A method to operate a first wireless device in an ad hoc network, comprising: turning on a radio of the first wireless device in response to a connect call; sending a connection request packet from the first wireless device to a previously-discovered second wireless device, the connection request packet including a unicast probe request packet or a unicast authentication packet according to the IEEE 802.11 standard, the unicast probe request packet or the unicast authentication packet containing a MAC address of the previously-discovered second wireless device and further containing a special information element which is a type-length-value object used to carry variable length information that identifies an operation type; if a connection response packet is received by the first wireless device from the second wireless device within a timeout period, establishing a connection to the second wireless device; if a connection request packet is received by the first wireless device from the second wireless device before the connection response packet, then: i) if the value of the MAC address of the second wireless device is less than the MAC address of the first wireless device, then ignoring the connection request of the second wireless device; ii) if the value of the MAC address of the second wireless device is larger than the MAC address of the first wireless device, then replying to the connection request of the second wireless device by sending a connection response, and cancelling the own connection request that was sent by the first wireless device to the second wireless device; and if a connection response packet is not received by the first wireless device from the second wireless device within the timeout period, indicating a connection failure. turning on a radio of the first wireless device in response to a connect call; sending a connection request packet from the first wireless device to a previously-discovered second wireless device, the connection request packet including a unicast probe request packet or a unicast authentication packet according to the IEEE 802.11 standard, the unicast probe request packet or the unicast authentication packet containing a MAC address of the previously-discovered second wireless device and further containing a special information element which is a type-length-value object used to carry variable length information that identifies an operation type; if a connection response packet is received by the first wireless device from the second wireless device within a timeout period, establishing a connection to the second wireless device; if a connection request packet is received by the first wireless device from the second wireless device before the connection response packet, then: i) if the value of the MAC address of the second wireless device is less than the MAC address of the first wireless device, then ignoring the connection request of the second wireless device; ii) if the value of the MAC address of the second wireless device is larger than the MAC address of the first wireless device, then replying to the connection request of the second wireless device by sending a connection response, and cancelling the own connection request that was sent by the first wireless device to the second wireless device; and i) if the value of the MAC address of the second wireless device is less than the MAC address of the first wireless device, then ignoring the connection request of the second wireless device; ii) if the value of the MAC address of the second wireless device is larger than the MAC address of the first wireless device, then replying to the connection request of the second wireless device by sending a connection response, and cancelling the own connection request that was sent by the first wireless device to the second wireless device; and if a connection response packet is not received by the first wireless device from the second wireless device within the timeout period, indicating a connection failure.