Aco-Wi - Acoustic Initiated Wi-Fi Peer-group Communication for Opportunistic Messaging.

Super cyclone Amphan in May 2020, left the city of Kolkata without cellphone connectivity for hours, and without Internet connectivity for days. Rural areas were much worse affected. After any large-scale natural disaster, this disruption of conventional communication mediums is one of the most significant obstructions for rescue and relief operations. Smartphone messaging apps and social media-based tools depend on the Internet, making them unusable in the golden hour after large scale disasters like cyclones, earthquakes, etc. In such dire situations, to establish an alternate communication mechanism, we propose Aco-Wi, a Messaging application that uses opportunistic acoustic initiated Wi-Fi communication system that can work seamlessly through consumer smartphones. We are designing Aco-Wi keeping in mind the user experience, energy efficiency, and performance. The initial results and user feedback show that the above-mentioned technology is indeed promising.