CrossP2P Network Plugin

A comprehensive Flutter plugin that enables cross-platform peer-to-peer networking for attendance systems with Wi-Fi Aware support, hotspot management, and service discovery across Android and iOS.

Features

πŸš€ Core Capabilities

  • Cross-Platform P2P Networking: Seamless Android-iOS communication
  • Wi-Fi Aware Support: Native iOS 19+ and Android 8+ support for true P2P
  • Hotspot Fallback: Automatic fallback to Wi-Fi hotspots when needed
  • Scalable Architecture: BFS graph topology supporting 100+ devices
  • Real-time Communication: Embedded MQTT for pub/sub messaging
  • Service Discovery: DNS-SD/Bonjour for automatic network detection
  • Auto-healing: Network resilience with automatic recovery
  • Battery Optimization: Adaptive heartbeats and power management

πŸ“± Platform Support

  • Android: 8.0+ (API 26+) with enhanced support for Android 10+
  • iOS: 12.0+ with Wi-Fi Aware support on iOS 19+
  • Device Compatibility: Optimized for both old and new devices

🎯 Use Cases

  • Educational attendance systems
  • Classroom polling and quizzes
  • Offline group communication
  • Local mesh networking
  • Event check-in systems

Installation

Add this to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  cross_p2p_network: ^1.2.0

Quick Start

1. Initialize the Plugin

import 'package:cross_p2p_network/cross_p2p_network.dart';

// Initialize with default settings
await CrossP2PNetwork.initialize();

// Or with custom configuration
await CrossP2PNetwork.initialize(
  serviceType: '_attendance._tcp',
  preferAware: true,
  enableDebugLogs: false,
);

2. Teacher Mode (Create Room)

// Create a new attendance room
final result = await CrossP2PNetwork.createRoom(
  classCode: 'MATH101',
  expectedSize: 50,
  subject: 'Mathematics',
  onDataReceived: (data) {
    // Handle student data (attendance, responses, etc.)
    print('Received data: $data');
  },
  onQuizResponses: (responses) {
    // Handle quiz responses from students
    print('Quiz responses: ${responses.length}');
  },
);

if (result.success) {
  print('Room created: ${result.ssid}');
  print('Password: ${result.password}');
  print('Room ID: ${result.roomId}');
} else {
  print('Failed to create room: ${result.error}');
}

3. Student Mode (Join Room)

// Student information
final studentInfo = {
  'studentId': 'STU_12345',
  'rollNo': 'CS001',
  'studentName': 'John Doe',
  'studentEmail': 'john@example.com',
  'studentMobile': '+1234567890',
};

// Scan and join available networks
final joinResult = await CrossP2PNetwork.scanAndJoin(
  studentId: 'STU_12345',
  studentInfo: studentInfo,
  onDataReceived: (data) {
    // Handle teacher data (quizzes, announcements, etc.)
    if (data['topic']?.toString().contains('quiz')) {
      _handleQuiz(data);
    }
  },
);

if (joinResult.success) {
  print('Joined network successfully');
} else {
  print('Failed to join: ${joinResult.error}');
}

4. Send Data and Heartbeats

// Send attendance data
await CrossP2PNetwork.sendData({
  'action': 'attendance',
  'timestamp': DateTime.now().toIso8601String(),
  'location': 'Room 101',
});

// Send quiz response
await CrossP2PNetwork.sendData({
  'quizId': 'Q123',
  'questionId': '1',
  'answer': 'Option A',
}, topic: 'responses');

// Send periodic heartbeat
await CrossP2PNetwork.sendHeartbeat();

5. Listen to Events

// Listen to network events
CrossP2PNetwork.getEventStream().listen((event) {
  switch (event.type) {
    case NetworkEventType.initialized:
      print('Plugin initialized');
      break;
    case NetworkEventType.roomCreated:
      print('Room created: ${event.message}');
      break;
    case NetworkEventType.joined:
      print('Joined network: ${event.message}');
      break;
    case NetworkEventType.error:
      print('Error: ${event.message}');
      break;
  }
});

