with a lower layer wireless rf interface 230 which communicates with a radio that transmits and receives rf signals via an antenna the wireless device 200 may represent a variety of different devices that may be hand held and mobile or stationary examples of wireless devices include but are not limited to laptop computers desktop computers mobile data devices mobile phones stereo systems and wireless speakers the operations of each wireless device in establishing associations with other wireless devices are described below operation is described in connection with the ieee 802 11 standard however the present invention is not limited to the 802 11 standard and can be utilized in connection with other wireless protocols such as ultra wide band and winet it will be understood that the operations described below are embodiments only and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention prior to establishing associations as described below each wireless device discovers other wireless devices in the ad hoc network preferred techniques for discovering wireless devices are described in the related applications referenced above however other discovery techniques may be utilized after an association is established data can be sent and received by the associated wireless devices establish an association with a wireless device in ad hoc networks a flow chart of operations performed by a first wireless device to establish an association with a second wireless device in an ad hoc network is shown in fig3 if a wireless device decides to establish an association with another device in an ad hoc network it becomes an association requestor and does.