Method and apparatus for connecting devices via an ad hoc wireless communication network

A method for connecting two or more devices via a wireless communication channel is provided. In one embodiment, a method of connecting a first device to a second device includes the steps of arbitrarily assigning one of two possible states to each device, wherein in a first state, a device seeks to establish a connection with another device, and in a second state, the device renders itself available for connection with the other device; and alternating a present state of each device between the first state and the second state in accordance with a predefined probability distribution until either a predetermined timeout period has expired or a connection between the devices has been established, the length of time that each device remains in the first and second states being controlled by the probability distribution. In a second embodiment, a method of forming a scatternet between a plurality of devices or nodes in an ad hoc wireless communication network is provided.