// Listen to data stream
CrossP2PNetwork.getDataStream(topic: 'quiz').listen((data) {
  print('Received quiz data: $data');
});

Architecture Overview

Network Topology

The plugin uses a BFS (Breadth-First Search) graph topology to create a hierarchical network:

Root (Teacher)
β”œβ”€β”€ Student 1
β”œβ”€β”€ Student 2
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ Student 3
β”‚   └── Student 4
└── Student 5
    β”œβ”€β”€ Student 6
    └── Student 7

Key Components

  1. Network Formation

    • Wi-Fi Aware (Primary): Direct P2P for iOS 19+ and Android 8+
    • Wi-Fi Hotspot (Fallback): LocalOnlyHotspot for Android, Manual setup for iOS

  2. Service Discovery

    • Android: Network Service Discovery (NSD)
    • iOS: Bonjour/NetService
    • Automatic filtering based on class codes and allowed networks

  3. Communication Layer

    • MQTT: Lightweight pub/sub messaging
    • Topics: attendance/{roomId}/{nodeId}, quiz/{roomId}/{quizId}
    • QoS: Configurable quality of service levels

  4. Auto-healing

    • Health monitoring: Periodic heartbeat checking
    • Node recovery: Automatic reconnection of orphaned nodes
    • Root election: Bully algorithm for root node replacement

Platform-Specific Implementation

Android Features

  • Wi-Fi Aware: Native WifiAwareManager support
  • Hotspot Creation: LocalOnlyHotspot for Android 8+
  • Network Suggestions: WifiNetworkSuggestion for auto-join (Android 10+)
  • Service Discovery: Network Service Discovery (NSD)
  • Battery Optimization: BatteryManager integration

iOS Features

  • Wi-Fi Aware: Native WiFiAware framework (iOS 19+)
  • Hotspot Join: NEHotspotConfiguration with minimal prompts
  • Service Discovery: Bonjour/NetService
  • Settings Integration: Automatic clipboard and Settings app guidance
  • Network Extensions: NetworkExtension framework support

Configuration

Permissions

Android (android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml)

<!-- Required Permissions -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES" 
                 android:usesPermissionFlags="neverForLocation" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />

<!-- Hardware Features -->
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.wifi" android:required="true" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.wifi.aware" android:required="false" />

iOS (ios/Runner/Info.plist)

<!-- Required Permissions -->
<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>Wi-Fi scanning required for class detection</string>
<key>NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription</key>
<string>Local network access for attendance system</string>
<key>NSBonjourServices</key>
<array>
  <string>_attendance._tcp</string>
</array>

<!-- Entitlements -->
<key>com.apple.developer.networking.wifi-info</key>
<true/>

API Reference

Core Methods

initialize()

Initialize the plugin with configuration options.

static Future<void> initialize({
  String serviceType = '_attendance._tcp',
  bool preferAware = true,
  bool enableDebugLogs = false,
})

createRoom()

Create a new attendance room (Teacher mode).

static Future<RoomCreationResult> createRoom({
  required String classCode,
  required int expectedSize,
  String? subject,
  Duration? duration,
  Function(Map<String, dynamic>)? onDataReceived,
  Function(List<Map<String, dynamic>>)? onQuizResponses,
})

scanAndJoin()

Scan and join available networks (Student mode).

static Future<JoinResult> scanAndJoin({
  required String studentId,
  required Map<String, dynamic> studentInfo,
  Function(Map<String, dynamic>)? onDataReceived,
  List<String> allowedSsids = const [],
})

sendData()

Send data to the network.

static Future<void> sendData(
  Map<String, dynamic> data, {
  String topic = 'attendance',
  int qos = 1,
})

sendQuiz()

Send quiz to all students (Teacher only).

