This thesis has enabled us to translate some theoretical concepts of ubiquitous computing to real scenarios, while identifying specific needs in different types of applications. In order to achieve such objective, we propose two research prototypes that provide context-aware services in different environments, such as conference meetings or hospitals' recovery wards. Those experimental prototypes exploit Bluetooth technology to offer information based on the user preferences. In both cases, we run some experiments in order to evaluate the systems' behaviour and its performance.

The autoconfiguration problem of 802.11-based MANETs is also addressed in this thesis through two novel solutions. The first one is a centralized solution based on Bluetooth technology, while the second one is a distributed solution which does not need resorting to any additional technology because it relies on SSID parameter embedding. Both methods are designed for allowing non-expert users to transparently join an existing MANET, providing a fast and reliable autoconfiguration of the terminals. Experimental testbed results using real implementations have allowed us assessing the performance of the proposed solutions and show that nearby stations can be configured in few seconds. Furthermore, we have compared the solutions between them to evidence the different performance trade-offs.

The main contribution of this thesis is EasyMANET, an extensible and configurable platform whose goal is to automate as much as possible all the tasks that affect the configuration and startup of MANETs to make their use simpler and more widely available. EasyMANET makes use, as mandatory components, of an address autoconfiguration system (such as the ones named above), and a name resolution service known as Visual DNS. Visual DNS offers a graphical view of the MANET participants and gives users the possibility to access the services made available by other users. Through a large-scale validation using the OMNeT++ simulator, we show that EasyMANET is a highly scalable solution.

This set of proposals will be presented in detail along the document, evidencing how wireless technologies like Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 can significantly contribute to the development of ubiquitous applications.