Learn how to edit text, draw, chat, transfer files, and share social posts with apps that support local and peer-to-peer network connections in this free PDF download from TechRepublic.

From the download:

Many collaboration apps appropriately handle two network conditions: Online or offline. Google Docs, for example, lets multiple people edit simultaneously online. Additionally, people may choose to edit offline, then rely on the system to sync all edits when re-connected to the internet.

There’s also a third network condition: A local network. If you ever have sent a photo, file, or a link to a person nearby–with Apple’s AirDrop (on iOS or macOS), Microsoft’s Windows Nearby Sharing, or Google’s Android Nearby Share–you’ve used local networking. These systems let you transfer data from one device to another (over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Bluetooth), without the need for an internet connection.

The following five apps push beyond standard internet-centric network designs. These apps give us a glimpse of a potential world where apps let us collaborate over local networks, without the need for an internet connection. Appealingly, many of these apps not only support local network collaboration, but also work with an internet connection, when available or desired.