static Future<void> sendQuiz(
  Map<String, dynamic> quiz, {
  String? quizId,
})

Event Streams

getEventStream()

Get stream of network events.

static Stream<NetworkEvent> getEventStream()

getDataStream()

Get stream of received data, optionally filtered by topic.

static Stream<Map<String, dynamic>> getDataStream({String? topic})

Utility Methods

scanNetworks()

Scan for available networks.

static Future<List<NetworkInfo>> scanNetworks()

sendHeartbeat()

Send heartbeat signal.

static Future<void> sendHeartbeat()

disconnect()

Disconnect from network with optional healing.

static Future<void> disconnect({bool heal = true})

Data Models

NetworkEvent

class NetworkEvent {
  final NetworkEventType type;
  final String message;
  final Map<String, dynamic>? data;
  final DateTime timestamp;
}

RoomCreationResult

class RoomCreationResult {
  final String roomId;
  final String ssid;
  final String password;
  final String brokerIp;
  final int brokerPort;
  final bool success;
  final String? error;
}

JoinResult

class JoinResult {
  final bool success;
  final String? error;
  final NetworkInfo? networkInfo;
  final List<NetworkInfo> availableNetworks;
}

StudentInfo

class StudentInfo {
  final String studentId;
  final String rollNo;
  final String studentName;
  final String studentEmail;
  final String studentMobile;
  final DateTime joiningTime;
  final DateTime? leavingTime;
  final int joiningDuration; // in seconds
  final List<QuizResponse> quizResponses;
  final List<HeartbeatData> heartbeats;
}

Advanced Usage

Custom Network Configuration

// Initialize with custom settings
await CrossP2PNetwork.initialize(
  serviceType: '_myapp._tcp',
  preferAware: false, // Force hotspot mode
  enableDebugLogs: true,
);

// Create room with specific parameters
final result = await CrossP2PNetwork.createRoom(
  classCode: 'CS101',
  expectedSize: 100,
  subject: 'Computer Science',
  duration: Duration(hours: 2),
);

Real-time Quiz System

// Teacher: Send quiz
await CrossP2PNetwork.sendQuiz({
  'quizId': 'Q001',
  'title': 'Quick Assessment',
  'questions': [
    {
      'id': '1',
      'text': 'What is 2+2?',
      'type': 'multiple_choice',
      'options': ['3', '4', '5', '6'],
      'correct': '4',
    }
  ],
  'timeLimit': 60, // seconds
});

// Student: Listen for quizzes
CrossP2PNetwork.getDataStream(topic: 'quiz').listen((data) {
  final quiz = data['quiz'];
  showQuizDialog(quiz);
});

// Student: Submit response
await CrossP2PNetwork.sendData({
  'quizId': 'Q001',
  'questionId': '1',
  'answer': '4',
  'submittedAt': DateTime.now().toIso8601String(),
}, topic: 'responses');

Network Health Monitoring

// Monitor network events
CrossP2PNetwork.getEventStream().listen((event) {
  switch (event.type) {
    case NetworkEventType.nodeConnected:
      final nodeId = event.data?['nodeId'];
      print('Student $nodeId joined');
      break;
    case NetworkEventType.nodeDisconnected:
      final nodeId = event.data?['nodeId'];
      print('Student $nodeId left');
      break;
    case NetworkEventType.error:
      handleNetworkError(event.message);
      break;
  }
});

// Periodic health checks
Timer.periodic(Duration(seconds: 30), (timer) async {
  try {
    await CrossP2PNetwork.sendHeartbeat();
    
    // Check connection quality
    final events = await CrossP2PNetwork.getEventStream()
        .where((e) => e.type == NetworkEventType.heartbeat)
        .take(1)
        .timeout(Duration(seconds: 5))
        .toList();
        
    if (events.isEmpty) {
      print('Warning: Heartbeat timeout - connection may be unstable');
    }
  } catch (e) {
    print('Health check failed: $e');
    // Attempt reconnection if needed
  }
});

