Professional iOS Network Programming: Connecting the Enterprise to the iPhone and iPad

Chapter 12

Device-to-Device Communication with Game Kit

WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Using Game Kit classes and configuring transfer options
• Understanding traditional client-server communication
• creating peer-to-peer connections

WROX.COM CODE DOWNLOADS FOR THIS CHAPTER

The wrox.com code downloads for this chapter are found at www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/Professional-iOS-Network-Programming-Connecting-the-Enterprise-to-the-iPhone-and-iPad.productCd-1118362403.html on the Download Code tab. The code for this chapter is found in the Chapter 12 download and is all from one example project: Game Kit Auctioneer.zip.

All communication topics covered so far have assumed that the device is connected to a network that is connected to the Internet at large; however, iOS devices can transfer data even in the absence of a traditional network. Apple’s Game Kit framework facilitates device-to-device communication in environments lacking cellular service, access to power to run a Wi-Fi infrastructure, or some other limitation that precludes offering access to a local area network (LAN) or the Internet. Examples might be deep in a national forest, on a remote stretch of highway, or far underground in a building’s subbasement.

Although the name implies its most common use, Game Kit is not only about enabling multiplayer games. The framework is data-agnostic, and apps can send any type of data using a variety of communication options. Its unique capability to operate over both short-range personal ...