Content source selection in Bluetooth networks

Large scale market penetration of electronic devices equipped with Bluetooth technology now gives the ability to share content (such as music or video clips) between members of the public in a decentralised manner. Achieved using opportunistic connections, formed when they are colocated, in environments where Internet connectivity is expensive or unreliable, such as urban buses, train rides and coffee shops. Most people have a high degree of regularity in their movements (such as a daily commute), including repeated contacts with others possessing similar seasonal movement patterns. We argue that this behaviour can be exploited in connection selection, and outline a system for the identification of long-term companions and sources that have previously provided quality content, in order to maximise the successful receipt of content files. We utilise actual traces and existing mobility models to validate our approach, and show how consideration of the colocation history and the quality of previous data transfers leads to more successful sharing of content in realistic scenarios.