Battery Optimization

// Adaptive heartbeat based on battery level
class BatteryOptimizedHeartbeat {
  Timer? _heartbeatTimer;
  
  void startAdaptiveHeartbeat() {
    _scheduleNextHeartbeat();
  }
  
  void _scheduleNextHeartbeat() async {
    // Get battery level (this would be implemented in the plugin)
    final batteryLevel = await getBatteryLevel();
    
    // Adjust interval based on battery
    int interval = 30; // default 30 seconds
    if (batteryLevel < 20) {
      interval = 120; // 2 minutes when low
    } else if (batteryLevel < 50) {
      interval = 60; // 1 minute when medium
    }
    
    _heartbeatTimer = Timer(Duration(seconds: interval), () async {
      await CrossP2PNetwork.sendHeartbeat();
      _scheduleNextHeartbeat(); // Schedule next
    });
  }
  
  void stop() {
    _heartbeatTimer?.cancel();
  }
}

Error Handling

Common Error Scenarios

// Comprehensive error handling
try {
  final result = await CrossP2PNetwork.createRoom(
    classCode: 'MATH101',
    expectedSize: 50,
  );
  
  if (!result.success) {
    switch (result.error) {
      case 'PERMISSION_DENIED':
        showPermissionDialog();
        break;
      case 'HOTSPOT_CREATION_FAILED':
        showHotspotGuidance();
        break;
      case 'WIFI_AWARE_UNAVAILABLE':
        fallbackToHotspot();
        break;
      default:
        showGenericError(result.error);
    }
  }
} catch (e) {
  if (e is TimeoutException) {
    showTimeoutError();
  } else if (e is PlatformException) {
    handlePlatformError(e);
  } else {
    showUnknownError(e);
  }
}

Auto-Recovery Mechanisms

// Implement auto-recovery for network issues
class NetworkRecoveryManager {
  int _reconnectAttempts = 0;
  static const int maxReconnectAttempts = 3;
  
  void startMonitoring() {
    CrossP2PNetwork.getEventStream().listen((event) {
      if (event.type == NetworkEventType.disconnected) {
        _handleDisconnection();
      } else if (event.type == NetworkEventType.joined) {
        _reconnectAttempts = 0; // Reset on successful connection
      }
    });
  }
  
  Future<void> _handleDisconnection() async {
    if (_reconnectAttempts >= maxReconnectAttempts) {
      showReconnectionFailedDialog();
      return;
    }
    
    _reconnectAttempts++;
    
    // Wait with exponential backoff
    final delay = Duration(seconds: pow(2, _reconnectAttempts).toInt());
    await Future.delayed(delay);
    
    try {
      // Attempt to rejoin last known network
      await attemptReconnection();
    } catch (e) {
      print('Reconnection attempt ${_reconnectAttempts} failed: $e');
      _handleDisconnection(); // Retry
    }
  }
}

Testing

Unit Testing

// test/cross_p2p_network_test.dart
import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
import 'package:cross_p2p_network/cross_p2p_network.dart';
import 'package:mockito/mockito.dart';

void main() {
  group('CrossP2PNetwork', () {
    test('should initialize successfully', () async {
      // Test initialization
      await CrossP2PNetwork.initialize();
      
      // Verify initialization state
      expect(CrossP2PNetwork.isInitialized, true);
    });
    
    test('should create room with valid parameters', () async {
      final result = await CrossP2PNetwork.createRoom(
        classCode: 'TEST101',
        expectedSize: 10,
      );
      
      expect(result.success, true);
      expect(result.roomId, isNotEmpty);
      expect(result.ssid, contains('TEST101'));
    });
    
    test('should handle invalid room creation', () async {
      expect(
        () => CrossP2PNetwork.createRoom(
          classCode: '',
          expectedSize: -1,
        ),
        throwsArgumentError,
      );
    });
  });
}

