which client devices communicate directly with one another without a wireless access point.

An independent basic service set (IBSS), also called an ad hoc wireless network, lets wireless clients communicate directly without a wireless access point. Devices share an SSID and form a peer-to-peer wireless LAN. section 18.3 section 18.3.1

Use an IBSS when the network needs:

  • Quick, temporary communication between a small number of nearby devices. section 18.3.1
  • Direct resource sharing, such as file exchange or multiplayer gaming, without infrastructure. section 18.3.1
  • A deliberately limited alternative to an infrastructure WLAN using wireless access points. section 18.3.1

Three-device ad hoc network

A smartphone and two laptops join an SSID such as “Jeremy’s IBSS.” Each device communicates directly with the others and shares resources. section 18.3.1

How Acing the CCNA Exam: Volume 2 Advanced Networking and Security covers it

How deep it goes
Defines direct client communication, gives file-sharing and gaming examples, and identifies the few-device scalability limit.
Examples
Uses a smartphone and two laptops for file sharing or gaming in an SSID-named ad hoc network.
What it assumes
Assumes basic wireless-LAN and SSID terminology while distinguishing IBSS communication from access-point-based BSS communication.
What you can do after
Evaluate whether a small, temporary direct-connectivity setup fits better than an access-point-based WLAN.
How it connects
Relates service sets and SSIDs to BSS infrastructure networks and wireless access points.
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Related concepts

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