Integration Testing

// integration_test/network_test.dart
import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
import 'package:integration_test/integration_test.dart';
import 'package:cross_p2p_network/cross_p2p_network.dart';

void main() {
  IntegrationTestWidgetsBinding.ensureInitialized();
  
  group('Network Integration Tests', () {
    testWidgets('complete teacher-student flow', (tester) async {
      // Initialize plugin
      await CrossP2PNetwork.initialize();
      
      // Create room (teacher)
      final roomResult = await CrossP2PNetwork.createRoom(
        classCode: 'INTEGRATION_TEST',
        expectedSize: 2,
      );
      
      expect(roomResult.success, true);
      
      // Simulate student joining
      final studentInfo = {
        'studentId': 'TEST_STUDENT',
        'rollNo': 'T001',
        'studentName': 'Test Student',
        'studentEmail': 'test@example.com',
      };
      
      final joinResult = await CrossP2PNetwork.scanAndJoin(
        studentId: 'TEST_STUDENT',
        studentInfo: studentInfo,
      );
      
      expect(joinResult.success, true);
      
      // Test data exchange
      await CrossP2PNetwork.sendData({'test': 'data'});
      
      // Clean up
      await CrossP2PNetwork.disconnect();
    });
  });
}

Performance Optimization

Memory Management

// Implement proper cleanup
class AttendanceManager {
  Timer? _heartbeatTimer;
  StreamSubscription? _eventSubscription;
  StreamSubscription? _dataSubscription;
  
  void initialize() {
    _eventSubscription = CrossP2PNetwork.getEventStream().listen(_handleEvent);
    _dataSubscription = CrossP2PNetwork.getDataStream().listen(_handleData);
  }
  
  void dispose() {
    _heartbeatTimer?.cancel();
    _eventSubscription?.cancel();
    _dataSubscription?.cancel();
    CrossP2PNetwork.dispose();
  }
}

Network Efficiency

// Batch data sending for efficiency
class DataBatcher {
  final List<Map<String, dynamic>> _batch = [];
  Timer? _batchTimer;
  
  void addData(Map<String, dynamic> data) {
    _batch.add(data);
    
    if (_batch.length >= 10) {
      _sendBatch(); // Send when batch is full
    } else {
      _scheduleBatchSend(); // Or after timeout
    }
  }
  
  void _scheduleBatchSend() {
    _batchTimer?.cancel();
    _batchTimer = Timer(Duration(seconds: 5), _sendBatch);
  }
  
  Future<void> _sendBatch() async {
    if (_batch.isEmpty) return;
    
    await CrossP2PNetwork.sendData({
      'batch': List.from(_batch),
      'count': _batch.length,
    });
    
    _batch.clear();
    _batchTimer?.cancel();
  }
}

Security Considerations

Network Security

// Implement basic data validation
class SecureDataHandler {
  static Map<String, dynamic> sanitizeData(Map<String, dynamic> data) {
    final sanitized = <String, dynamic>{};
    
    for (final entry in data.entries) {
      if (_isValidKey(entry.key) && _isValidValue(entry.value)) {
        sanitized[entry.key] = entry.value;
      }
    }
    
    return sanitized;
  }
  
  static bool _isValidKey(String key) {
    // Validate key format
    return key.length <= 50 && RegExp(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+).hasMatch(key);
  }
  
  static bool _isValidValue(dynamic value) {
    // Validate value type and size
    if (value is String) {
      return value.length <= 1000;
    } else if (value is num) {
      return value.isFinite;
    } else if (value is bool) {
      return true;
    }
    return false;
  }
}

Privacy Protection

// Anonymize sensitive data
class PrivacyManager {
  static Map<String, dynamic> anonymizeStudentData(Map<String, dynamic> data) {
    final anonymized = Map<String, dynamic>.from(data);
    
    // Replace sensitive fields with hashes
    if (anonymized.containsKey('studentEmail')) {
      anonymized['studentEmailHash'] = _hashString(anonymized['studentEmail']);
      anonymized.remove('studentEmail');
    }
    
    if (anonymized.containsKey('studentMobile')) {
      anonymized['studentMobileHash'] = _hashString(anonymized['studentMobile']);
      anonymized.remove('studentMobile');
    }
    
    return anonymized;
  }
  
  static String _hashString(String input) {
    // Use crypto library for proper hashing
    var bytes = utf8.encode(input);
    var digest = sha256.convert(bytes);
    return digest.toString();
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Permission Denied Errors

// Check and request permissions properly
Future<bool> checkPermissions() async {
  final permissions = [
    Permission.location,
    Permission.nearbyWifiDevices,
  ];
  
  for (final permission in permissions) {
    final status = await permission.status;
    if (!status.isGranted) {
      final result = await permission.request();
      if (!result.isGranted) {
        return false;
      }
    }
  }
  return true;
}

2. Network Discovery Issues

// Debug network discovery
Future<void> debugNetworkDiscovery() async {
  print('Scanning for networks...');
  final networks = await CrossP2PNetwork.scanNetworks();
  
  if (networks.isEmpty) {
    print('No networks found. Checking:');
    print('- Wi-Fi enabled: ${await isWifiEnabled()}');
    print('- Location enabled: ${await isLocationEnabled()}');
    print('- Permissions granted: ${await checkPermissions()}');
  } else {
    for (final network in networks) {
      print('Found: ${network.ssid} (${network.signalStrength} dBm)');
    }
  }
}

3. Connection Timeouts

// Handle connection timeouts gracefully
Future<JoinResult> joinWithRetry(NetworkInfo network, int maxRetries) async {
  for (int attempt = 1; attempt <= maxRetries; attempt++) {
    try {
      print('Connection attempt $attempt/$maxRetries');
      
      final result = await CrossP2PNetwork.scanAndJoin(
        studentId: 'STUDENT_ID',
        studentInfo: {},
        allowedSsids: [network.ssid],
      ).timeout(Duration(seconds: 30));
      
      if (result.success) return result;
      
    } catch (e) {
      print('Attempt $attempt failed: $e');
      if (attempt < maxRetries) {
        await Future.delayed(Duration(seconds: 2 * attempt));
      }
    }
  }
  
  return JoinResult(success: false, error: 'Max retries exceeded');
}

Platform-Specific Issues

Android

  • Hotspot Creation: Requires location permission and Wi-Fi enabled
  • Wi-Fi Aware: Only available on Android 8+ with hardware support
  • Network Suggestions: Android 10+ feature, fallback to legacy methods

iOS

  • Manual Setup: Hotspot creation requires user interaction
  • Entitlements: Requires proper entitlements in provisioning profile
  • Background: Limited background networking capabilities

Changelog

Version 1.2.0

  • βœ… Wi-Fi Aware support for iOS 19+ and Android 8+
  • βœ… Improved auto-join with minimal prompting
  • βœ… Enhanced error handling and recovery
  • βœ… Battery optimization features
  • βœ… Comprehensive example application

Version 1.1.0

  • βœ… BFS graph topology implementation
  • βœ… Auto-healing network recovery
  • βœ… MQTT embedded broker
  • βœ… Service discovery enhancement

Version 1.0.0

  • βœ… Initial release
  • βœ… Basic P2P networking
  • βœ… Hotspot creation and joining
  • βœ… Cross-platform support

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

  1. Clone the repository
  2. Install dependencies: flutter pub get
  3. Run example: cd example && flutter run
  4. Run tests: flutter test

Reporting Issues

Please report issues on our GitHub Issues page.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

Made with ❀️ for the Flutter community

Libraries

cross_p2p_network
cross_p2p_network_method_channel
cross_p2p_network_platform_interface